Regular home weight control and simple tips for limiting excessive food and drink consumption can prevent people from gaining weight on Christmas days, according to research.
In the Winter Weight Watch study - a test designed to prevent participants from gaining weight during the festive season by providing them with tips and techniques to prevent abuse, 272 volunteers (18-44 years old) randomly joined either in an “intervention” or “comparison” group.
Those who participated in the intervention group were asked to weigh themselves at least twice a week, but ideally every day, and keep a record of their weight to help monitor food and drink intake.
They were also given 10 weight management tips along with a list of physical activity needed to burn the calories they received from popular foods and beverages consumed at Christmas.
For example, it takes 21 minutes of exercise to burn the calories of a fruit tart and 33 minutes of walking to consume calories from a small glass of mulled wine.
In contrast, the comparison group received only a brief brochure on how to promote a healthy lifestyle, which did not include dietary advice.
The study, conducted by the Universities of Birmingham and Lafboro and published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), was conducted in 2016 and 2017, with participants weighing and measuring in November and December each year and then completing the measurements. in January and February of 2017 and 2018.
The results showed that, on average, participants in the comparison group gained some weight during Christmas, but participants in the intervention group did not gain weight.
At the end of the study, those who participated in the intervention group weighed an average of 0,49 kg less than the members of the comparison group.
Following the advice, the participants in the intervention group had the ability to limit the consumption of food and drink to help control their body weight.
The 10 tips given to them were:
- Always eat at the same time of day (either twice or five times a day)
- Take 10.000 steps a day
- Avoid fatty foods
- If you can choose healthy snacks
- No snacks in front of the TV
- Watch out for hidden sugars and fats
- Every day try to get up for 10 minutes every hour
- Do not eat too large portions
- Avoid juices and drinks that contain calories and sugar
- Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day
Up to 6.000 calories on Christmas day
Given the many temptations in December, even the most disciplined people find it difficult to limit their calorie intake.
The study's author, Francis Maison of the University of Birmingham Institute for Applied Health, said: "The holiday season coincides with public holidays in many countries, providing an opportunity for prolonged overeating and sedentary behavior.
"On Christmas day alone, a person can consume 6.000 calories - three times the recommended daily calorie intake.
Low-intensity interventions, such as those used in our study to measure weight during the winter, should be considered by policy makers to prevent weight gain in the population during high-risk periods, such as holidays He stressed.
Professor Amanda Daley of the School of Sports, Exercise and Health Sciences at the University of Loughborough, who also participated in the study, said: are responsible for most of this annual weight gain ”.
"The weight gained during the holiday season is often not lost afterwards and although it is small, in a period of more than 10 years it could lead to a significant increase in body weight."
"Our research has shown that a brief intervention during Christmas can help prevent these small weight gains that accumulate and lead to the obesity epidemic," he added.
Source: iefimerida.gr