Six-hour stroll is needed to burn off just one Easter egg, expert says

In a moment of weakness, it might be demolished within minutes. But an Easter egg can take up to six hours to walk off.

A large egg with three chocolate bars hidden inside contains an enormous 1,780 calories, nearly the recommended daily allowance for women.

This indulgence would require either a 15-mile hike taking six hours or a three-hour jog to burn off, according to an expert at Loughborough University.

Amanda Daley, a professor of behavioural medicine, has looked at the calorie count in the UK’s favourite Easter treats and worked out how much exercise an adult would have to do to work them off.

A large Easter egg (file photo) with three chocolate bars hidden inside would require a 15-mile walk to be burned off

A large Lindt chocolate rabbit, for example, contains 1,080 calories – meaning a three-hour, 40-minute walk is needed afterwards.

And a bag of mini eggs would require a 40-minute run.

But for those steering clear of the chocolate, there is some good news: a hot cross bun with butter can be walked off in just over an hour.

The calculations are based on an average person weighing 12st 8lb, with lighter people needing to walk for longer and heavier people burning calories faster.

Professor Daley said: ‘It’s not the hot cross buns we have to worry about burning off so much, but the chocolate… so maybe some Easter flowers instead of an extra egg might be a better alternative.’

She added: ‘It’s holiday time and people need to enjoy themselves, particularly if they’ve been off chocolate for Lent, but having just one Easter egg might be a good idea, and is more than enough over the bank holiday weekend.’

During the Christmas period, Professor Daley worked out that people would need to go for almost a 12-hour walk on Boxing Day to burn off the excesses of Christmas Day lunch.

Looking at Easter, she worked out that a bag of chocolate mini eggs, totalling around 400 calories, would require a 40-minute run or a walk of more than 80 minutes to burn them off.

Writing in an Easter blog on her university’s website, Professor Daley advises daily walks over the bank holiday weekend, keeping a daily note of how many Easter treats you have eaten, and getting rid of leftover Easter eggs by Tuesday to avoid temptation after the holiday is over.

Every time people get an urge to go to the cupboard for a bit more Easter egg, she says they should wait until the craving has passed, which may lead them to break off a smaller bit of chocolate later.