Can Sex Help You Lose Weight? (VIDEO)

Popular Sex Myth Debunked

It's a common belief that having sex can help you lose weight. You're working up a sweat and burning tons of calories, right? In reality, sex is not the intense cardio workout you think it is, says OB-GYN Dr. Lauren Streicher, author of Love Sex Again.

"I wish it was true too, but the reality is that having sex only burns about 5 calories a minute, and most people only have sex for maybe 10 or 15 minutes," Streicher tells #OWNSHOW in the above video. "So it's about the same number of calories you're going to burn going up a couple flights of stairs."

Unless you're having sex 10 times a day, Streicher says sex is sadly not a great weight loss technique. "On average, most couples have sex one, two, at best three times a week," she says.

In short: Your session between the sheets does not replace your daily workout (but it doesn't hurt, either).

Before You Go

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