How many calories do you need to burn to lose one pound?

3,500 calories = 1 lb of fatThere are 3,500 calories in 1 pound of fat. To burn one pound, you must burn 3,500 calories. This can be done by reducing calorie intake and increasing your activity. Do not decrease your calories by more than 500-800 calories a day. This will slow your metabolism. Try to increase your activity by engaging in moderate to intense exercise for 20-45 minutes a minimum of 3 times a week. A 1-2 pound loss in weight a week is a healthy and more maintainable amount of weight loss.

Let's say you typically eat 2,500 calories per day, and want to lose weight. To lose one pound in a week, you would need to eat 3,500 calories less during that week. This would mean reducing your caloric intake to 2,000 calories per day for the week, since 2,500-2,000 = 500 and 500 x 7 days = 3,500 calories.