Friday, June 15, 2007

Reading keeps you thin

A research, commissioned by book store Borders, suggests that simply reading a racy novel can help check weight. The researchers say when a person has been engaged in reading for a few hours, his basal metabolic rate doubles.

People normally burn around one calorie per minute when sitting still, they say. However, reading encourages the production of adrenaline, and thereby causes BMR to rise to up to 1.75 calories per minute.

Jilly Cooper’s 770-page novel Polo, which involves sex and scandal, has been found to be the highest calorie burner by the researchers.

They say if a person reads at a rate of 300 words a minute, he may burn off more than 1,100 calories by the end.


*Shock* *gasp* *utter surprise* Is this the reason why I still have an almost uber perfect body? *wink* I mean, sure, I hog down on Nutella but usually during sex so I practically burn calories as I eat. :P Hmmm, me thinks some books should come with a disclaimer: “Tons of sex/scandals/thrilling scenes. Can make you loose weight!”

The other works in the top ten are:
  • The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (885 calories)
  • The Shining by Stephen King (745)
  • The Runaway Jury by John Grisham (722)
  • Bravo Two Zero by Andy McNab (605)
  • The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth (604)
  • The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty (465)
  • Dirty Blonde by Courtney Love (444)
  • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (443)
  • And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (327)
Wait. Huh? Not a single romance novel on that list?!?


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22 comment(s):

Blogger Duvy said...

Whoa, what?? Seriously?? I think they need to do more studies on that because that's crazy. o_O Well, if that's not an incentive to go buy more books I dunno what is.

Harlot, I think the reason there aren't any romance books on there is because the weight you lose from those doesn't come from reading! ;)

6/15/2007 09:59:00 PM  

Blogger Lorelei said...

Is this true? I know reading makes you loose weight because usually when you are reading, you forget to eat. But this?

Duvy, oh so true. lol

6/15/2007 10:34:00 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said...

What?! Harlot, I hope you're not kidding!

300 words a minute, that's what, a page per minute? 1,100 calories is like a cheeseburger and some french fries. Oh wow, I hope this is true! lol

Olly

6/15/2007 10:54:00 PM  

Blogger Harlot said...

Duvy, you have a dirty mind, you perv! LOL But yeah, heh. :P

But seriously, every time i read JM's Paradise, i probably lose at least 1,000 calories! Just the thought of Matt Farrell makes me tingle all over (amongst other things :P), what more when Meredith starts to make me want to choke her so she'll stop hanging all over MY Matt? *GRRR*

What about PS's The Bronze Horseman? Forget about all the war stuff; sometimes, Shura makes me soooo mad i don't know what to do! Surely instances such as these would cause my BMR to skyrocket off. :/

6/15/2007 11:17:00 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said...

No wonder I am still the same size as 10 yrs ago! I always knew that reading all those books was better than watching tv :-)

Sex and scandal, eh? I have never read anything from Jilly Cooper. Is she any good?

6/16/2007 12:45:00 AM  

Blogger Harlot said...

I wonder how many calories you burn by reading blogs? Let's say each page of Polo would take you a minute to read. 770 pages means almost 13 hours of reading.

If i spend 6 hours on the net, chatting, reading my favorite sites and commenting, i'd burn 507 calories - that's a serving of fettucini marinara with bruschetta! :D Um, that is if i would stop fidgeting and sit still. :/

6/16/2007 03:02:00 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Lol ... gives whole new meaning to the term book worm ... they are pretty slim. HaHa!

6/16/2007 05:50:00 AM  

Blogger Jaynie said...

Hey I've read nearly all of them. How come this isn't working for me? Oh wait, um...maybe it's the chocolate I eat while reading *g*

6/16/2007 06:22:00 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey i think I have to read faster lol!!

I thought I lost weight last year cause i FOLLOWED steamy reading up with the real thing!!

Go figure. I have been reading steadily though and have still gained the dreaded four kilos i cannot shed. I thought i had to engage in more action. Instead it just seems i have to read more lol.

6/16/2007 07:23:00 AM  

Blogger Jordis Juice said...

This is too good to be true. Just read faster, 300 words a minute, and you would burn some calories. There has to be a snag somewhere... Harlot, are you sure it didn't say reading while walking. Or god forbid, reading while running! You may not see the coming car but who cares if you loose weight! :P

6/16/2007 08:22:00 AM  

Blogger mystic rose said...

ha ha. for someone who likes to read, its like a dream come true! :)

6/16/2007 09:07:00 AM  

Blogger Danielle De Barbarac said...

Every reader's dream come true! :D I wonder when is it going to work on me. I have always preferred a good book over a meal. But then again, I have always preferred reading while nibbling snacks. LOL.

6/16/2007 09:50:00 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I should be as thin as a rail! If only it was this easy. Sit still, read fast and you would loose weight... Maybe it IS this easy. But you also have to stop eating chocolates, cakes, yummy steaks, drinking beer... now there in lies the problem.

6/16/2007 11:32:00 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said...

LOL Harlot, I was thinking the same thing about TBH and Shura. That book is a major calorie burner.

This is excellent news. I'm going to double my reading time!

6/16/2007 03:02:00 PM  

Blogger Rachel said...

Oh, this is good. Now I have a good reason to tell my boyfriend when he's complaining about my reading habits. "Honey, shush, I'm trying to loose weight." lol

6/16/2007 05:04:00 PM  

Blogger Isabella said...

Harlot, LOL. Okay, read 300 words a minute. Got it ;). (note to self: don't chomp on chocolates while reading!)

6/16/2007 05:17:00 PM  

Blogger Petra said...

Everyone's problem seems to be eating while reading. That has never been a problem for me. I can't eat while I read. Ha!

However, I do eat a lot of junk food and right now, I have this bad cravings for McDonald's quarter pounder. I can't keep reading Jilly Cooper every time I eat a burger...

6/16/2007 06:20:00 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said...

ha ha ha... (laughs but vows to read faster from now on :-))

6/16/2007 08:19:00 PM  

Blogger Jolie said...

I had the same thought about The Bronze Horseman. LOL. Definitely a major calorie burner.

Anywho, fabulous news. Hopefully next time they would do a research about books that could bring you an orgasm by just reading them. The world would be a better place. ;)

6/16/2007 09:12:00 PM  

Blogger Lily Moon said...

More reason to buy more books! haha :)

6/17/2007 01:46:00 AM  

Blogger Mailyn said...

Well, P&P is a romance novel. So there ya go. Read P&P over and over and you'll lose weight. LOL.

6/17/2007 02:24:00 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said...

LOL ... now I know why I love P&P sooooooo much.

6/18/2007 10:52:00 AM