How To Lose Weight: The Real Math Behind Weight Loss

Want to lose weight, but aren’t sure how the math works behind burning calories and fat? Here’s how to lose weight based on the mathematics of burning calories, burning fat, and weight loss. Dr. Carson Chow explains what happens behind the scenes when you exercise and go on a diet to limit food and calorie consumption. The old rule of burning 3,500 calories to lose 1 pound doesn’t actually work in the long-run. Dr. Carson Chow explains a new rule for burning fat and calories and losing weight.

okay so imagine one pound of your own fatty flesh so if you burn that amount of flesh that sounds kind of you know weird but if you were to convert that into energy you would get about 3500 calories which is quite a lot of energy that’s me talking with dr.

Carson Chow and MIT trained physicist and mathematician and he’s explaining to me why we should care how much energy fat has in order for you to live and function you need to burn energy to like keep your heart beating all your your organs going and also to move around but energy doesn’t come for free so if you’re not consuming enough calories you’re gonna burn that energy with your own fat and so a lot of diet books like to teach people this rule but the problem is it’s wrong and here’s why so let’s say I eat 500 calories less a day so after one week it would be 3500 calories and I would lose a pound right because I’d have to burn yeah if I stayed on this diet for a year I would burn through 52 pounds be great if you keep taking this thing while after two years I’d lose 104 and after 10 years I’d lose 500 pounds you know so obviously at some point this rule is gonna break down it will actually break down before you get to a year so to understand the real math behind losing weight dr.

Chow wanted me to imagine a leaky bucket you have some water in the bucket and that’s the amount of body fat or tissue in your body and the leak represents the rate at which you’re burning energy what in reality what you’re doing is you’re adding water at the top that’s like eating food and when you’re in steady-state the amount of water you add at the top exactly balances the amount of water you lose at the bottom if you’re pouring in more water than it’s leaking then you’re gonna gain weight now if you think about the physics of a leaky bucket the more water that you pour into the bucket the faster it’s gonna leak so your leak rate scales with how big you are and this is a well-known fact that the larger you are the more energy you burn you’re going to burn more energy because it takes more energy just to move a larger mass you have more tissue and just to keep that tissue going it takes more energy congratulations you have a new steady state but let’s say you don’t want to stay this large person that you’ve become well the opposite is true as well you could pour in a lot less water than you’re leaking but as you start to lose weight you start to get smaller and you burn less energy you start to metabolically adapt to your new diet and so you’re never going to lose weight at one constant rate it’s always going to curve from one steady-state down to another which means when you go on a diet the 3500 calorie rule is the wrong rule there’s a new rule wait for it the new rule is for every 10 calories you eat less you will lose a pound but it will take you about 3 years or more to see that the full effect of your diet which is still pretty good you just see all you have to do is eat 100 calories less you lose 10 pounds it’s like a can of coke so you should expect the diet to be extremely slow right but nobody wants a slow diet we all want to lose 20 pounds for this summer what’s wrong with just focusing on losing weight rapidly the problem is once they’re down at that new weight they have to be vigilant for the rest of their life because losing weight is slow gaining weight is also slow but it slowly creep up and then two three years later bang and hit something they’re back to where they were so the mathematically approved rule for weight loss for every 10 calories I don’t eat a day I’ll eventually lose one full pound which means changing your steady-state is a marathon and not a sprint hey guys this is Todd thanks so much for watching if you want to have life-changing epiphanies like this one delivered automatically every single week make sure you subscribe also through facebook twitter and google+ we asked you what would you advise people who are trying to take the slow path to losing weight and here’s what some of you said if you have any additional thoughts or comments make sure you leave them in the comment section below and make sure you join us next week we’re going to talk about the differences between white bread and sugar or are there actually any differences we’ll find out see you next week OK, so imagine one pound of your own fatty flesh.

So if you burn that amount of flesh, and that sounds kind of, you know, weird, but if you were to convert that into energy, you would get about 3500 Calories, which is quite a lot of energy. That is me talking with Dr.

Carson Chow, an M.I.T. trained physicist and mathematician and he is explaining to me why we should care how much energy fat has. In order for you to live and function, you need to burn energy to, like, keep your heart beating, all your organs going and just to move around.

But energy doesn’t come for free. So if you aren’t consuming enough calories you are going to burn that energy with your own fat. So a lot of diet books like to teach this rule, but the problem is its wrong.

Here is why. Let’s say I eat 500 calories less a day. So after 1 week it would be 3,500 calories, and I would lose a pound, right? Because I’d have to burn it. Yeah, and if I stayed on this diet for a year I’d burn through 52 pounds.

It’d be great! If you keep taking this thing, well, after 2 years I’d lose 104, and after 10 years I’d lose 500 pounds, you know? So obviously, at some point this rule is going to break down.

It will actually break down before you get to a year. So to understand the real math behind losing weight, Dr. Chow wanted me to imagine a leaky bucket. You have some water in the bucket and that’s the amount of body fat or tissue in your body.

And the leak represents the rate at which you are burning energy. In reality what you are doing is adding water at the top, that’s like eating food. And when you are in steady state the amount of water you add at the top exactly balances the amount of water you lose at the bottom.

If you are pouring in more water than it is leaking then you are going to gain weight. Now if you think about the physics of a leaky bucket, the more water you pour into the bucket the faster it’s gonna leak.

So the leak rate scales with how big you are. And this is a well-known fact, that the larger you are, the more energy you burn. You’re going to burn more energy because it takes more energy just to move a larger mass.

You have more tissue and just to keep that tissue going it takes more energy. Congratulations. You have a new steady state. But lets say you don’t want to stay this large person that you’ve become.

Well, the opposite is true, as well. You can pour in a lot less water than you are leaking. But… As you start to lose weight you start to get smaller and you burn less energy and you start to metabolically adapt to your new diet.

And so you are never going to lose weight at one constant rate. It is always going to curve from one steady state down to another. Which means… When you go on a diet, the 3500 calorie rule is the wrong rule.

There is a new rule. Wait for it… The new rule is, for every ten calories you eat less, you lose a pound. But it will take you about 3 years or more to see the full affect of your diet, which is still pretty good.

All you have to do is eat a hundred calories less, you lose ten pounds. That’s like a can of Coke. So you should expect the diet to be extremely slow. Right, but nobody wants a slow diet. We all want to lose 20 pounds for this summer.

What’s wrong with just focusing on losing weight rapidly? But the problem is once you are at this new weight they have to be vigilant for the rest of their life. Because losing weight is slow, gaining weight is also slow.

But it slowly creeps up, and then two or three years later, bang, it hits them, and they’re back up to where they were. So the mathematically approved rule for weight loss: for every 10 calories I don’t eat a day I’ll eventually lose one full pound.

Which means changing your steady state is a marathon and not a sprint. Hey guys, this is Todd. Thanks so much for watching! Uhh If you want to have life-changing epiphanies like this one delivered automatically every single week, make sure you subscribe.

Also, through Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus, we ask you, “What would you advise people who are trying to take the slow path to losing weight?” And here’s what some of you said. If you have any additional thoughts or comments, make sure you leave them in the comments section below.

And make sure you join us next week when we’re gonna talk about the differences between white bread and sugar. Or, are there actually any differences? We’ll find out. See you next week!

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