It Takes a Lot of Exercise to Lose Weight
Burning enough calories to lose weight takes quite a bit of exercise. It takes about 51⁄2 calories of activity per pound of body weight for a person to maintain his or her current body weight. For an adult weighing 170 pounds, that is 925 to 950 calories in daily activity.To lose 1 pound of fat through exercise alone, a person needs to burn an additional 3,500 calories. So in order for that 170-pound adult to lose 2 pounds per week without making any dietary changes, he would need to continue doing everything that he is currently doing—plus walk an additional 10 miles per day (that is 70 miles a week). That is a lot of exercise and time! Needless to say, walking is still a very good idea.
If your goal is to lose weight by playing basketball, it will take more than five hours of active playing to lose a pound. It is extremely difficult to exercise enough on a consistent basis to lose even 1 pound of fat without making any changes to your diet.
| CALORIES BURNED BY A 170-POUND PERSON DOING 30 MINUTE OF COMMON ACTIVITIES |
|
| Activity | Calories Burned |
| Walking the dog | 168 |
| Jogging | 382 |
| Biking | 250 |
| Playing basketball | 230 |
| General household chores | 138 |
You just learned that it takes a lot of exercise to burn a lot of calories.
