Why Do People Gain More Weight During the Holidays than Any Other Time of Year?
You may be wondering why it is that people gain more weight during the winter holidays than any other time of year. A study was done in
the early 2000′s by the National Institutes of Health that determined
just that. They determined the following things about Americans:
- The average American gained 1.8 lbs from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day.
- Overweight and obese Americans before the holidays were more likely to gain 5 lbs. or more during that 6 week period.
- The biggest two factors in weight gain were lack of activity and excess hunger.
- The weight that is gained at that time of year is never lost .
The excess hunger at this time of year is most likely due to the excess amount of refined sugar and carbohydrates that people consume throughout the season. The more of them you eat, the more hungry you will be every few hours. These foods immediately spike insulin – the fat-storing hormone that will keep them out of fat-burning mode for up to 48 hours. These substances also causes individuals to feel lethargic which could explain why many are less active, lounging, relaxing, and overeating the holidays away.
So for each time that an individual consumes refined sugar and carbs, they will spend the next 24-48 hours in FAT-STORING mode. Doesn’t it make sense then that daily consumption of sugar and carbs will result in some people actually spending every single day of the holiday season in FAT-STORING mode as opposed to FAT-BURNING. Ouch!
Worse than gaining all that weight is the fact that this study revealed that the weight that is gained at that time of year is never lost so there is an accumulation of excess weight put on every year over the course of Americans’ lifetimes that could lead to obesity due to that lack of weight loss after the holidays.
Think about it – where will you be 10 years from now if you gain 5 lbs. every Christmas? You’ll be 50 lbs. heavier. Isn’t it time to pay attention, do a little proactive weight gain prevention during the season and give yourself the gift of good health this year?
Tune in – we’ll be sharing simple Holiday Weight Loss tips all season long to help you to enter into the New Year feeling fit, trim, lean, energized, and most importantly – in a position of Power over FAT!
God bless and Happy Holidays!
Jodi Andros
