This is how much weight you could gain during the holiday season
- People will gain about a pound of fat during the month of December
- It may not seem like much, but it can add up because most will never lose it
- READ MORE: Scientists claim to have found the cause of obesity
In December, Americans indulge in fatty foods, delicious sweets and high-calorie alcohol as they attend festive gatherings and holiday gatherings.
But all that overeating leads to poor health outcomes that last long after New Year's resolutions.
The month of December is all about holiday office parties and big family dinners with high-calorie foods and drinks like ham, pies, and spiked eggnog—and opening presents on Christmas morning won't burn many calories.
Because of this, people can expect to gain a pound of fat during the holidays.
Dr. Jesse Bracamonte, a doctor at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, said, “The average person gains about a half to a pound during the holidays.”
While that may not seem like much at first, Dr. Bracamonte warned that it can add up over time because most people will never lose the extra weight.
All the overindulgence during the holidays leads to poor health outcomes that last long after the New Year's resolutions
Holiday treats are often high-calorie foods and drinks, such as ham, pies and spiked eggnog
Dr. Bracamonte told Inside Edition: 'It puts us at risk of problems like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and sometimes inflammatory problems like even some cancers.'
To gain one pound of fat, a person must consume an additional 3,500 calories.
While consuming too many calories is the main culprit, it's not the only reason you'll gain pounds in December.
Holidays also come with stress and lack of sleep, both of which affect weight gain.
According to a 2022 study, people who got less than six and a half hours of sleep per night ate an average of 250 more calories during the day.
Getting enough sleep is essential because it regulates the production of two hormones – ghrelin and leptin – that create a balance between appetite and fullness.
A lack of sleep can cause an imbalance in the body, causing ghrelin levels to rise and leptin levels to drop. leaving you hungrier all day long.
To prevent the weight gain, Dr. Bracamonte recommended eating from a smaller plate instead of using the eat and eat method.
The eat and peck method involves eating a full meal followed by continuous grazing.
The doctor added: 'That usually makes you eat more calories. Having a smaller plate can help limit those calories.”
Although research is limited, Dr. Bracamonte is not the first to highlight weight gain during the holidays.
A separate 2015 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the average weight gain during the holidays was just under a pound.
Vanessa King, a registered dietitian nutritionist and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, told WebMD, “Research has also shown that people who are already overweight and obese gain more weight than those who are a healthy weight, and when we look Based on the average weight in a year, holiday weight is the largest cause of annual excess weight gain.'
In the U.S., nearly 42 percent of adults are considered obese: They have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, or about the equivalent of someone 6 feet tall weighing 203 pounds or more.
Obesity is linked to dozens of poor medical outcomes, including: heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease.
And there is evidence that obesity is linked to a higher risk of stroke, serious respiratory infections and 12 different types of cancer.
The obesity epidemic in the US is estimated to cost the country's health care system more than $173 billion per year.