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Calories in envelope glue?

Ashles

Pith Artist
Ashles
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I have just been told by someone that they don't lick envelopes because of the calories in the glue.

Does anyone know if envelope glue has any calorific value and what kind of amount?

I must admit I am bizarrely fascinated by this question, and I don't quite know why.
 
Glues are usually mostly protein (if they are organic). Protein has 4 calories per gram. I'd be surprised if you could lick off a gram of gum from an envelope. So my WAG is that we are talking one or two calories at most.
 
Let me guess; this is the kind of person who orders an extra large Value meal and gets a Diet Coke with it?
 
Anyone remember the Seinfeld episode where Geroge's fiancé died after licking too many cheap (and, as it turned out, poisonous) envelopes for the invitations?

My guess is that this a significantly more realistic and many times more likely danger than gaining weight.
 
Ashles said:
I have just been told by someone that they don't lick envelopes because of the calories in the glue.

Does anyone know if envelope glue has any calorific value and what kind of amount?

I must admit I am bizarrely fascinated by this question, and I don't quite know why.
Click to expand...

It's more a sad fact that thinking the calories in an envelope will make the difference in weight gain or loss. You'd have to eat 3500 calories OVER your metabolic requirements to gain a pound.
 
Ashles said:
I have just been told by someone that they don't lick envelopes because of the calories in the glue.

Does anyone know if envelope glue has any calorific value and what kind of amount?

I must admit I am bizarrely fascinated by this question, and I don't quite know why.
Click to expand...
I would be concerned that this person has an eating disorder.
 
Rasmus said:
Anyone remember the Seinfeld episode where Geroge's fiancé died after licking too many cheap (and, as it turned out, poisonous) envelopes for the invitations?

My guess is that this a significantly more realistic and many times more likely danger than gaining weight.
Click to expand...

Hey, you beat me to it. Yes, I recall it well.
 
Geek Goddess said:
It's more a sad fact that thinking the calories in an envelope will make the difference in weight gain or loss. You'd have to eat 3500 calories OVER your metabolic requirements to gain a pound.
Click to expand...

(Drops bag of deep-fried stamps) :eek:
 
yeah, your friend has issues. i would more worried about germs than calories, and even then, i wouldnt be concerned unless i had a reason to suspect the envelope have been in contact with a contaminent.
i am surprised your friend admitted this concern cause it just makes them sound like they have a disorder. i have been preached to about so many stupid health concerns by people that looked really unhealthy that i have little patience for such nonsense.
 
Cuddles said:
Don't most envelopes stick without needing licking now?
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Most envelopes I see do still need licking, but I have not run across lickable stamps in years.

I have only seen the tape style evelopes on the larger manilla envelopes and not the smaller letter envelopes.

Still this is all the more reasons for email either way.
 
The maximum possible weight gain you could experience from licking envelopes would be limited to the mass of the amount of glue you ingest in the process. That alone should be enough to put your mind at ease.

I'm always surprised by the number of people who think they can get ten pounds from eating 3 ounces of something. :)
 
toddjh said:
I'm always surprised by the number of people who think they can get ten pounds from eating 3 ounces of something. :)
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Obviously they're homeopthic calories - the less you eat the more weight you gain. This is why breatharians are fat*.

*This may not be entirely true.
 
Air has calories too. Maybe few, but think of the huge amounts we breath daily. Any determined dieter should seriously restrict breathing.
 
ponderingturtle said:
Most envelopes I see do still need licking, but I have not run across lickable stamps in years.

I have only seen the tape style evelopes on the larger manilla envelopes and not the smaller letter envelopes.

Still this is all the more reasons for email either way.
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There are letter envelopes with peel off sticky tape; I have a box at home.
 
When I'm about to lick a stamp or envelope I'm usually more worried that the glue will be icky tasting. My stamp licking related weight gain can be directly attributed to eating chocolate cake to get rid of the taste;)
 
Cuddles said:
Obviously they're homeopthic calories - the less you eat the more weight you gain. This is why breatharians are fat*.

*This may not be entirely true.
Click to expand...

Just as a friendly FYI, fasting does in fact cause a weight gain effect. Starvation induces your body to break down muscle to reduce metabolic demand for calories. So, your body keeps the fat in reserve against the day when you really cannot afford to lose any more muscle mass. So, while you are not eating of course you are going to lose a few pounds, but unless you have no access to food instinct will eventually drive you to binge and eat a ton of calories and pack on some fat. Unfortunately the weight you lost was muscle not fat, so you look and feel fatter than you did before you were starving. This is the 'yo-yo' effect of starvation dieting. This is probably why you see overweight breatharians. They do not eat on regular schedules and spend long periods of time in starvation causing their bodies to pack on the fat and give up the muscle.

It is easy to understand why people believe that fasting works but the body has more complicated survival mechanisms. Take as an example POWs in forced labor camps vs. Marines in boot camp. Both groups arguably perform equal amounts of physical labor over a 16 hour period, however the marines are given access to adequate resources of food (in general although there are training elements that emphasize doing their jobs without enough to eat) especially protein while POWs are notoriously malnourished and resort to trapping and eating vermin to get any protein at all. Marines become robust and describe themselves as being in the best shape of their lives while POWs are skinny and frail. The POWs become that way due to the bodies survival mechanisms, stripping away muscle mass that it cannot support with the bodies current diet.
 
gfunkusarelius said:
yeah, your friend has issues. i would more worried about germs than calories, and even then, i wouldnt be concerned unless i had a reason to suspect the envelope have been in contact with a contaminent.
i am surprised your friend admitted this concern cause it just makes them sound like they have a disorder. i have been preached to about so many stupid health concerns by people that looked really unhealthy that i have little patience for such nonsense.
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Apologies - it may have come out wrong in my OP.
She doesn't have any kind of real issues along those lines - it was more something they heard at WeightWatchers and as she had about 200 envelopes to lick she was making conversation about not licking the envelopes.
 
Ashles said:
Apologies - it may have come out wrong in my OP.
She doesn't have any kind of real issues along those lines - it was more something they heard at WeightWatchers and as she had about 200 envelopes to lick she was making conversation about not licking the envelopes.
Click to expand...
Wow, 200? She should get one of those little sponges.
 
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