ACE Health Coach Certification Practice Test

If a client decreases daily caloric intake by 300 calories, how many calories would he or she have to expend through physical activity each day to achieve a weekly weight loss of 1 pound?

1. 100 calories

2. 200 calories

3. 300 calories

4. 400 calories

The correct answer is: 200 calories

To achieve a weekly weight loss of 1 pound, a client must create a caloric deficit of approximately 3,500 calories, since 1 pound of body weight is generally equivalent to about 3,500 calories. If the client decreases their caloric intake by 300 calories per day, that reduction contributes to a total deficit of 2,100 calories over the course of a week (300 calories/day x 7 days = 2,100 calories). To reach the necessary 3,500-calorie deficit for losing 1 pound, the client would need to make up the difference through physical activity. The difference between the required 3,500 calories and the 2,100 calories from reduced intake is 1,400 calories. To find out how many calories need to be expended through physical activity each day, you divide the additional required deficit (1,400 calories) by 7 days, which results in 200 calories per day. Therefore, to achieve a weekly weight loss of 1 pound while decreasing caloric intake by 300 calories per day, the client would need to expend an additional 200 calories through physical activity daily.