CNN Article: Tackling Holiday Weight Woes

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

This is probably redundant for some if not most of us, but I thought it was

an interesting article to pass on.

Find this article at:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/diet.fitness/12/29/holiday.weight/index.html

Tackling holiday weight woes

Small gains can be big problem all year

By Weinberg

CNN

NEW YORK (CNN) -- The holiday season may bring gifts and good tidings, but

it will also deliver calorie-laden feasts, leftovers and snacks that add up

to small but significant weight gains that resound well into the new year.

Some people may put on five to seven pounds through the fall and winter,

thanks to a steady diet of large meals, sweets and the like. Yet the figures

are much smaller for most Americans -- just more than a pound, on average,

according to government surveys.

But that small amount of weight gained each year during the holidays does

not come off over time, according to a study conducted the National

Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the National

Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

" The good news is it's not as bad as we thought, " said Dr. Jack Yanovski,

the study's principal investigator and head of NICHD's Unit on Growth and

Obesity. " The bad news is that it's hard to take off that weight the rest of

the year. "

The study of 195 adults showed that -- from late September to early March --

the majority of respondents put on 1.06 pounds. One year after the study

began, 165 of the participants were weighed again. On average, they were up

1.36 pounds from their initial weights.

Fewer than 10 percent of subjects gained more than 5 pounds during the

holiday season; those obese or overweight to start with were most likely to

fall into this category.

" The holidays [can] turn ... into a year of overeating, " said Fink, a

nutritionist for WeightWatchers.com. " There are some who gain 20 or 30

pounds over the year. Their mindset is why not keep going. "

For most experiencing smaller gains, the health effect is cumulative -- as

the weight not only stays on, but adds up.

" Not everyone gains weight, but if you put on a few over the holiday, those

pounds rarely ever come off, " added Dr. Lawrence Stifler, president of

Health Management Resources (HMR), which specializes in professional

programs for weight and health management.

" The average person today is probably gaining about 12 pounds per decade. If

you gain a pound or so over the holidays, there it is. "

Everything amplified over holidays

Excess weight, of course, is not just a holiday phenomenon. Nearly

two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight and nearly one-third of U.S. adults

are obese, according to the National Institutes of Health.

" Food is everywhere, and serving sizes have gone berserk, " said Stifler,

noting two of several factors contributing to high U.S. obesity rates.

This excess of food -- as well as emotions, stress and more -- are

particularly pronounced during the fall and winter.

" Some are eating foods because they're happy, some are eating foods to feel

better, " Fink said.

Such observations come not only from experts, but people around the country

who have found that food and pounds pile up easily in fall and winter.

A slew of social gatherings, profusion of chocolates and desserts and a

sense that indulgences are more forgivable during the holidays all factor

in, said Jun Hagiwara, a 20-something New York woman.

" During the holidays, I go out more and tend to enjoy the good food that's

out there, " said Hagiwara. " I see it as a time to indulge and not be so

conscious of what I'm eating. "

Holidays mean office parties, spending money, finding gifts and visiting

relatives -- all of it contributing to stress. While some, like finance

professional Carolyn Cushman of Texas, eat more when they are joyful than

when stressed, others have an opposite reaction.

" Things take longer to do, lines are longer and people lose patience, " said

Ross Bick, a new father from Connecticut. " It definitely causes me to

overeat because eating makes me feel better, I can't control myself. "

'It's just food'

Although it's not easy to shed holiday weight gain, experts say there are

ways to keep the pounds from piling on in the first place.

Figuring out a game plan is the first and most important step, said Judith

Stern, co-founder and vice president of the American Obesity Association

(AOA).

Small changes can make a big difference, Stifler said. Switching from

regular to diet soda can result in losing 6 to 8 pounds in a year's time, he

said. Using mustard instead of mayonnaise or walking even 20 minutes a day

also can help.

Using smaller plates (thus, having smaller portions) and getting rid of

leftovers after grand holiday meals also help the cause, added Stern.

Another key is resisting pressure from friends and relatives to eat

unhealthy foods.

" You have to decide what you want to do, you can't be sabotaged, " said

Stern. " It's an extreme way of saying, 'I am in charge, please everybody

help me.' "

" Take a step back, socialize, and think about the spirit of the holiday: It

is not just about the food, " added Fink. Rather than devouring everything in

sight, she recommends selecting a few special treats.

Fink also cautions against people who are too restrictive or who swear off

certain foods (for instance, no cookies or no pies). This can lead to a

vicious cycle of restricting a certain food, then eating it, then feeling

bad or angry about what you did and in turn eating to make yourself feel

better.

At the end of the day, Fink tries to remind people, " It's just food. " Finks

says she often gets a laugh out of people when she says it, but people

really " blow it out of proportion. "

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