So you’ve tossed your diet overboard like a rusty anchor, huh? I understand. Cutting back on favorite foods and snacks can be doggone tough. (Unless you’ve broken your jaw and had your mouth wired shut. But no such luck for me.) And then there’s the exercise route. Arrgh! Who wouldn’t get tired of that? All the straining, sweating, moaning and whining that comes with an exercise program is murder. (Especially since most of that usually happens while I’m just trying to tie my sneakers.)
So what can a rational, level-headed fatty possibly do?
Well, it just so happened that the UK Telegraph posted a story about a University of Westminster study that gave me my answer. So let me share. It turns out that burning excessive calories can be as simple as … watching a horror movie.
That’s right, put down the jump rope, flop down in your easy chair, flip on the TV and get skinny. Those in the university’s study who watched 90 minutes of a scary flick burned off more than 100, and in some cases upwards of, 200 calories.
Indeed, the researchers measured the victim’s … er … subject’s pulse, heart rate, oxygen intake, and carbon dioxide output as they watched fright flicks and concluded that the resulting adrenaline-rush lowered their appetites and killed calories. And the biggest gut-burners that they tested were pics like The Shining and Jaws. You know, movies that make you jump in your seats.
The Telegraph article listed these as the Top 10 energy-burning movies:
1. The Shining: 184 calories
2. Jaws: 161 calories
3. The Exorcist: 158 calories
4. Alien: 152 calories
5. Saw: 133 calories
6. A Nightmare on Elm Street: 118 calories
7. Paranormal Activity: 111 calories
8. The Blair Witch Project: 105 calories
9. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: 107 calories
10. [Rec]: 101 calories
So, how’s that for a great big, exercise-free bonus? I know from personal movie-reviewing experience that the last horror pic I sat through had some effect. I don’t know about the calorie count, but it certainly had an impact on my appetite. Of course, I could have done without all the residual images of torn flesh and spilled entrails. But, hey, if I can keep up on my quota of candy bars without expanding my waistline it’d be worth it. Right? Right?
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