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Why is the 3500 kcal per pound weight loss rule wrong?

International Journal of Obesity volume 37, page 1614 (2013)Cite this article

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We welcome the recent article by Thomas et al.1 criticizing the commonly used 3500 kcal per pound weight loss rule. This echoes our research showing that the 3500-kcal rule leads to overestimation of weight loss in individuals and populations.2, 3 Despite our agreement with the spirit of the article, we believe it has the potential to generate confusion about exactly why the 3500-kcal rule is wrong.

The most serious error of the 3500-kcal rule is its failure to account for dynamic changes in energy balance that occur during an intervention. Unfortunately, we feel that this error is obscured by the equation of Thomas et al.1 meant to represent the predictions of the 3500-kcal rule: W(t)=W0+ΔEB × t/3500, where the change in energy balance, ΔEB, was defined as the difference between the rates of energy intake and expenditure. What the authors failed to stress was that they calculated ΔEB as the initial difference between the energy intake and expenditure rates and assumed it to be a static quantity. In reality, ΔEB is dynamic and, if accurately estimated over time, then the above equation provides a reasonable estimate of weight change.

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References

  1. Thomas DM, Martin CK, Lettieri S, Bredlau C, Kaiser K, Church T et al. Can a weight loss of one pound a week be achieved with a 3500-kcal deficit? Commentary on a commonly accepted rule. Int J Obes (Lond) 2013; 37: 1611–1613.

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  2. Hall KD, Sacks G, Chandramohan D, Chow CC, Wang YC, Gortmaker SL et al. Quantification of the effect of energy imbalance on bodyweight. Lancet 2011; 378: 826–837.

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  4. Hall KD . Modeling metabolic adaptations and energy regulation in humans. Annu Rev Nutr 2012; 32: 35–54.

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  6. Hall KD . What is the required energy deficit per unit weight loss? Int J Obes (Lond) 2008; 32: 573–576.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    K D Hall & C C Chow

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  1. K D Hall
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  2. C C Chow
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Correspondence to K D Hall.

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Hall, K., Chow, C. Why is the 3500 kcal per pound weight loss rule wrong?. Int J Obes 37, 1614 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2013.112

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