Recently, there have been many conversations surrounding weight loss and the health of Brits.
The government is planning to slim down the UK by including calorie labels on restaurant meals, in an attempt to make us more aware of the foods we are ingesting.
Interested in what this could look like, My Vital Metrics analysed 15 of Deliveroo’s most delivered takeaway dishes in the past year to discover which are the most calorific.
To put the huge numbers into perspective, My Vital Metrics explored just how long it would take to burn off the calories in our everyday life by walking, jogging, cycling, cleaning, dancing and gardening.
The figures below are based on population averages, but everyone’s Metabolic Rate is different, meaning they burn calories at a different rate, depending on how much muscle and fat they have.
- TGI Fridays: Friday Whiskey-Glazed Sesame Chicken Strips (1840 calories)
My Vital Metrics can reveal that TGI Fridays’ ‘Friday Whiskey-Glazed Sesame Chicken Strips are Brits’ favourite and most calorific takeaway, containing a whopping 1840 calories per serving!
Although it’s tasty, it takes a lot of work to burn off the calories. For example, you’d need to walk for 371 minutes to remove any trace of the meal!
Alternatively, 157 minutes of jogging, 564 minutes of cleaning or 177 minutes of cycling could also be done to burn the calories.
- Crust: Diavola Pizza (1260 calories)
The second most calorific takeaway loved by Brits is Crust’s ‘Diavola Pizza’, containing 1260 calories per pizza! These calories could be burned off through a huge 242 minutes of gardening, 313 minutes of dancing or 157 minutes of jogging.
- Wagamama: Chicken Katsu Curry (1076 calories)
Of Brits’ favourite meals, Wagamama’s ‘Chicken Katsu Curry’ ranks as the third most calorific takeaway. The meal has a huge 1076 calories which accounts for a huge chunk of the government’s suggested daily calorie limit; 1,600-2,400 for women and 2,000-3,000 for men.
To burn off the curry, Brits would need to walk for 218 minutes, clean the house for 330 minutes or even cycle for 104 minutes.
- Tortilla: Grilled Chicken Burrito (1049 calories)
Coming in as the fourth most calorific meal loved by the UK is Tortilla’s ‘Grilled Chicken Burrito’. The burrito has a total of 1049 calories and to burn them off you would need to jog for 90 minutes, dance for 179 minutes or even do some gardening for 202 minutes.
- Five Guys: Cheeseburger (980 calories)
Five Guys’ ‘Cheeseburger’ ranks as the fifth most calorific favourite, with a total of 980 calories per serving!
To burn the calories, Brits could walk for 198 minutes, cycle for 94 minutes or do some household chores for 300 minutes. Although this is fifth on the list, it takes a lot of work to shed the takeaway calories.
Other honourable mentions that can be found on the excel sheet include:
- Mod Pizza: Mad Dog Pizza (960 calories)
- GBK: Cheddar Cheese & Bacon Burger (905 calories)
- Roosters Piri Piri: Half Chicken (864 calories)
- Mission Burrito: Chicken Burrito (810 calories)
- Harbourside Fish and Chips: Cod and Chips (786 calories)
The full data and explanation of each meal can be found on My Vital Metrics’ blog post.
The blog post has been broken down further into sexes as their average weights are different, and so would burn calories at different speeds. This uses the average figures, making it more general. https://myvitalmetrics.com/study-reveals-how-long-it-takes-to-burn-off-the-uks-favourite-takeaways/
Methodology
MyVitalMetrics.com analysed Deliveroo’s most ordered takeaways and surveyed 2,628 Brits, asking them to choose their favourites from the list, to determine the UK’s top 15.
Once the top 15 had been decided, MyVitalMetrics.com used MyFitnessPal’s calculator to discover how many calories it takes to burn off each meal.
MyVitalMetrics.com used NHS stats to discover the average weight for males and females in the UK in order to work out the number of calories burned per activity.
The minutes needed to burn calories was calculated by averaging the male and female times found on the blog.
The calories per meal were found using each brands’ nutritional information, with the exception of Crust and Mission Burrito whose nutritional information is not listed officially – they were found using MyFitnessPal and Fitbit’s analysis instead.