- Coach Chris
Gobble, Don't Wobble
Did you know that the average amount of food consumed per person on Thanksgiving is 4500 calories?!? That's around 175% of an ordinary day. Whoa! Let's take a look at calories in what you're going to be eating on Thanksgiving to see how that's even possible.
Drinks Calories
1 mixed drink 250 1 glass wine 120 1 soda 140
Dinner Calories
6 oz ham 300 6 oz turkey 340 6 oz prime rib 330
1⁄2 cup stuffing 180
1⁄2 cup cranberry sauce 190
1⁄2 cup mashed potatoes 150
1⁄2 cup gravy 150
1⁄2 cup sweet potatoes 150
1 dinner roll 110
Dessert Calories
2 cookies 150 1 piece apple pie 410 1 piece pecan pie 480
1 piece pumpkin pie 260
1⁄2 cup whipped cream 75
1⁄2 cup ice cream 145
And that's not even counting all of the chips, dip, nuts, and other snacks you're going to end up grubbing!
Ok, now that we know what we're dealing with, let's look at a little bit of damage control.
First off, let's roughly assume the average person consumes about 2500 calories on a normal day. Yes I know men eat more than women, but I just split the difference more or less. If the average Thanksgiving calorie consumption is 4500, that means tomorrow is going to result in a 2000 calorie weight gain.
So here's your exercise chart so you can figure out exactly how you're going to work off your turkey belly (based on a 150 lb person).
Activity Calories Burned Walk 1 mile 100 Frisbee 30 min 105 Throw football 30 min 200
Ping pong 30 min 105
Raking lawn 30 min 110
Shoot hoops 30 min 205
Bike 30 min 250 Jog for 30 min 275
Soccer 1 hour 500 Circuit Training 30 min 300
So do yourself a favor and try to reduce the surplus of calories from 2000 down to a reasonable 1000 through a combination of eating responsibly and getting a little exercise in.
I'll lead by example by avoiding the sweet potatoes this year (150 cal), playing an hour of flag football (560 cal), and playing an hour of ping pong with my little cousin (290 cal) for a total of 1000 calories exactly. You better bring your A-game, Devin, I've been practicing!
Safe travels and a very relaxing weekend to all!
Gobble, Gobble
Chris Chinn
