Holiday Weight Gain

We used to believe that the average American adult gained 5 or more pounds during the holiday season, between Thanksgiving and New Year. But a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) in 2000 changed all that. It concluded that the average Holiday Season weight gain was "only" 1 pound.

But this just didn't sound right. As many of you know, my practice had a weight management division for over 25 years, known as Health Extenders, where we followed a large number of patients for their weight and behavior over long periods of time, including the holiday period. We never believed the 1 pound weight gain, and I still believe it's much higher than that.