Chances are that at some point in your diet you have noticed that it is much easier to gain one pound than it is to lose one. After a week of eating right and working out, sometimes the scale only moves one little pound down. And while it is important to recognize every individual pound as its own victory, it can be frustrating. Once you realize how much work and sacrifice actually goes into that one pound weight loss, you might have a better appreciation for how challenging it actually was to lose it.

Every pound in your body takes a sacrifice of 3500 calories to lose. So let’s say you decide to walk at a speed of about two miles per hour for 30 minutes three times a week. That activity will burn about 157 calories per walk (more or less depending on your weight). At three times per week, you will burn 471 calories–nowhere near a pound. Now if you walk faster, say 3 miles per hour, you’ll burn 247 calories per walk. If you increase your walks to five times per week at a speed of 3 miles per hour, you will burn 1,235 calories per week from exercise. If you choose a more challenging workout, like bicycling at a speed of 12-14 miles per hour for a half hour you’ll burn 495 calories per workout. After seven workouts, you will have burned enough calories to lose one pound.