Can a little too much holiday cheer add to holiday weight
gain? Holiday weight gain is a
relative myth, it’s not the 5-10 pounds like we often hear. The average American only gains 1 pound over
the holiday season, but that does not mean it is nothing to worry about. Studies have shown that when we follow
individuals after their 1 pound holiday weight gain, they typically don’t lose
that pound over the next year leading into the next holiday season. So do this over the next 20 years and you’ll
find yourself carrying an extra 20 pounds around and some negative health risks that go with that weight gain.
Another concern is that overweight people tend to put on an
average of 5 pounds for the holidays. So
if you are overweight to start with, you are more likely to put on more weight
then an individual that is not. Not a
good thing if you already have weight to lose, because you will end up with those
20 extra pounds in just 4 years.
While eating all of those Christmas cookies and treats on
top of our normal calorie intake is usually the thing blamed for the added
weight gain, don’t forget that added alcohol consumption with holiday parties
can be partially to blame. An average alcoholic
beverage contains between 100-150 calories and if you are having only one drink
per day that is not a problem. But
remember that alcohol calories come primarily from sugar. We should take in only 5-15% of our calories
from solid fats or added sugars. So if
you are at the average calorie intake for most women, which is just over 1900
calories or for men it is 2550; you can see how you can easily exceed this
amount with a couple drinks and then throw in some food with extra sugars added
to them. Plus alcohol does impair our
thinking and our willpower to say no to an extra cookie and some fudge. This can create a double whammy with the
added calories of the alcohol along with decreased willpower to say no to over
eating.
Unfortunately the added stress of the holidays can be to
blame as well. A short acute stress
response from our body is helpful when we have a true emergency that should last
a few minutes. Long chronic stress is
not good, which is what many of us live with daily and especially over the
holidays. When we get into a chronic stressed
state we often tend to use poor strategies to relieve that stress such as
drinking and eating compared to good strategies like meditation, prayer and
exercise. Also our willpower is decreased
in a stressed state, just like it is under the influence of alcohol. A time of acute stress is not a time to worry
about your waist line in upcoming years; it is a time of survival to get
through to the next day. But when that acute stress becomes chronic daily
stress you can start to see how that can derail us and our future health needs.
So control your eating over the holidays, it is okay to have
a few tasty holiday treats, but remember to try and do it with some moderation. Also be careful with your alcohol intake, as
it can lead to extra calories and decreasing your willpower. Also try to meditate on the “reason for the
season” to help decrease a little stress.
Get away from the TV and watching reruns of “It’s a Wonderful Life” and
get out for a walk and some exercise to make it a wonderful life. And after the New Year begins, start working
to take off any weight that you might have put on so you start next holiday
season where you began this one or a little less if needed.
