From: John Hernried, M.D.
My eye caught the headline of one of my nutrition newsletters: Sex diet promises weight loss to the frisky. The author, Kerry McCloskey had sex, wrote a book about it, and appeared on Oprah:
“By using the power of pleasure, McCloskey quickly lost 23 pounds and achieved her life-long dream of becoming a television star and model. Kerry explains, “My husband and I have sex about eight times per week. You do the math!”…And here’s their biggest secret: Ben, Kerry’s husband, eats a lot of celery. Kerry says when men eat celery they emit a scent that’s a turn-on. Who knew?”
Only in America! Have I missed the entire picture by recommending reduced calories and increased exercise? Is it as simple as having lots of sex and eating celery? It turns out that the answer is no. Going back to my previous blog on Curiosity, when something is too good to be true, it just isn’t.
Why am I suspicious? Well, she appears on Oprah and touts that 30 minutes of sex burns 130-350 calories. The higher end of her calculations comes from being “extra frisky.” She gives no citation on where she got her data. In fact, 30 minutes of “moderate” sexual activity burns about 36 calories. Sadly, bowling burns 4 times that amount. If you would like to know more about calories burned during physical activity, go to the Healthy Weight Forum and enter in your exercise. As I mentioned in a previous blog, beware of testimonials in place of evidence based data. Her website lists no data, but has the following testimonials:
“Kerry, you have changed my life and jump-started our marriage!”-Chrissy J., Ann Arbor MI“Kerry’s book is so compelling, my girlfriend and I didn’t even make it through chapter 1 before starting our diet!” –Matt M., Los Angeles, CA
“My husband and I are already addicted.” –Linda C., Los Angeles, Ca
“Sexercise beats exercise any day.” –Sydney, New York, NY
“My friends don’t understand what my wife and I are up to, but they are all commenting on our special glow and newly slim figures.”—John N., Washington, DC
While this book ignites passion, it doesn’t demonstrate effective weight loss. I suspect that most of the patients I know would be disappointed with their weight loss. It would add to their sense of failure and many would develop new conflicts around their sexuality and relationship with their partner. Intimacy is a significant issue among overweight and obese patients, and it should not be treated lightly.
The author lives in New York, home to established obesity research centers. I would encourage her to bring her ideas to them. I doubt she will. After all, she is too busy promoting her book and working to keep her weight down!
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