This is my second gym idea of the night , it came to me as I was penning the first.

There are many reasons why people go to the gym. Some are trying to build muscle, others are trying to lose weight, some are there to look cool. Many however, are there because they consider it a moral duty to go or because it makes them feel good about themselves.

The cafeteria gym is designed to cater to those such people. When finishing on any piece of equipment (all automated e.g. treadmill, rowing machine, cross-trainer). The machine will dispense you a ticket showing the number of calories that you have burned.

You can take this over to one of the specialised vending machines and insert it, to exchange it for an item of food or equal or lesser calories. Of course the ticket is kept by the machine, and so goes any proof that such calories were ever burnt. You could combine many tickets from several different machines to get some of the more calorific items such as doughnuts or cake.

As your metabolism will have been sped up by the workout, this food will also be broken down by your body faster and would not cause you to put on as much weight as you normally would.

Of course you could be a goody-two-shoes and keep the ticket, which would prove to your friends and loved ones
a) The phenomenal amount of work that you do at the gym.
and b) Your ability to resist the temptation of snacking.
-- hidden truths, Jul 09 2005

If one were somehow entirely prohibited from eating anywhere else except the "cafeteria/gym", this would be an excellent program to maintain or reduce one's weight. Unfortunately, most of us outside prison walls have far too many other options (and cravings) for the hours we are not visiting the health club. I do like the motivation factor, though, of having a printed slip which shows how many calories my workout burned today. That's good marketing.
-- jurist, Jul 09 2005


who pays for the food?
-- benfrost, Jul 09 2005


I thought you still had to pay the uniformed attendant with the hairnet and mole on her lip at the end of the serving line standing in front of the cash register. The caloric token/ticket just let you access the Serv-O-Mat window of your choice.
-- jurist, Jul 09 2005


true story: the firemen who work out at the gym where I do p.t. one morning brought in 2 dozen donuts! I was the only one who openly drooled. and ate one after my workout.
-- dentworth, Jul 09 2005


The food is bought by the gym owners as, without it this would be an average gym. It is this difference that would encourage a wider fan-base.

Also this gym would only help you lose or maintain weight if you wanted it to. The list of the number of calories you have burnt could be used to help you decide your meals for the day should you not want to snack on cafeteria gym food.
-- hidden truths, Jul 09 2005


Why encourage the wrong gym behavior?
Catering to weight watchers is just wrong.
Bodybuilders will eschew any suggestion that they'll work harder for a donut.
-- reensure, Jul 10 2005


"In one display case there was the motherlode, an entire chocolate cheesecake at a whopping 3000 calories..." +
-- sartep, Jul 11 2005


Mmmmmm..... Chocolate cheesecake! +
-- DesertFox, Jul 11 2005


Brilliant, could convert preexisting unhealthy habits to new healthier ones. [+]
-- elhigh, Jul 21 2005



random, halfbakery