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Calorie

By , About.com Guide

Updated August 21, 2008

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Definition: A calorie is a unit of heat used to express the energy value of food. A pound of fat stores about 3500 calories so, in order to lose a pound of fat, you need to burn an extra 3500 calories. To lose a pound in one week, that would mean creating a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day with diet, exercise or both.

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