The simple truth that people constantly try to avoid is "you can't out run your fork." Yes, your fork is an incredibly powerful device that can easily destroy any amount of time spent, in any gym, doing any exercise, for any amount of time.
It's all about calories taken-in by eating vs. calories burned or used by doing something. Too many calories in and not enough out – you gain weight; more calories out than in, you lose weight.
Here's the simple, awful, truth math:
- 1 hour running on a treadmill = 700 calories burned or used (approx.)
- 1 pound of fat loss requires 3500 calories of exercise
- 1 pound of fat loss = 5 hours of running a treadmill
The power of the fork math:
- 12 oz (Tall) Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha (with whipped topping) is 390 calories
- Starbucks Blueberry Scone is 460 calories
So this drink and snack combination – requiring about 10-minutes to consume – will require over an hour on a treadmill to burn-off.
You can't outrun your fork!
Jean Nidetch – the founder of Weight Watchers in 1963 – said in a 2011 interview published in the "Sun Sentinel" of South Florida: "We ourselves hold the instrument that makes us fat [while waving a fork in the air] . . . I just shake my head when I see someone eating cake and saying, 'Oh, I wish I wasn't heavy.' But they keep eating the cake!"
I count calories, but you can count almost anything. Just count something and measure that against the results. All of them work since they force you to pay attention to what you are eating – but some do work better than others of the long-term.
Note: A huge "Thank you" to Starbucks for posting this information – they have great coffee, food and service. It's all about realizing what you are consuming and adjusting elsewhere. There is nothing wrong with having the items mentioned – they are not poison – just realize how many calories they contain and build some balance from it.