Thanksgiving is the official start of the holiday party season, and restrictive diets can make this time of the year grueling for many trying to manage their weight.
The good news- You likely don't gain as much weight as you think during the holidays. The New England Journal of Medicine and the National Institute of Health published studies of adults showing that the average holiday weight gain was .37 kilograms, or just under a pound, and more than half the people in the study stayed within just over two pounds of their pre-holiday weight.
The problem is not during the holidays but the months afterward, when people don't drop the few pounds they did gain. Experts estimate that most adults gain around 0.6 to 1.7 pounds annually It may not seem like much, but this small, consistent weight gain can affect your health in the long run.
Excessive weight gain really does require overeating over many days and weeks and months, according to Cynthia Sass, RD, nutritionist with BayCare Health System in Clearwater, Fla., and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. Those small weight gains add up over the years, causing major medical problems. More than half of Americans are overnight, and excess weight sets the stage for heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cencer.
So, bottom line is- enjoy the holiday season and don's stress about diets to help decrease weight gain during the holidays. DO maintain high level of activity/exercise, drink plenty of water and don't forget that New Year's Resolution to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle.
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