Save 1 kilogram of fat per week

Many diets promise miraculous weight loss in record time. But weight loss is not the same as fat loss. On the contrary, with most diets you lose water and muscle mass, which is why you weigh less afterwards. So what do you have to do to actually burn one kilogram of fat?

A look at the nutrient table reveals: 1 gram of fat has a nutritional value of 9.3 kilocalories (kcal), d. H. To burn 1 kilogram of body fat, you would have to dispose of around 9000 kcal. However, the body is unable to completely burn the food. Not all calories are absorbed. The digestive loss is around 2,000 kcal, so you need to save about 7,000 kcal to get rid of one kilogram of fat.

When losing weight, it depends on the energy balance

For this we first have to calculate the daily basal metabolic rate. With the "Harris Benedict" formula (see below) we can calculate an approximate value for both men and women. A 30-year-old man with a body weight of 80 kilograms and a height of 180 cm has therefore a basal metabolic rate of 1.858,47 kcal; A woman of the same age, 165 cm tall and weighing 67 kilograms, according to the formula comes to a base turnover of 1,454.30 kcal. Now you have to add the work turnover to this value in order to calculate the daily total sales. The work turnover depends on how much you move daily in job and leisure. With a calorie calculator you can determine the approximate calorie requirement. As a rough guide, our average man has a value of 2,972 kcal and for our average woman the value is 2,181 kcal. The calculation is based on predominantly sedentary activity and little movement.

Typical diet problems

We can continue to count on these values ​​now. To lose weight you need a negative energy balance. So either I have to burn less food or more energy, so move more. Converted to one week, that means saving 1,000 kcal per day. And this is where the typical diet problems begin.

Beware of yo-yo effect

If I eat 1000 kcal less daily than I need, the yo-yo effect threatens. The body thinks there is a threat of hunger, but does not compensate for the lack of energy as desired. The burning of fat falter. Instead of going to the fat reserves, which would be necessary for survival in times of need, the body drives down the metabolism. Ie. Primarily, the most important organs are supplied with energy, especially the brain. Everything else is running on Sparflame to save energy. The lack of energy worries the body by burning the body's resources. Above all, he burns muscle protein. And that's the big disadvantage of most diets. On the scale, although a weight loss quickly appears, but the body fat content is reduced only slightly. Above all, we lose muscle mass and water.

Fat burning: muscles are like motors

But our basic turnover decreases permanently because the muscles are like motors. A large engine consumes more fuel, even when idling. A diet makes so from a midsize car with 2 liters displacement a small car with 1.5 liters of displacement. What is desirable on the road, however, leads to weight gain in humans. Because after a diet, the body starts to convert the excess calories into fat. The small car will eventually become a truck.

Exercise and healthy diet support fat burning

Instead of downsizing the cubic capacity, you should upgrade your body to a sports car. Every kilogram of muscle burns an additional 100 kcal per day. Also, you should move your cart regularly, that consumes more calories. And if you fill up with super-gasoline and eat a healthy and balanced diet, your body starts to burn fat. (Protein and weight control - is less more?)

Fat burning in everyday life

But sport alone is not the answer. If you exercise occasionally but continue to eat unhealthily, you will not lose weight. A simple jogging account illustrates the problem. Depending on the running speed, a runner burns about 500 to 900 kcal per hour. Let's assume that our average man consumes about 600 kcal per hour. Then he would have to run almost 12 hours a week to consume 7,000 kcal. Honestly, do you have so much time? Optimal is a combined nutrition and exercise program, so a part of the calories are saved by a change of diet and another by sport and everyday movements. And that may look like this:

Saving through nutrition: 4,400 kcal

- Make less sugar in your coffee. A piece of sugar cubes weighs 2.5 grams, which is equivalent to 10 kcal. With three cups of coffee a day and one less each, you save a total of 210 kcal a week.

- Take low-fat milk (1.5 grams of fat) instead of whole milk (3.5 grams of fat). This saves 2 grams of fat per 100 ml, ie 18 kcal. With a glass of milk (0.2 l) per day you save 252 kcal a week.

- Drink water instead of lemonade. A can of coke (0.33 l) contains about 34 grams or 13.5 pieces of sugar. This is 136 kcal per day and 952 kcal per week.

- Eat raw vegetables instead of potato chips while watching TV. A bag of chips has around 800 kcal.

- Boiled potatoes are better than French fries. A 100 gram portion of fries brings it to 370 kcal, 126 of which account for frying fat. With two servings a week you save 250 kcal again.

- Low-fat bread spread is healthier. 100 grams of meat sausage contain 30 grams of fat and thus 270 fat calories. Cooked ham has only 3 grams of fat. The calorie savings thus amounts to 243 kcal.

- A bottle of beer brings it to about 225 kcal, wheat beer even more. Avoid beer during the week and save 1,125 kcal.

- Poultry is better than pork. 200 grams of turkey breast or chicken meat without skin have about 160 kcal, 200 grams of pork chops, however, it brings to 220 kcal. With two meat meals per week you save 120 kcal with the poultry meat.

Saving by movement: 3,200 kcal

Your calorie consumption can be positively influenced by an increase in exercise, either through exercise or everyday movements.

Sport boosts fat burning:

- Half an hour strength training consumes around 270 calories. With two training sessions per week you get 540 kcal.

- 45 minutes of jogging burns an estimated 450 kcal. Do this three times a week, so that is 1.350 kcal on the credit side.

- Take the bike to work. You can write well 160 kcal per 20 minutes of slow cycling. Let's say you can do that twice a week, that's 320 kcal in the end.

Incidentally, the afterburning effect is not included in this calculation.

Small movements, great effect when losing weight

- Stair instead of lift: 15 minutes of stair climbing consumes about 150 kcal. With five working days and assumed 2 floors that you go up and down a total of four times in the morning, noon and evening, we can write good 150 kcal good conscience.

- During sex you burn an average of 160 kcal. Surprise your partner and book another 160 kcal.

- Walk for 20 minutes daily. This saves 90 kcal or 630 kcal each time.

- Do house cleaning. 15 minutes of vacuuming burns 70 kcal.

Congratulations. They have saved about 7,600 kcal this week or burned the energy that is in a 1 kilogram of fat. Granted, maybe you do not eat everything on the list or you do less sport. But do you really have to burn 1 kilogram of fat a week? Is not it enough, too, if you can lose weight in the long term with small measures and then be able to maintain it in the long term?