I’ve previously written about the concept of energy balance and why many people’s understanding of it are incorrect. Today I want to revisit that by providing an excerpt from The Women’s Book. Specifically I want to address one of the oldest “Rules” of dieting, what I will call the 3500 calorie rule. This is another place where, due to their misunderstanding of what it represents, many make some truly hilarious arguments against energy balance. So let’s clear things up.
The 3500 Calorie Rule
I’m fairly certain that almost all readers of this book are familiar with the old rule that 3,500 calories equals one pound of bodyweight. Which leads to very simple mathematical approaches to weight loss via the energy balance equation. Presumably the simple act of decreasing food intake by 500 calories/day, or increasing energy expenditure by 500 calories/day, should result in exactly one pound of weight loss/week.
And whenever people do that, it never works out.… Keep Reading