The Fidget Factor - Lean People Squirm More

by Jacki Donaldson (Subscribe to Jacki Donaldson's posts)
Dec 6th 2008 12:00PM

Do you squirm, fiddle, twitch, and jiggle? If so, keep it up -- it might help you lose weight. If you're already lean, fidgeting can help you maintain your size and shape.

Apparently, small physical activities, like shifting positions, can help you lose weight. And consider this: Lean people who don't exercise tend to move around for two and a half more hours per day than overweight folks. This extra motion burns a bonus 350 daily calories, which can add up to 30 or 40 lost pounds in a year.

Think there's any truth to this theory? I don't. I move all day long, can't even remember when I last put my feet up during the day, and I've yet to see such a dramatic yearly weight loss. But let's call it possible and consider this good news for kids who can't sit still. And for the parents of these kiddos too. Next time your little ones are driving you nutty with motion, don't reprimand them -- join them.

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Judy Williamson 12-06-2008 @ 4:32PM

It seems to me it's not necessarily about weight *loss* but more about a lack of weight *gain*. So, it might be that 2 people eat the same number of calories in a day, but 1 is a "fidgeter," and so stays lean, while the other is not, and so gains weight. So it's not that you aren't losing weight, but instead think about what you might be gaining if you weren't on your feet all the time.

It might help to explain some of those cases where there are obese people who eat the same amount of calories in a day as a thin person who doesn't exercise.