Exercise Not a Fix For Eating the Wrong Foods

By Jeffrey B. Brown, MD

Affinity Health Medical Weight Loss

More Complementary & Integrative Healthcare Articles

Exercise Not a Fix For Eating the Wrong Foods

Ritz Crackers Did you know that five Ritz crackers, seemingly small, contain five grams of fat and 10 grams of carbs? Those grams of fat and carbs pack 80 calories worth of stored energy, which if unused will be stored as body fat. To burn off the energy in those crackers you would need to go walking for 24 minutes (the length of 12 football fields), go swimming for 12 minutes, or go jogging for 8 minutes.

Coke Classic 12 oz One 12 oz coke contains 40 grams of carbs (10 packs of sugar). Those grams of sugar pack 143 calories worth of stored energy, which if unused will be stored as body fat. To burn off the energy in that soda you would need to go walking for 42 minutes (the length of 21 football fields), go swimming for 20 minutes, or go jogging for 14 minutes.

Peppermint Candy A single peppermint candy contains five grams of carbs. Those grams of sugar pack only 20 calories worth of stored energy, but to burn off the energy in that single piece of candy you would need to walk the length of a football field three times.

One pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. To lose that one pound the average person would need to walk for approximately 17 hours. Or they could go jogging every morning for one hour for about a week.

The Take-Away Message Trying to burn off poor food choices with increased physical activity is very difficult and nearly impossible to maintain. It is far easier to control the type and amount of energy you put into your body versus the energy you burn. Exercise alone does not lead to weight loss but it is key to weight loss maintenance.