Lose a Pound of Fat in a Day?

Body Fat

Body fat is called adipose tissue and is composed of cell membranes, triglycerides (fats), fluids (water, blood, lymph, etc), and proteins (used for breaking down fat for energy). Therefore, body fat has an estimated calorie count of 3200-3800 kcal (depending on your body), while pure fat has approximately 4100 kcal.

Calories, counted as 1 kcal = 1000 cal, are the chemical energy our bodies derive from food. So, 1 pound of fat = 454 grams. Pure fat = 8.7-9.5 kcal/g (rounded to 9 kcal/g).


So, if the average person consumes 1200 to 2500 kcal daily, how can they cut out 3200 kcal in a day?

You can’t! This is where diet clinics and pill pushers are lying to you!

Losing One Pound of Fat in a Day is Impossible

No matter what, you cannot remove one pound (3200 kcal) from your body in one day without liposuction or chemical emulsion. The average person could not even burn that many calories in a day, unless they are someone like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who consumes around 6000 kcal/day just to maintain the mass he has.

When you DO lose that one pound in one day, it is mostly water. The first thing diet or detox pills do is flush the system, meaning all your stored water is removed. This not only dehydrates you, but it completely changes how your cells function, causing them to retain more weight (fat).


This also does not consider the way your body reacts to calorie restrictions when dieting. This effect is called adaptive thermogenesis. Which is when your body slows its metabolism and retains fat when calorie consumption is reduced. Or when calorie consumption increases, the opposite happens and metabolism increases.

The same thing happens when you stop exercising and begin losing muscle mass. Loss of muscle mass leads to slowing of the metabolism and burning fewer calories. Muscle tissue consumes more calories than fat tissue. The more muscle mass you retain the more calories you burn every day.

We’ve learned that no matter what you cannot lose one pound of fat in one day, unless you’re getting liposuction, of course. There are pills out there that will emulsify some of your body fat and push it out with waste. This usually leads to extreme diarrhea that is greasy and uncomfortable.

If your dietician, weight loss program, or diet pill promises you such don’t believe it. Stop using it, stop doing it, and find something more natural and honest. Protect your health and your wallet.


  1. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/calories-in-a-pound-of-fat
  3. https://www.rd.com/health/diet-weight-loss/how-many-calories-in-a-pound/
  4. https://www.todaysdietitian.com/news/exclusive0612.shtml
  5. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/3500-calories-one-pound-fat-calorie-burn_n_2806578
  6. https://www.getmealplans.com/blog/2016/02/22/have-you-ever-seen-pound-fat-photo/