+10 votes
I have been making a lot of scratch-made meals lately, mostly the stick-to-your-ribs kind of food my grandma used to make. Everything turned out fine, but I have decided to watch my weitht a little closer since I am not as active as I used to be. I am looking for a simple explanation of the math behind weight loss.

How many calories do I actually need to burn every day to lose 1 kg by the end of the week? I want to keep it simple and have it explained clearly. I still plan on cooking my blue-ribbon dishes like pot roast and biscuits, but I need to know the daily target for that 1 kg loss so I can balance my portions. It would be helpfull to know if this is a realistic goal for a woman in her 30s who just wants to stay healthy while still enjoying good home cooking.
in Healthy Eating and Diets by

5 Answers

+10 votes
Losing a kilo a week means you need to cut out about 7700 calories total which is around 1100 calories less everyday 🤔. Honestly your trying to eat heavy comfort foods while doing that might be pretty tough to pull off. Its probably better to aim for a smaller goal so your not starving yourself every day 😂.
by
+10 votes
Hello there. To understand the math behind weight loss, it helps to look at the basic energy equation. One kilogram of body fat is roughly equivalent to 7,700 calories.

To lose 1 kg in a single week, you would need a total weekly deficit of 7,700 calories, which breaks down to an average daily deficit of about 1,100 calories. Whether you achieve this by burning more through activity or eating less, that is the target number.

Is it realistic for a woman in her 30s? An 1,100-calorie daily deficit is quite steep and can be very difficult to maintain, especially while enjoying rich, traditional comfort foods like pot roast and biscuits. A more sustainable and realistic goal for long-term health is usually a loss of 0.5 kg per week, which requires a manageable daily deficit of about 500 calories.
by chef (91.1k points)
+8 votes
When I tried to manage my weight last year, I learned that one kilogram of body fat equals roughly 7,700 calories, meaning you need a daily deficit of about 1,100 calories to hit that weekly target. Finding that deficit while cooking rich meals can be tough, so I started making a few adjustments to how I prepare my traditional family recipes without losing the flavor.

For a woman in her thirties, aiming for a full kilo a week might be a bit too strict and hard to sustain, but understanding the math definitely helps you balance your portions better.
by
+5 votes
to lose one kilogram in a week, you need a total caloric deficit of about 7700 calories because that is roughly how much energy is stored in a kilo of fat. if you divide that by seven days, it means burning or cutting about 1100 calories every single day.

to be honest, losing a full kilo every week is quite a lot, especially when you are less active and enjoying rich homestyle meals. it might be safer to aim for a smaller weekly loss, but the math itself is pretty straightforward once you break it down like that.
by
–2 votes
People nowadays are always counting numbers and calories instead of just enjoying real food like our grandmothers made. I hear that losing a whole kilogram in just one week requires cutting a massive amount of food, perhaps thousands of calories, but I honestly doubt anyone can accurately track such things without going crazy.

In the old days, we just ate sensible portions of pot roast and walked more, without all these strict math formulas. I do not know the exact daily math because it sounds overly complicated and modern, but starving yourself to hit a weekly scale target cannot be healthy for a woman in her thirties who just wants to enjoy good home cooking.
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