I’m sure you’ve heard that sexual intercourse does in fact burn calories and helps you lose weight, but what if you have to take matters into your own hands? There’s a lot of controversial talk regarding this topic as most opinions are split as to whether your “private time” actually brings about weight loss. This is definitely one of the biggest questions for anyone who is sexually active, and the only way to actually come to a definitive answer is to look at the facts.
First things first, we have to address the elephant in the room — Why does sex burn calories? Shouldn’t masturbation do the same? While both bring about ejaculation or an orgasm (ideally), they’re actually very different in regards to physical exertion. This is one of the biggest misconceptions regarding the two activities as most people feel that they give the same benefits.
The amount of movement, elevated heart rate, heavy breathing and the position you’re doing it in all bring about a result that’s similar to a workout. Under the right circumstances, the average human being can burn up to 200+ calories for a 30-minute session. Masturbation on the other hand, does not have all these qualities which make it difficult to actually determine if it works the same way or not.
The Facts
There are way too many factors to actually find any correlation between masturbation and guaranteed weight loss but if you look at it objectively, you’d have two possible answers. In certain cases, you can in fact burn calories. This in no way is your go signal to totally replace your workout regimen with a little solo session. So to answer your question, let’s look at the facts.
1. Masturbation Burns Calories
The Young People’s Reproductive and Sexual Health & Rights Organization has previously stated that masturbation can help you burn 100-150 every time you engage in such activities. Additionally, a study by Dr. Shukan Tokuho, a Japanese scientist, has stated that vigorous masturbation can in fact help you burn up to 300 calories for a 5-minute session.
2. Masturbation Requires Physical Exertion
Physical exertion that causes your heartrate to go up and working certain muscle groups does in fact help you burn calories to lose weight. However, masturbation doesn’t do so to an extent that actually promotes an anabolic state. While ejaculation does actually have large concentrations of protein, the calories you lose are inevitably replenished as your fluids are.
3. Your Physical Fitness is a Huge Factor
Another important factor is, you’d have to be in a decent physical state to be able to get these results. As you may or may not know, being overweight or physically unhealthy makes it difficult to raise your heartrate and to actually get a decent workout.
4. Weight Loss Requires Consistency
Finally, you also have to consider that as with any workout, it would have to be consistent for it to be relevant or to show significant changes. Studies that support Dr. Tokuho’s research go on to say that you would have to do it every day for about 2-3 times per day for it to make any sort of impact on your daily calorie count.
With that being said, it’s a huge undertaking to be able to actually do the act, let alone find time to do it that frequently.
5. Final Verdict
The short answer however, if you’re able to meet the above requirements or at the very least something close to it, you can use it to supplement your weight loss. You’d burn anywhere from 100-300+ calories every time.
On the other hand, if you’re simply doing it for some recreational rubbing, you’d best stick with the treadmill. While masturbation provides physical pleasure and a soothing sensation, unfortunately it cannot help you lose weight.
An Alternative
While sadly you can’t mix business and pleasure to get the results you want, you can still use masturbation to lose weight if that’s what you’re here for. Dr. Ramani Durvasula, author of You Are WHY You Eat has provided a more plausible solution.
She’s personally attested to how masturbation has helped her lose 80 lbs. but it’s not how you think. She was able to use it as a means of positive reinforcement during her diet.
The idea here is that instead of giving yourself something you hate or won’t enjoy, you can simply reward yourself with something pleasurable or enjoyable for sticking to your diet. It creates a positive response in your brain and it provides a better alternative to punishing yourself with strict diets and generally making yourself more miserable.
Making it difficult for yourself raises the chances of you binge eating as well which is extremely counterproductive.
Conclusion
If you were hoping for a way out of your gym membership or strict diet then unfortunately you’re in the wrong place. While most would prefer this method, the results are way too negligible unless you’re going to commit hours of your time to it and even then, half an hour working out would still yield better results.
That doesn’t mean you can’t add it to your daily routine however.Whether you’re here for health reasons or just plain old curiosity, I hope this was able to provide some insight and answer your questions.
