When someone goes on a diet, they want to lose weight as fast as they can. Going on a diet means eating less of the foods you like, and more often than not, more bland foot in smaller portions. But, how long does it actually take to lose a pound, and how long should you plan to be on a diet, so you know when the end is near.
To lose a pound of fat, you need to burn 3500 calories. So, you first need to decide how many pounds you want to lose, and then multiply that by 3500. That will give you the total amount of calories you need to burn to reach your goal. For the sake of this example, lets say you need to lose 10 pounds. Therefore, you need to burn 35000 calories extra.
Next, you need to calculate your daily deficit. If you don’t know what this is, you need to do some research on your basal metabolic rate and other calorie based formula. Most people can go on a deficit of 500 calories daily, with larger people having the ability to go on a 1000 calorie per day deficit.
So, you divide your total deficit by your daily deficit, and you get how many days you need to be on your diet before you reach your goal. Using our example, you would need to stay on your diet for 70 days at a 500 calorie deficit or 35 days at a 1000 calorie deficit to reach your goal weight.