How many calories are in 1 pound of body fat?

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Multiple Choice

How many calories are in 1 pound of body fat?

Explanation:
The amount of energy stored in body fat is about 3,500 kcal per pound. This comes from the fact that fat provides around 9 kcal per gram, and adipose tissue is not pure fat—it’s roughly 87% fat. So a pound (about 454 grams) of fat tissue contains approximately 454 × 0.87 ≈ 395 grams of fat, which times 9 kcal per gram equals about 3,550 kcal, commonly rounded to 3,500 kcal. This is a handy rule of thumb used in weight management to estimate how energy deficits translate to fat loss. In real life, weight change isn’t perfectly fat because water, glycogen, and some lean tissue also shift with diet and exercise, so the number is best viewed as an approximate guide.

The amount of energy stored in body fat is about 3,500 kcal per pound. This comes from the fact that fat provides around 9 kcal per gram, and adipose tissue is not pure fat—it’s roughly 87% fat. So a pound (about 454 grams) of fat tissue contains approximately 454 × 0.87 ≈ 395 grams of fat, which times 9 kcal per gram equals about 3,550 kcal, commonly rounded to 3,500 kcal. This is a handy rule of thumb used in weight management to estimate how energy deficits translate to fat loss. In real life, weight change isn’t perfectly fat because water, glycogen, and some lean tissue also shift with diet and exercise, so the number is best viewed as an approximate guide.

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