Skiers eat too much. At least as far as I am concerned. They might disagree. But as I sat in the ski lodge today evaluating the caloric impact of my turkey wrap, I realized even a relatively healthy sandwich like that was probably a little more than I “needed” from a physiological standpoint. Of course, I don’t ski ‘hard’ like a lot folks, and I’m older than most, so my limited energy expenditure on the slopes is not the norm.

The guy next to me was having a “chili cheese hot dog with fries.” Its the kind of thing you see on ski lodge menus everywhere. And today while waiting for the ski lift I overheard many people talking about their previous night’s consumption of beer and pizza.

Skiing is a strange sport, in that it’s often uncomfortable, occasionally painful, extremely expensive, and requires huge amounts of time. People that ski are having fun, to be sure. The snow covered slopes definitely have their allure. And today I heard many people literally whooping for joy as they made their way down the mountain.

But I do think that when it comes to eating, skiers are often “rewarding” themselves because, after all, it’s so COLD outside! Surely being cold burns calories, right? And a lot of times the cumbersome equipment, the stiff boots, and the altitude leave people huffing and puffing — so surely that burns extra calories, right?

In fact, I would love to know whether being cold and being at a high altitude really does burn that many extra calories. Because my personal impression is that, in and of themselves, they don’t. But don’t take my word for it, because I have no medical or nutritional training. I’m just someone who has spent seven years monitoring my food intake and maintaining my weight!

The National Weight Control Registry recently issued a study noting that people who’ve lost and maintained their weight reported an estimated daily intake of something like 1400 calories. And, of course, since it’s self-reported, it’s likely to be an underestimate. But the way I see it, if a person who is focused and successful at maintaining weight is underestimating, imagine what’s going on with the people who aren’t paying attention at all.

Actually, you don’t have to imagine — they just have a chili cheese hot dog for lunch and assume that’s perfectly in tune with their body’s needs

I’m just glad Kirkwood’s main dining area has a made-to-order sandwich bar.