Your second largest chunk of energy is the energy you withdraw to spend on physical work. That’s everything from brushing your teeth in the morning to hoeing a row of petunias in the garden or working out in the gym. Your total energy requirement (the number of calories you need each day) is your REE plus enough calories to cover the amount of work you do.
Does thinking about this use up energy? Yes, but not as much as you’d like to imagine. To solve a crossword puzzle — or write a post of this blog — the average brain uses about 1 calorie every four minutes. That’s only one-third the amount needed to keep a 60-watt bulb burning for the same length of time.
Are you a sensible foodie? If you’re supposed to have no more than 2,000 calories a day, can you pack all the vitamins, minerals, protein, heart-healthy fats, and carbs you need into 1,800 calories? Do that, and the folks who wrote the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 say, reward yourself.
Use the “leftover” 200 calories — called discretionary calories — for anything that makes your mouth water. Naturally, some expert spoilsports disagree. They say that giving you an inch (those leftover calories) means you’ll take a mile (three pieces of chocolate cake). Prove them wrong and celebrate your smarts. Yum!
Does thinking about this use up energy? Yes, but not as much as you’d like to imagine. To solve a crossword puzzle — or write a post of this blog — the average brain uses about 1 calorie every four minutes. That’s only one-third the amount needed to keep a 60-watt bulb burning for the same length of time.
Are you a sensible foodie? If you’re supposed to have no more than 2,000 calories a day, can you pack all the vitamins, minerals, protein, heart-healthy fats, and carbs you need into 1,800 calories? Do that, and the folks who wrote the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 say, reward yourself.
Use the “leftover” 200 calories — called discretionary calories — for anything that makes your mouth water. Naturally, some expert spoilsports disagree. They say that giving you an inch (those leftover calories) means you’ll take a mile (three pieces of chocolate cake). Prove them wrong and celebrate your smarts. Yum!
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