I look forward to the holidays -- the excitement, the presents, the good cheer and, of course, the food. Oh, the calories are everywhere: the parties, the dinners, the gift baskets, the drinks - and then come the pounds. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not telling anyone not to eat and enjoy, but keep in mind that there is a cost - a calorie cost. The truth is that most of us have no idea what a calorie is worth. We have nothing to compare it to. We may know the definition. But, think about it: What is a calorie's value?

One way to determine that is to translate calories into exercise. Knowing the amount of time you need to engage in physical activity to burn off the calories in the foods you consume is a way to help you make conscious and clear food choices. The point is not to tell you which foods you should or shouldn't be eating or the punishment you'll receive for eating a particular food.

Rather, it's a tool for deciding what a calorie means and which calories are worth it.  In fact, I've written an entire book devoted to translating calories into exercise: The Diet Detective's Count Down (Simon & Schuster, 2007), which lists more than 7,500 foods and the amount of activity (running, walking, swimming, biking, yoga and dance) it would take to burn off their calories.

So, in order to make you more aware about your holiday eating, I've taken an excerpt from The Diet Detective's Count Down and added a few key holiday choices to create a "calorie/activity" cheat sheet. The following are typical holiday foods and the number of minutes required to burn them off after you've exhausted your daily caloric budget.

You can determine a rough estimate of your own caloric budget by assigning 10 calories per pound for a female and 11 calories per pound for a male, multiplied by your activity level: 1.2 if you're sedentary up to 1.8 if you are very active. For example, a 130-pound female who is somewhat active would have a budget of 1,300 calories multiplied by 1.5, or 1,950 calories per day. If you want to lose weight, you'll need to eat fewer calories than you have in your budget. If you eat more than your budget, you'll gain. For a more exact calculation (or if you're not a math student), you can go to:
http://www.dietdetective.com/tools/caloriecalculator.html 

Holiday Food: Prime rib
Amount: 1/2 pound
Calories: 675
Walk: 174
Bike: 96
Run: 72
Swim: 82
Yoga: 230
Dance: 115

Holiday Food: Cheese lasagna with meat sauce
Amount: 9-ounce slice
Calories: 490
Walk: 126
Bike: 70
Run: 52
Swim: 60
Yoga: 167
Dance: 83

Holiday Food: Honey-glazed ham
Amount: 6 ounces
Calories: 210
Walk: 54
Bike: 30
Run: 22
Swim: 26
Yoga: 71
Dance: 36

Holiday Food: Bite-sized mini pizza
Amount: 4 minis
Calories: 163
Walk: 42
Bike: 23
Run: 17
Swim: 20
Yoga: 55
Dance: 28

Holiday Food: Cracker with cheese
Amount: 1 cracker
Calories: 71
Walk: 18
Bike: 10
Run: 8
Swim: 9
Yoga: 24
Dance: 12

Holiday Food: Christmas cookies
Amount: 2 cookies
Calories: 120
Walk: 31
Bike: 17
Run: 13
Swim: 15
Yoga: 41
Dance: 20

Holiday Food: Fruitcake
Amount: 3.5-ounce slice
Calories: 325
Walk: 84
Bike: 46
Run: 35
Swim: 40
Yoga: 111
Dance: 55

Holiday Food: Pecan pie
Amount: 1 slice (1/8 of a pie)
Calories: 503
Walk: 130
Bike: 71
Run: 54
Swim: 61
Yoga: 171
Dance: 86

Holiday Food: Cocktail peanuts 
Amount: 3 ounces  (90 nuts) 
Calories: 510
Walk: 131
Bike: 72
Run: 54
Swim: 62
Yoga: 173
Dance: 87

Holiday Food: Candy cane
Amount: One 1/2-ounce cane
Calories: 55
Walk: 14
Bike: 8
Run: 6
Swim: 7
Yoga: 19
Dance: 9

Holiday Food: Homemade pumpkin pie
Amount: 1 slice (1/8 of a pie)
Calories: 316
Walk: 81
Bike: 45
Run: 34
Swim: 38
Yoga: 107
Dance: 54

Holiday Food: Beef franks in a blanket
Amount: 5 pieces (2 3/4 ounces)
Calories: 290
Walk: 75
Bike: 41
Run: 31
Swim: 35
Yoga: 99
Dance: 49

Holiday Food: Mini crab cakes
Amount: 4 pieces (57 grams)
Calories: 70
Walk: 18
Bike: 10
Run: 7
Swim: 9
Yoga: 24
Dance: 12

Holiday Food: Chicken fingers
Amount: 2 pieces (1.5 ounces)
Calories: 240
Walk: 62
Bike: 34
Run: 26
Swim: 29
Yoga: 82
Dance: 41

Holiday Food: Cheddar cheese
Amount: 2 cubes (1 ounce)
Calories: 110
Walk: 28
Bike: 16
Run: 12
Swim: 13
Yoga: 37
Dance: 19

Holiday Food: Dinner roll
Amount: 1 large (3-1/2" diameter )
Calories: 136
Walk: 35
Bike: 19
Run: 14
Swim: 17
Yoga: 46
Dance: 23

Holiday Food: Ritz crackers
Amount: 5 crackers
Calories: 80
Walk: 21
Bike: 11
Run: 9
Swim: 10
Yoga: 27
Dance: 14

Holiday Food: Deviled egg
Amount: 1 egg / 2 halves
Calories: 145
Walk: 37
Bike: 21
Run: 15
Swim: 18
Yoga: 49
Dance: 25

Holiday Food: Gingerbread cookie
Amount: 1 cookie
Calories: 145
Walk: 37
Bike: 21
Run: 15
Swim: 18
Yoga: 49
Dance: 25

Holiday Food: Regular beer
Amount: 12 ounces
Calories: 153
Walk: 39
Bike: 22
Run: 16
Swim: 19
Yoga: 52
Dance: 26

Holiday Food: Martini
Amount: 4 ounces
Calories: 274
Walk: 71
Bike: 39
Run: 29
Swim: 33
Yoga: 93
Dance: 47

Holiday Food: White wine
Amount: 4 ounces
Calories: 98
Walk: 25
Bike: 14
Run: 10
Swim: 12
Yoga: 33
Dance: 17

Holiday Food: Eggnog
Amount: 1 cup
Calories: 343
Walk: 88
Bike: 49
Run: 37
Swim: 42
Yoga: 111
Dance: 58

Holiday Food: Hot buttered rum
Amount: 8 ounces
Calories: 220
Walk: 57
Bike: 31
Run: 23
Swim: 27
Yoga: 75
Dance: 37

Here are a few suggestions to keep this holiday weight-gain free:

Eat before:  Don't arrive with your stomach rumbling. Instead, try eating enough healthy food beforehand so you're full before you arrive. Then you'll have much more self-control around those tempting party treats.

All or nothing:  It's never too late to stop stuffing your face. Avoid the following thought: "I've already ruined my diet, so it doesn't matter what I eat now."

Plan to eat healthy: You're probably thinking about what you're going to eat anyway, so why not make it work for instead of against you? Plan what and how much you're going to eat at the event before you even get there -- set limits and you'll feel better.

Prepare for food pushers:  Learn how to say the following: "Oh, no thanks. I couldn't eat another thing." Or, "I'm watching my diet, and that piece of cake will throw me completely off-track."   Have your answer ready for those diet saboteurs.

Stay balanced: Try consuming fewer calories the few days before and after the holiday, and/or you can increase your physical activity during this period.

Bring healthy food: Make a few healthy dishes that you know you will eat, and volunteer to bring them to the party or dinner.

Don't stuff your face while socializing:  We often eat without thinking -- we're so engaged in conversation and socializing that we stuff our faces without even realizing what or how much we're eating.

Pick right: Don't just eat anything: Pick and choose only those high-calorie foods that you absolutely love.

Be full: Look for the physical cues signaling that you have eaten enough.  Wait 15 to 20 minutes after a meal before requesting seconds or dessert.  

References for The Diet Detective Countdown:

CHARLES STUART PLATKIN is a nutrition and public health advocate, author of the bestseller Breaking the Pattern (Plume, 2005), The Diet Detective's Count Down (Simon & Schuster, 2007) and founder of Integrated Wellness Solutions. Copyright 2006-7 by Charles Stuart Platkin. Sign up for the free Diet Detective newsletter at www.dietdetective.com.




 

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written by Janine O, August 30, 2007

What is the difference between kilojules and calories