BU Now » Weight Gain http://blogs.bu.edu/bunow News, information and research from Boston University Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:14:24 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 From Joan Salge Blake: http://blogs.bu.edu/bunow/2009/12/15/from-joan-salge-blake-3/ http://blogs.bu.edu/bunow/2009/12/15/from-joan-salge-blake-3/#comments Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:48:43 +0000 Lauren Davalla http://blogs.bu.edu/bunow/?p=3966 The Science Behind Holiday Weight Gain: Tis the season… We know that the holiday season brings too many parties, too many get-togethers, and too many desserts.  However, an interesting article from the National Council on Strength & Fitness identifies a group of compounding physiological factors that explain why the activities of the holidays make it more challenging to maintain your weight.
holiday weight gain
According to the article, stress can play a factor. Stress can lead to the drive to use food and alcohol as a coping mechanism. Consistently eating excess calories will not only cause excess weight gain but reaching for the alcohol can also can increase the release of the hormone, ghrelin, which can stimulate hunger and eating. In essence, alcohol provides a double whammy effect. The shopping and festive activities can wreck havoc with your sleep patterns. According to the article, getting less than 8 hours of sleep a night can alter the levels of insulin and ghrelin in your body and lead to overeating.

To help you enjoy your holidays without the excess bulge, I will be posting a daily Holiday Party Tip starting tomorrow.

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