I got fat over Christmas – truth or myth?

Christmas, holidays and after holidays. Many people worry that during this period they will gain a few kilos and the whole effort of losing weight will go to waste. But is it true? Is there really anything to worry about? Today we are going to look at this topic from the point of view of a dietician.

To start with simple maths – in order to gain one kilogram of body fat (body fat consists not only of fat, but also proteins and water) we would need to consume around 7500 kcal extra! This means that a person whose total energy requirement is 2200 kcal would have to eat as much as 9700 kcal in one day (for example about 3 kilograms of cheesecake ;)).

So, in order to gain 3 kilograms of body fat, you need to eat an excess of 22500 kcal over your energy requirements. Quite a lot, isn’t it? We are not able to achieve such a surplus of kilocalories during 3 days of holidays, which we often blame on extra kilograms. However, this does not change the fact that the whole holiday season is very feasible.

How long does it take to gain 3 kilos?

It’s already November when we start baking gingerbread and spice cakes, testing new recipes for Christmas dishes. When we bake gingerbread, it’s not just a few cookies, but usually several trays of these delicacies. If one gingerbread recipe turns out to be unsuccessful, we try another. Usually, we don’t wait until Christmas to eat them, but we eat them in November and December.

Before Christmas, there is also Santa Claus on the way. We often then receive chocolate Santas or other packets of sweets as gifts from friends, family or at work. Chocolate advent calendars are also popular. If we often reach for these sweets, we can consume an excess of kilocalories per month, which translates into higher body weight measurements.

Another issue is the Christmas Eve parties with friends and the company Christmas parties which we organise before 24 December. It is true that most people’s Christmas Eve parties this year are probably different to those in previous years, but it is worth mentioning that these parties are also a reason for consuming more kilocalories.

Inactivity and weight gain

Less physical activity. Winter is a time when some people prefer a good TV series, a blanket and warm cocoa to a walk in the fresh air. In winter, the light is shorter and the weather outside the window does not always encourage us to leave the house. With less exercise, our energy requirements are lower and therefore easier to exceed. Of course, the pandemic restrictions do not make the situation any easier for us, but it is worth moving around the house even for a while.

Another problem is preparing too much food for Christmas. Instead of eating traditional food for only 3 days of Christmas, we eat leftovers for a week until New Year’s Eve. On New Year’s Eve, we prepare more food, which stays in our fridges for several days. In addition we eat the sweets we received as presents or the gingerbread I mentioned earlier.

At this point I would like to stress again that we do not gain weight during the 3 days of Christmas, but during the festive period, which sometimes stretches from November to January, we are able to consume more kilocalories than our energy needs indicate. 22500 kcal in 3 days? It seems impossible. 22500 kcal in a month? Doable.

I will lose weight in the New Year

“There’s no point starting a diet in December”, “I’ll start in January”, “I’ll finally lose weight in the New Year”. – you know it? If you consciously want to change your eating habits, don’t put it off. Don’t eat several kilos of sweets in December because “you are going on a diet from January and you will never eat anything sweet again”. This is not true In a healthy diet there is also room for sweets in a reasonable amount. So act now and enter the new year with new habits!

All right… what if I eat healthy on a daily basis, stick to my menus and, hand on heart, eat traditional Christmas food on only 3 days of Christmas and yet the scales show 2 kg more? In this case, remember that in order to gain 1 kg of body fat, you need a 7500 kcal energy surplus. You can breathe a sigh of relief because the higher weight measurement is not related to fat gain. So what could be the reason for this?

• Traditional festive dishes usually contain large amounts of salt. Sodium affects the accumulation of water in the body, hence body weight measurements may be overestimated.
  
  
• If you have eaten a lot over the holidays, it is possible that the higher measurement is due to unspent food residue.
  
  
• Reduced water intake and the use of alcoholic beverages also affect the body’s fluid content

Finally, I would like to wish you all good health and peace in the New Year

You can control your diet, calorie intake, water intake, body weight and physical activity using the Fitatu application. More information about Fitatu can be found at: https://www.fitatu.com