The Skinny on Fidgeting

Vegetarian Times, May, 1999 by Cristin Marandino

We all know them--those annoying people who can eat whatever they want and not gain an ounce. We, on the other hand, have only to look at a slice of pizza and the weight starts piling on. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., have recently uncovered a clue to help explain this difference. And guess what? It looks like Mom was wrong about fidgeting.

The study, published in the journal Science (January 8, 1999), concluded that some people balance excess calories from overeating by burning them through such normal activities as changing posture, fidgeting and moving around. Researchers call this ability to bum calories sans treadmill NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis). "Even maintaining an upright posture counts in the burning of calories," explains study co-author Michael D. Jensen, M.D. In his study, 16 volunteers were monitored for a two-month period, during which they were fed an extra 1,000 calories per day, consisting of 40 percent fat, 40 percent carbohydrates and 20 percent protein--roughly the equivalent of two Big Macs--and not permitted to exercise. Even after researchers adjusted for calories that are burned naturally through metabolic processes, they found that some subjects automatically burned up to an extra 690 calories per day by switching on NEAT activity: That translated into a mere two-pound weight gain, as compared with the 16 pounds packed on by many of those who exhibited no NEAT activity.

But don't take this as license to substitute Twinkies for carrot sticks or blow off a day at the gym in favor of twiddling your thumbs. "Remember," warns Jensen, "you will bum a lot more calories with even a brief exercise program than you will by just fidgeting in your chair."