As the daughter and first-born American to a family of Polish immigrants, I love pierogi's around the holidays. The taste is instant nostalgia. Each year, my babcia would sit down at 5am aside her freshly cooked potatoes and farmer's cheese vat to swiftly seal over 500+ pierogi's before mid-day festivities.
Weight loss goals be darned, we simply eat more calorie dense foods around the holiday season. And more calories eaten over time, leads to weight gain.
Here are some strategies that work:
Low-calorie pre-loading: Filling up on vegetables, beans and starchy vegetables or intact whole grains before a holiday gathering so that we aren't fighting with hunger when the desserts come out.
Intermittent fasting: Deliberately skipping breakfast or lunch with the plan to consume our daily calories during the holiday gathering.
Setting limits ahead of time: Deciding ahead of time what our goals are for this gathering. For example, we may decide that we are only eating dessert twice this week and we decide which events this will occur at. Making a decision ahead of time can lower anxiety when the time comes to make the decision.
Bringing low-calorie density food to share: Boiled potato and dry roasted veggies are excellent side dishes to bring to a holiday gathering that are both festive and low in calorie density.
To be clear, I am not advocating for a goal of weight loss during the holiday season. There is a reason that we celebrate with foods that are highly pleasurable. What I do recommend is thoughtfulness on how we approach holiday eating so that we can maintain our weight and still enjoy these gatherings. Life is about enjoyment. Intention matters and defining success can help us set clear goals that are manageable. Relying on will power doesn't work. Work smarter and not harder by leaning into holiday parties with a strategy that works for you.
Is holiday weight gain really a thing? Yes.
According to a 2022 review in the Journal Obesity, we are gaining on average over 5% of our body weight every 10 years, with more than a third of us doubling that amount (1). To put this in perspective, a 5-10% weight change is often the difference between having hypertension or pre-diabetes and reversing it. These changes are clinically meaningful.
Without question, 10-year weight gain is a serious problem within the US adult population. Younger adults, women, and Non-Hispanic Blacks, particularly Black women, seem to experience the highest levels of 10-year weight gain. Consequently, obesity and weight gain prevention programs focusing on these at-risk individuals should be a public health priority. (1)
Common outcomes associated with obesity include coronary heart disease, stroke, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, osteoarthritis, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and premature mortality, to name a few. (1)(2)
Okay, but how much of this weight gain is attributed to the holiday season (November through January in the USA)? According to a prospective study, almost all of it (3). The average American gains 1-5 lbs each holiday season, while maintaining a relatively stable weight throughout the rest of the year (3). The most frustrating part is that those of us carrying extra weight were actually more likely to gain the most weight (3).
Walk into this holiday season with the confidence that your strategy will work for you. Don't wait until January to get started towards your goals. Sign up today and know that you are on the right path!
References
10-Year Weight Gain in 13,802 US Adults: The Role of Age, Sex, and Race. Tucker and Parker. Journal Obesity. (2022). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9106499/
Expert panel report: Guidelines for the management of overweight and obesity in adults. American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines and The Obesity Society. Journal Obesity (2013). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24227637/
A Prospective Study of Holiday Weight Gain. Yanovski et al. New England Journal of Medicine (2015). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4336296/
Key Words: lifestyle medicine Maine, biohacking diet, biohacking diet plan, ideal diet, inside tracking, Optimal plant based diet, lifestyle medicine practice, weight loss clinic near me, plant-based diet coach, wellness weight loss center, at home blood draw service near me, metabolic weight loss coach, integrated weight loss, wellness center near me, weight loss clinic name, weight loss clinic Portland, B12 injection near me, plant-based doctors near me, plant-based health and weight loss, eat your veggies, weight loss coach, reduce systemic inflammation, weight loss and wellness center, weight loss injections Portland Maine, weight loss injections near me, bio hacking diet, gut health 101, Ozempic weight loss clinic near me, Semaglutide for weight loss near me, Mounjaro weight loss clinic near me, Zepbound weight loss clinic near me, Saxenda weight loss clinic near me, Wegovy weight loss clinic near me, reverse prediabetes, reverse, high blood pressure, reverse type 2 diabetes, Weight and wellness clinic Portland Maine. Article: Avoid holiday weight gain, here's how
Comments