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Diet Strategy: Think Less Hard?

hungry thinking lawyer.jpgWe know you legal folk struggle with your weight. Nearly 70 percent of respondents to Justin’s weighty April survey admitted to putting on the pounds since embarking on the legal track. Maybe it’s because you’re such deep thinkers!

Thinking makes you hungry, says Science Daily. A Canadian research team has found that intellectual work, that stuff lawyers do so much of, causes a substantial increase in caloric intake:

The research team, supervised by Dr. Angelo Tremblay, measured the spontaneous food intake of 14 students after each of three tasks: relaxing in a sitting position, reading and summarizing a text, and completing a series of memory, attention, and vigilance tests on the computer. After 45 minutes at each activity, participants were invited to eat as much as they wanted from a buffet.

The researchers had already shown that each session of intellectual work requires only three calories more than the rest period. However, despite the low energy cost of mental work, the students spontaneously consumed 203 more calories after summarizing a text and 253 more calories after the computer tests. This represents a 23.6% and 29.4 % increase, respectively, compared with the rest period.

Perhaps you can fight the bulge by thinking less hard. Another option is to get an in-work work-out with a treadmill desk — Quinn Emanuel’s Aaron Craig logs five to six miles a day at the office.

If resolved to keep the paunch, the intellectual fatties can at least take comfort in knowing that the thin lawyers are the dumb ones. [Ed. note: There was no substantial increase in caloric intake as a result of coming up with that bit of logic.]

Thinking People Eat Too Much: Intellectual Work Found To Induce Excessive Calorie Intake [Science Daily]

Comments

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1 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, September 25, 2008 1:03 PM

FIRST!

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2 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, September 25, 2008 1:06 PM

stop posting this drivel

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3 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, September 25, 2008 1:07 PM

thank you, Oprah

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4 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, September 25, 2008 1:13 PM

what in the hell does this have to do with anything? you think that by throwing in "that stuff lawyers do so much of" between "intellectual work" and "causes a substantial increase in caloric intake" makes this post anything close to law-related? you're incompetent, bro.

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5 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, September 25, 2008 1:14 PM

Fifth...to say none of us care abut this shit.

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6 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, September 25, 2008 1:15 PM

I’ve subsequently lost my appetite

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7 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, September 25, 2008 1:15 PM

I’ve subsequently lost my appetite

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8 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, September 25, 2008 1:16 PM

I’ve subsequently lost my appetittte

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9 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, September 25, 2008 1:17 PM

This site has officially become the fluff piece on the local news that they give to the worst reporter because no one else wants to hurt their credibility by reporting it.

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10 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, September 25, 2008 1:18 PM

what in the hell does this have to do with anything? you think that by throwing in "that stuff lawyers do so much of" between "intellectual work" and "causes a substantial increase in caloric intake" makes this post anything close to law-related? you're incompetent

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11 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, September 25, 2008 1:25 PM

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/

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12 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, September 25, 2008 1:45 PM

I think Kash just needs a steady diet of gobbling my giblets.

UVA2L

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13 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, September 25, 2008 1:51 PM

Post obviously wasted on those who never engage in deep thought...

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14 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, September 25, 2008 1:53 PM

That's why Bush has not gained any weight during the past 8 years...

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15 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, September 25, 2008 1:58 PM

Does such intellectual work also cause BigLaw partners to lactate? That would explain a lot...

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16 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, September 25, 2008 2:01 PM

To summarize:

Elie: People who think a lot eat more.

First Reader: Why is Elie so fat?

Second Reader: Genetics.

[Sorry, no Harrison Ford movie reference this time.]

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17 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, September 25, 2008 2:09 PM

Butter up your bacon! Now bacon up your sausage!

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18 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, September 25, 2008 2:10 PM

4 = MANGINA

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19 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, September 25, 2008 2:10 PM

4 = MANGINA

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20 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, September 25, 2008 2:10 PM

Giblets ... gobble 'em?

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21 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, September 25, 2008 2:11 PM

sorry about your tiny, pink blog, bro.

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22 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, September 25, 2008 2:38 PM

If this were a useful diet strategy, then there would not be so many fat slobs at GULC.

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23 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, September 25, 2008 4:43 PM

Kash, I loved this piece. Thanks! (And please, can you become the main writer for ATL?)

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