By Barbara Bishop
I love pizza. It’s one of my most favorite foods. It’s not that difficult for me to eat three slices of cheese, mushrooms, olives and tomato sauce, all piled on a crispy, thin crust in one sitting. Yum.
Now that I am starting my weight loss/get healthy regimen, I wondered how long it would take to burn off those luscious slices, and was it worth it?
I did some online research. What I found out from WebMD was pretty shocking.
Next time I decide to have an extra slice or two of pizza, I will remember this – a 10-mile round-trip bike ride would burn one slice off with calories to spare. One slice: 308 calories. Three slices: 924 calories. Do the math: a 30-mile bike ride would burn it all off. Holy crap!
I also found other comparisons to eating certain foods and burning them off.
How many of us feel guilty about those jelly doughnuts we downed that were sitting in the office kitchen? Do you like to dance? It’ll take over two hours to dance off those fat-fried, sugar-coated, breakfast treats so bring comfortable shoes. Two doughnuts: 578 calories.
I love this one: A 150-pound person burns 95 calories an hour while sleeping. So a BLT (300 calories) would be enough to fuel your body during a three-hour nap. Good sleep can help appetite and weight management as well. I am so excited that I can burn calories during my Sunday nap!
That hot dog seemed like such a good idea at the BBQ. Now, not so much. Take a hike. It’ll take less than an hour to burn off that dog, and you’ll get a little slice of the great outdoors to boot. I like this one too. One hot dog: 296 calories.
If you want to burn off that triple-scoop with hot fudge, nuts, and whipped cream by sitting on the couch, it’s going to take a while – 6-1/2 hours to be exact. You could run it off in less than two hours, but I find great pleasure lying on the couch watching reruns of “Sex and the City” or the Twilight Zone – six hours could easily blow by. Three-scoop sundae: 852 calories.
Bummed about that slice of chocolate cake you scarfed down at your client’s dinner of party? You couldn’t say no to your client. Go outside and walk it off. Say goodbye to your client first, It’ll take at least two hours. One slice: 537 calories.
How much exercise to burn off one full sugar soft drink? If you are into rowing, it’ll take about a half-hour to earn one 16-ounce serving. Ever tried to row for a half an hour straight? You have to really like soft drinks. Sixteen-ounce soft drink: 202 calories.
If you have the endurance, cross-country skiing burns a whopping 500 calories an hour, so you’ll definitely be ready for a hearty pasta meal at the end of the day. Three hours on the trail would more than earn you a double serving: about 1,340 calories.
I’ll stick to biking, hiking, walking, watching TV and napping, the latter two being my faves!
