PrintStraight from the Expert
Holiday Meal Syndrome – Nishta Saxena
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| Nishta Saxena, Clinical Dietitian, Peter Munk Cardiac Centre |
We so often hear people talk about gaining five pounds after eating a large Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Is there really such thing as “holiday meal syndrome?”
For those who over-indulge during a holiday meal and then starve the next day in hopes of bringing the scale back to neutral, save yourself the insanity and understand that daily fluctuations in body weight are normal. Even if you’ve conquered a heaping plate of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, keep in mind that in order to gain one pound of body fat, you need to eat 3,600 more calories than what you regularly burn in a day. It’s not a wise idea to gorge on a holiday meal in excess of 3,500 calories, but it may not be the only cause of your weight fluctuation the next day.
Although the short-term effects of a large meal can last several days, dietitians are more concerned about the additive effect. If an individual consumes several large consecutive meals, the body has difficulty regulating weight, which can lead to an actual increase in body fat over time.
How do can you gage an accurate measure of body weight?
The best way to obtain a true measure of body weight is to step on the same scale, at the same time, once a week; morning is best. After four weeks, take an average of these weights to ensure a more accurate depiction of your body weight. Conversely, daily weigh-ins can be misleading due to artificial weight fluctuations caused by varying factors. They’re also irrelevant to long-term weight loss goals.
How much can your weight normally fluctuate in one day?
While these four factors can result in daily weight fluctuations of between two and seven pounds in a healthy person, changes of 10 pounds or more, coupled with other symptoms, such as shortness of breath, extreme fatigue and/or pain, may require medical attention. Rapid declines or increases in weight, which are unintentional, might be signs of thyroid deregulation, tumours or undiagnosed diabetes. Medications can also impact fluid balance and therefore body weight, so consult the pharmacist when taking new medications and always take medication as prescribed.
What factors cause weight fluctuation?
Fluctuations in body weight are most commonly caused by four key variables: excess sodium intake, fluid retention, hormonal changes, and the actual weight of food consumed.
The average Canadian consumes double the recommended amount of salt every day, processed foods being the primary culprit. More bad news—most of our Canadian foods, such as bread, cereals, packaged snacks and frozen meals, have 30% more salt added than similar products from any other country in the world; therefore Canadians must be even more conscious of choosing lower sodium options and watching salt intake to minimize weight fluctuation and risk of developing high blood pressure.
A high-salt diet can increase dehydration which, in turn, can cause fluid retention. Contrary to popular belief, drinking lots of water does not cause bloating. In fact, the opposite is true—drinking water reduces bloating. This artificial “weight gain,” which is a result of the bloating process, can cause daily weight fluctuations and skew body weight measurements.
Hormonal changes and cyclical fluctuations, especially in women, can encourage natural water retention, resulting in the appearance of changes in weight.
Finally, the actual weight of the food affects body weight, underscoring the importance of moderate food portions. A solid bowel movement can relieve up to five pounds.
What is the best strategy for healthy eating?
Eating a variety of healthy foods is important to keep the body nourished, but it’s also vital to eat at regular times and maintain consistent meal sizes to lose weight. A regular routine is shown to positively affect physiological processes in the body and lower the risk of weight gain and disease. Consequently, yo-yo dieting is a risky strategy because varying body weights—both high and low—are imprinted in the body’s physiological system. The more weight fluctuations one has, the harder it is for the body to return to a set point.
It is important to remember there is not one ideal weight for everyone. Maintaining a consistent body weight over time, with lower levels of central body fat, is protective against chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer and fatty liver disease.
