The good news is that while, yes, holiday weight gain is a reality, it’s not nearly as severe as most people think. Americans expected to gain an average of 8 pounds over the 2021 holidays, according to a survey of 2,000 Americans conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Herbalife Nutrition. But research published in September 2016 in The New England Journal of Medicine has found that most pack on only around 1 pound during that time. “People tend to think that they will gain more weight over the holidays than they actually do, but the weight they do gain will compound over time if they don’t lose it,” says Christina Badaracco, a Washington, D.C.-based registered dietitian and healthcare consultant. Indeed, research has found that those incremental weight gains add up over the years. Holiday weight gain isn’t all about celebrating, says Badaracco. “There are lots of factors that can affect weight gain this time of year: sleep cycles, stress, less physical activity, seasonal depression, and more alcohol consumption,” she says. It’s important not to let those factors — which can continue for months after the holidays — snowball into unhealthy habits. RELATED: How Winter Affects Our Eating Habits
Reasons We Tend to Gain During the Holiday Season
It makes sense that a season of holiday feasting and indulgent treats might derail our usual healthy eating habits, but there are several other factors stacked against us in the battle of the scale.
Cold weather makes us eat more overall and reach for more indulgent foods. Like other animals, human beings developed a propensity to pack on more body fat in anticipation of cold weather, when food tended to be more scarce. We never really lost this evolutionary urge, according to an article published in January 2016 by the Royal Society. It doesn’t help that many fresh fruits and leafy greens aren’t in season this time of year, leaving us to reach for heartier — and often more caloric — foods. In fact, a meta-analysis published online in August 2020 in Frontiers in Psychology found that people with seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression associated with the winter months, report more cravings for starch-rich foods compared with individuals who did not have the mood disorder.Shorter, darker days throw off our circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms refer to the cyclical patterns of bodily functions, such as sleeping and eating, that follow a 24-hour internal clock, according to the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. Circadian rhythms can be influenced by external factors, including the amount of natural light we’re exposed to, which can sometimes throw them out of whack. “In winter, our sleep cycles are off. We get less sunlight and are inside more,” says Badaracco. These factors can affect insulin secretion, fat storage, and metabolism — all of which play a role in weight maintenance, she says. Disrupting circadian rhythms is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for metabolic issues, including obesity, according to an article published in August 2021 in Current Opinion in Biotechnology.We’re less active. Gallup poll data has found that the percentage of American adults who say they exercise frequently — for at least 30 minutes three or more days per week— tends to bottom out in December each year. Shorter days and colder weather mean shrinking motivation for getting outside to exercise or even drive to the gym. Energy levels seem lower, too: More than one-third of Americans reported sleeping more in winter in a survey for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
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We’re drinking more. When the temperature drops and daylight hours decrease, many people tend to seek the comfort of a boozy beverage to help them cope. Residing in the coldest regions of the world was associated with increased alcohol consumption in winter, according to research published in May 2019 in the journal Hepatology, possibly because booze acts as vasodilator, increasing blood flow to skin and creating a warm feeling. During the pandemic, alcohol sales have skyrocketed, according to a study published in November 2021 in Alcohol, likely because drinking is a way many people cope with stress. While the initial effects of a drink or two may be soothing, overconsumption can lead to a host of other health problems, from liver disease to depression. And many Americans don’t consider that each alcoholic beverage tacks around 100-plus calories onto a meal, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Strategies to Successfully Shed Holiday Weight
If you gained unwanted weight over the holiday season or hit a plateau when you were previously losing steadily, it’s important not to beat yourself up about it. “First and foremost, be kind to yourself,” says Colleen Tewksbury, PhD, a registered dietitian-nutritionist in Philadelphia and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Feelings of guilt can often trigger the cycle of emotional eating. Instead, use these strategies to start to develop new healthy habits:
Make a plan. Spontaneity may be great for some things, but weight loss is not one of them. People with a history of successful weight loss tend to plan ahead with strategies such as packing healthy snacks when traveling, according to a study published in April 2021 in the journal Obesity Science & Practice. And those who identified at least three strategies to help them achieve their weight goals were the most successful. So don’t try to wing it; be prepared when temptation strikes.
Weigh yourself regularly. Stepping on the scale every day was one of the strategies most used by successful dieters in the Obesity Science & Practice study. One reason this might help, says Badaracco, is because it’s a goal for which “you can find some positive reinforcement when you’re successful.” She notes that anyone with a history of disordered eating should be cautious and speak to their healthcare provider before starting any kind of diet.
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Get yourself into a rut. Okay, a routine. The holidays are meant to be a time for celebration and enjoyment, Tewksbury says, and that means not adhering to your usual schedules. While that can be a nice break, once the holidays are over, it’s time to resume your healthy eating habits. When something is a habit, it’s almost mindless and instinctive to do. A randomized, controlled trial of 75 adults with overweight or obesity found that forming new habits and breaking old habits resulted in clinically important weight loss maintenance after a year, according to a study published in April 2018 in the International Journal of Obesity.
Enlist a friend. When people are contending with weather that urges us to stay indoors and experiencing a post-holiday slump, creating goals with others can be especially helpful, says Badaracco. Whether you want to embark on Dry January (or extend it to February and beyond) or start hitting the gym again, having a partner to help keep you accountable can help you see results. Schedule workouts with a buddy, have walking meetings at work, or swap healthy recipes with a pal. “It makes the activity so much more enjoyable, and you look forward to it,” says Badaracco. If you’re still social distancing, using an app like Noom or even writing a log can provide support to prevent you from bailing on your goals until they can become solid habits.
Be patient. The holiday season is generally defined as a six-week stretch. If you were overindulging for that amount of time, the pounds won’t suddenly disappear overnight. “It’s more important and effective to set small, manageable goals,” Badaracco says. “Planning to go for a 15-minute walk three times a week might not seem like much, but it’s a small win that can propel you forward. Then you can gradually increase the goal.” Plus, slow and steady weight loss is safer and more effective, research shows.
