It's Wednesday today and I have just been back from the fruit and vegetables market that is 5 minutes walking from my apartment building. This is the second time I have been there today and I go there every day. If you make an effort to eat well, you know you don't go through the Garden drive-through where the fresh food fairy hands you a paper bag of groceries. It takes some planning, and some actual physical effort, to get your food.
As everything in life, getting your food may or may NOT burn calories. I have estimated that on a daily basis I average out with the following energy expenditure of getting food:
30 minutes of walking and carrying fruits and vegetables:
70 calories
10 minutes of cleaning, washing, peeling vegetables and fruits:
24 calories
20 minutes of cooking and cleaning:
66 calories
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Total: 160 calories
This is a total of 160 calories a day only dedicated to the fresh produce. Then twice a week I have a regular drive to a supermarket where I can get fish, legumes, etc. On Sunday, I spend some time boiling the milk my friend Gery brings me from a farm, then I make cheese and yogurt from it (which is an average of 60 calories effort). This is cool, since Gery burns an extra 236 calories getting milk to some of her friends and family every Sunday.
Over the week the average energy cost of getting food is about 1120 calories for someone that weighs the same as me (around 120 lbs). Over three weeks this would be the average expenditure you need to kiss a lb of fat good bye. The heavier you are the more calories you will burn doing the same activities, and that means even more fat loss for you!
The above is a prime example of how much the food choices you make affect your lifestyle, your caloric expenditure and your caloric balance. Compare the above to stopping at the supermarket once a week and stocking up. Compare it to ordering in every night. Which gives you a better chance to stay fit for life? It's really only up to you.
This stuff is good news. Things like dishes, cleaning, sweeping, and mopping probably add up, too!
ReplyDeleteGood point, Roland. Unfortunately, at home, my boyfriend does those chores so it's all adding up to his expenditure.
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