"I ate twice as much and lost weight on my vacation to Italy because I walked everywhere" is ridiculous.
Every summer we see this on Twitter and it makes no sense. Here's why:
Walking a mile burns ~100 calories per mile.
1 bowl of carbonara has ~500 calories.
1 slice of pizza has ~250 calories.
1 scoop of Gelato has ~250 calories.
You aren't walking off those extra carbs.
What I think is actually happening:
- People significantly underestimate how much crap they eat outside of meals in their "normal life"
- Portions are way smaller in Italy
- Food quality makes you feel better
- No one tweets: "I went to Italy, ate like a pig and gained 10 lbs".