Evidence Based
Every holiday season, you see the same kinds of articles make the rounds:
“How to avoid holiday weight gain”
“How to keep off the pounds this Thanksgiving”
“20 tips to avoid weight gain during the holidays”
Each article follows the same stock format, sharing stats about how many pounds of weight you gain between Thanksgiving and New Years, and then giving you a long list of hackneyed weight loss tips like “ditch the added sugar,” or “chew your food slowly,” or “drink water before meals.”
It’s not that the stats are wrong or the tips are useless, but at this point, you probably know that eating more calories than you burn is the root cause of weight gain, and the only way to not gain weight is to not eat so much.
Of course, during the Holidays, this is easier said than done.
You’re surrounded by a cornucopia of delicious, calorie-dense food and separated from your normal routine, which makes it remarkably easy to overeat.
So, what should you do about it?
What’s the “hack” for avoiding weight gain over the holidays?
It’s this: accept that you’ll probably gain a little weight, use some simple strategies to limit the damage while still enjoying your meals, and lose the weight after the holidays with proper dieting.
That’s it.
Before we get to these strategies, though, let’s examine the whole idea of holiday weight gain in more detail.
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Timestamps:
11:08 – Expect to gain some weight and to lose it again quickly.
14:18 – Focus on things other than food.
15:32 – Create a calorie buffer before big meals
22:54 – Eat big meals and limit your snacking.
26:30 – Eat lots of protein throughout the holidays, especially on the feast days.
29:07 – Stay active
33:52 – Bring healthy-ish food to the party
35:26 – If you do gain some fat, follow a meal plan to lose it.
Mentioned on the show:
What did you think of this episode? Have anything else to share? Let me know in the comments below!
+ Scientific References
- Kokavec, A. (2008). Is decreased appetite for food a physiological consequence of alcohol consumption? In Appetite (Vol. 51, Issue 2, pp. 233–243). Appetite. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2008.03.011
- McCarty, M. F. (2001). Does regular ethanol consumption promote insulin sensitivity and leanness by stimulating AMP-activated protein kinase? Medical Hypotheses, 57(3), 405–407. https://doi.org/10.1054/mehy.2001.1404
- Yeomans, M. R. (2010). Alcohol, appetite and energy balance: Is alcohol intake a risk factor for obesity? Physiology and Behavior, 100(1), 82–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.01.012
- Flechtner-Mors, M., Biesalski, H. K., Jenkinson, C. P., Adler, G., & Ditschuneit, H. H. (2004). Effects of moderate consumption of white wine on weight loss in overweight and obese subjects. International Journal of Obesity, 28(11), 1420–1426. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0802786
- Gruchow, H. W., Sobocinski, K. A., Barboriak, J. J., & Scheller, J. G. (1985). Alcohol consumption, nutrient intake and relative body weight among US adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 42(2), 289–295. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/42.2.289
- Shelmet, J. J., Reichard, G. A., Skutches, C. L., Hoeldtke, R. D., Owen, O. E., & Boden, G. (1988). Ethanol causes acute inhibition of carbohydrate, fat, and protein oxidation and insulin resistance. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 81(4). https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI113428
- Bird, S. R., & Hawley, J. A. (2017). Update on the effects of physical activity on insulin sensitivity in humans. In BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine (Vol. 2, Issue 1, p. 143). BMJ Publishing Group. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2016-000143
- Dorling, J., Broom, D. R., Burns, S. F., Clayton, D. J., Deighton, K., James, L. J., King, J. A., Miyashita, M., Thackray, A. E., Batterham, R. L., & Stensel, D. J. (2018). Acute and chronic effects of exercise on appetite, energy intake, and appetite-related hormones: The modulating effect of adiposity, sex, and habitual physical activity. In Nutrients (Vol. 10, Issue 9). MDPI AG. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10091140
- Stevenson, J. L., Krishnan, S., Stoner, M. A., Goktas, Z., & Cooper, J. A. (2013). Effects of exercise during the holiday season on changes in body weight, body composition and blood pressure. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 67(9), 944–949. https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2013.98
- Leidy, H. J., Armstrong, C. L. H., Tang, M., Mattes, R. D., & Campbell, W. W. (2010). The influence of higher protein intake and greater eating frequency on appetite control in overweight and obese men. Obesity, 18(9), 1725–1732. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2010.45
- Meule, A., Westenhöfer, J., & Kübler, A. (2011). Food cravings mediate the relationship between rigid, but not flexible control of eating behavior and dieting success. Appetite, 57(3), 582–584. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2011.07.013
- Coelho, J. S., Polivy, J., Peter Herman, C., & Pliner, P. (2009). Wake up and smell the cookies. Effects of olfactory food-cue exposure in restrained and unrestrained eaters. Appetite, 52(2), 517–520. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2008.10.008
- Gilhooly, C. H., Das, S. K., Golden, J. K., McCrory, M. A., Dallal, G. E., Saltzman, E., Kramer, F. M., & Roberts, S. B. (2007). Food cravings and energy regulation: The characteristics of craved foods and their relationship with eating behaviors and weight change during 6 months of dietary energy restriction. International Journal of Obesity, 31(12), 1849–1858. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0803672
- Symbols, I. of M. (US) C. on E. of F.-P. N. R. S. and, Wartella, E. A., Lichtenstein, A. H., & Boon, C. S. (2010). Overview of Health and Diet in America. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK209844/
- Stevenson, J. L., Krishnan, S., Stoner, M. A., Goktas, Z., & Cooper, J. A. (2013). Effects of exercise during the holiday season on changes in body weight, body composition and blood pressure. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 67(9), 944–949. https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2013.98
- Hull, H. R., Radley, D., Dinger, M. K., & Fields, D. A. (2006). The effect of the Thanksgiving holiday on weight gain. Nutrition Journal, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2891-5-29
- Yanovski, J. A., Yanovski, S. Z., Sovik, K. N., Nguyen, T. T., O’Neil, P. M., & Sebring, N. G. (2000). A Prospective Study of Holiday Weight Gain. New England Journal of Medicine, 342(12), 861–867. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejm200003233421206
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