With practicality in mind, we decided to take a look at the math of weight loss.
At a physiological level, weight loss and weight gain revolve around caloric consumption and expenditure. Put simply- we lose weight when we eat less calories than we burn. Conversely, we gain weight when we eat more calories than we expend. In order to lose one pound of fat, we must create a 3,500 calorie deficit, which can be achieved either through exercise or diet.
Taken over one month, if you burn 120 calories per day more than you take in, say goodbye to one pound.
Say you weigh 200 pounds and you want to lose five pounds in one month. Through exercise alone, you need to run about four miles per day (or 122 miles total), assuming your diet stays the same. Through dieting alone, you need to your caloric intake by about 600 calories/day*, given that your exercise regime stays the same. Theoretically, the two disciplines should achieve the same result.
But in the real world of diet and fitness, they are not the same thing. You probably don't live in a house that contains a gym, a healthy grocery, and a staff of nutritionists and trainers. Instead, we're left to our own devices in everyday life. How best achieve that target? We'll tackle that next time.
*Sample Calorie Count
