I think we often fool ourselves about our rate of calorie burn. There are many times I hear friends talk about eating something like a McRib with fries and finishing with “I guess I’ll have to get in a few extra steps on the treadmill to make up for this.”
WRONG!
A McRib with medium fries is 880 calories.
According to the Mayo Clinics estimates for a 200-pound person (less calories are burned for people who weigh less, more for people who weigh more), burning 880 calories would require you to
- walk very briskly for over two hours
- jog for about one and a quarter hours
- run fast for about an hour
You can get the numbers here.
I really hope you aren’t saying to yourself right now, “Well, I don’t eat at McDonald’s.” The McRib was just an example. Most of us have poor eating habits that we justify. Acknowledge yours.
I am not saying here that you should not indulge yourself from time to time. In fact, I think you should do that. Do you enjoy a Sonic Bacon Cheeseburger with a Chocolate Shake? Have it!
All I’m asking is that you don’t kid yourself that you are going to burn off the 1200 calories from that meal (and that’s without fries!) with a walk around the block in your neighborhood. Not gonna happen.