The Truth About Holiday Weight Gain

So, we’ve made it through another summer season here at the beach. This summer was a little less stressful than the previous one for me. I hope it was for you as well. Kids are back into the swing of things with school and the holidays are fast approaching. Now is the time of year when you see a plethora of articles detailing how to survive all of the holiday partying with your fitness, and your waistline, intact. I may have written a few myself. “Have something to eat before you go to the party.” “Control your portions.” “Skip dessert.”

I know if I have something to eat before I go to the party, I will just end up eating the same amount at the party that I would have anyway. Probably not the best idea. Skip dessert? I don’t think so. Aunt Joanie’s apple crumble is the best thing you’ve ever eaten. So, putting yourself through the stress of worrying about skipping dessert is probably worse than just eating it. Aunt Joanie would also be highly insulted if you didn’t have any and you don’t need to add that kind of stress to the evening.

These strategies may work for some, but for everyone else, rather than subjecting yourself to these exercises in futility, I say go out and enjoy yourself. After you do, there are some things that can be done to mitigate the damage.

First, we should determine if the holiday partying is really the problem – or if this holiday weight gain is a lie as big and ugly as your uncle’s favorite Christmas sweater. A 2016 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found the average American’s weight increases by 0.4% over Christmas and 0.2% over Thanksgiving. In total, that amounts to around 1 pound gained during each holiday season. Yep, only 1 pound. I read a lot of articles warning of up to 10-pound gains, but this is just not true for most. The problem occurs when you don’t lose that 1 pound before the next holiday season. Then the pounds start to accumulate.

If you have been successful in maintaining your weight (assuming that is your goal) with your current diet and exercise routine, the best strategy is to continue to be consistent through the holidays. Adding in some partying shouldn’t be that big of a deal.

A study in 2019 published in The American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology Metabolism subjected healthy young men to 28 days of overfeeding (+45% energy). Over the first five days, there was not much effect on weight gain at all and there was no difference in overall fat mass. After 28 days of overeating, the gentlemen’s fat mass went up by 3 pounds.

It takes time and consistent overconsumption to put on fat. Some people may say “That can’t be true, I put on 5 pounds over the weekend!” and that may be entirely possible, but that 5 pounds isn’t fat. In order to put on 5 pounds of fat, you would have to consume an extra 17,500 calories. That would be pretty impressive. That would amount to about 77 servings of Aunt Joanie’s apple crumble. I know it’s delicious, but let’s be reasonable.

The reason someone may put on 5 pounds over the weekend is most likely due to water retention. Maybe they didn’t eat as healthy as usual and consumed a lot of salt, which causes retention. Maybe they were under a lot of stress that increased their cortisol production, which also can result in water retention. Maybe they consumed too many carbs. Your body stores carbs as glycogen in your liver and muscle. For every gram of glycogen stored, there are 3-4 grams of water stored right along with it. It may be weight from the contents of their digestive system. Women will also retain water depending on their menstrual cycle. I know my weight will fluctuate a few pounds just during the course of a day. A few days of overconsuming slightly above your maintenance should not have a major effect on your weight.

The holidays should be joyous occasions, not sources of stress. Take part in some celebrating. Stick to your exercise routine as much as possible. Stick to your healthy eating as much as possible, but when you don’t (and there will be times when you don’t), I wouldn’t beat yourself up about it. Remember, weight can fluctuate drastically pretty quickly, but fat gain takes a little more time. No, this article is not a massive ploy to encourage weight gain to increase business for personal trainers, I promise. But if you do need help getting rid of that 1 extra pound, I’ll be here for you.

Now, go enjoy some apple crumble. Don’t upset your aunt.