How many Calories in a Pound?

People are often concerned with how many calories a pound contains, as it enables them to calculate how many calories they have to consume to lose or gain weight. However, since various foodstuffs contain various amounts of calories, any answer to this question must be specific and particular. Only then it will be valuable and of use.

  • There are 3500 kcals in 1 pound. However this answer is unsatisfactory as for all practical purposes, the dieter or whoever wishes to calculate the amount of food stuffs they must consume to obtain a certain weight, should also take into account the varying amount of calories contained in different food groups.
  • For example, fat contains 9 kcals per gram whereas proteins contain only 4. Ethanol or alcohol contains 7 kcals per gram [also called the energy density] whereas carbohydrates contain 4. This means that one pound of weight can be more easily gained by consuming less quantities of fat than they can be by consuming the same quantity of proteins.
  • This is the reason why people looking to diet are asked to reduce their fat intake and increase their protein or carbohydrate intake. Greater quantities of protein will lead to the gaining of weight at a slower rate.
  • Generally, reducing 500kcals per day can lead to the reduction of about 1 pound per week in terms of body weight.
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