Christmas Baking Day and Obesity

It's that time of of year again. The time of year where I get fat. Not really, the New York Times says that the average person only gains a single pound during the holidays. Personally I don't see how this pans out. Today marks the beginning of the multitude of Christmas cookies and treats I will eat this winter season. Yes it's Christmas Baking Day. Every year my whole family gathers at my house to share a day of baking and eating (but mostly eating). It's starts around eight O'clock every year on a Saturday, and lasts until the afternoon. We spend hours sorting and packing the goodies to send to everyone's houses (my mother doesn't like to have to many sweets in our house).

Following the baking we do Christmas Carols, badly sung, then play games as a family. (This year we played Scriblish)

Anyway, I'm not just telling you this because I want to tell you a mushy story about how much I love my family. I'd rather address the overeating that the holidays allow. 

According to the New York Times people rarely lose the pound that they gain during the holidays. That single pound can plague you for the rest of your life. I'm not saying that gaining weight is bad. Gaining weight from muscle, or growing, or maturing is perfectly okay, but gaining weight from eating too much can be fatal. If that one pound goes to your butt or thighs you have extra weight to carry that can ruin your joints, but you are far better off having a little bit bigger booty that having the weight collect in your chest or stomach. That extra weight surrounds your organs, basically suffocating them. Your heart and lungs have to work double time just when you're sitting on the couch when you're overweight. 

Now you may be saying, that's a lot of talk for just one pound, but it's been proven by a study done by the University of Oklahoma  that if you are already overweight you will gain more weight during the holidays than an average person. So basically every year you will gain more weight than the year before, causing you to spiral towards obesity. 

Gaining weight during the holidays also makes you more likely to gain weight the rest of the year. Sugary and fatty foods are very addictive. A study done by the Scripps Research Institute fat and sugar prove to be as addictive as cocaine. I personally find this a little extreme, but not completely untrue. We've all spent a day eating sugar and continually looking for something else to eat, even though we're not hungry, we just need to fill our craving. The reason I think comparing it to cocaine is a little extreme, is because overeating is so much easier to stop doing than cocaine. After holidays my families always do a week where we don't eat any sweets, it's so much easier to get back on track that way. I always wonder why I eat sweets in the first place because they make me feel slow and gross, I usually can't wait for the holidays to be over so I can eat some real food.

My suggestion to you this holiday is to eat what you want, but between every treat eat something filling and healthy but you like. Such as your favorite fresh fruit (mine are mangos) or vegetable (can't go wrong with carrots). Your body with thank you, as well as your mind, and self-esteem. 

Most of all use the holidays to spend some quality time with your family. Play a board game that keeps you awake and laughing, or go for a walk, or play football in the yard. The family experience is so much better when you're all not about asleep on the couch.