During the holidays, especially on Thanksgiving Day, an average American consumes about 4,500 calories. That’s twice the recommended daily intake! If a person who weighed about 160 pounds consumed 4,500 calories, they would have to swim for five hours, or run 30 miles to burn off those calories. Is all of this food necessary for someone to enjoy Thanksgiving or Christmas?
Researchers in London found that Brits consume about 7,000 calories on Christmas Day and most of the calories are gobbled up before 2pm. It was also noted in an article on Dailymail.com from the UK that between Christmas Eve and New Year’s people tend to pack on nearly 6 lbs. According to Femalesfirst.com women consume more calories at holiday parties than on Christmas Day. How is this possible? Putting the cookies aside, by eating one turkey leg (417 calories) on either Thanksgiving or Christmas, you would have to jog for 48 minutes or cycle for over an hour to burn those calories off. Then add on the rest of meal and the snacks and the desserts.
There are multiple solutions to this problem. Any one of them can work if they are implemented on your Holiday dinner. If you eat a healthy little snack before dinner, you can trick your body into eating less. Thus, reducing the calories you intake. You could replace fried turkey with baked turkey, and normal white potatoes with sweet potatoes. Avoid fatty desserts and sugar injected beverages. And finally, if you have the feeling of tiredness after eating, do not take a nap. Do some family physical activity such as playing touch football in the backyard.
Rethink what you consume during the holidays and you might find it easier to keep that New Year’s Resolution.
