Is Holiday Weight Gain As Bad As We All Think?

You Should Know: It can be a little hard to look at the scale around this time of year. Holiday indulgences combined with winter weather and a deep desire to be cozy can cut against our better instincts. But research suggests that whatever backsliding we’re doing may actually be much more modest than we all fear.

Going Deeper: Multiple long-running studies, including work published in the The New England Journal of Medicine, found that most adults gained far less than expected — around just 0.6kg or 1.3 pounds for U.S. adults. People who were already obese tended to gain a bit more, but still nowhere near as much as we may fear. But there is a catch: these modest bumps often stick around well after the holidays end.

Takeaway: These modest gains may help explain why weight slowly creeps up over adulthood. Some of the extra weight usually comes off in January, but about half can linger into spring or beyond.

Bottom Line: Holiday weight gain is real, but it’s usually small. But the less you gain in the first place, the less there is to worry about when January rolls around.