Do Men or Women Gain More Weight During the Holidays? 

It’s nothing that we like to think about but it’s a reality for many of us. So many people tend to gain weight during the holidays. It’s natural if you think about it because we’re eating all of our favorite rich foods and therefore taking in far more calories than we need to. We’re also getting less physical activity because we’re either traveling, spending time with family, or moving from one event to the next. Not only that, but we’re also eating things like desert and likely drinking more alcohol than we may be used to. So the notion of gaining weight isn’t anything unusual, but you may wonder who has it worse? Do men or women gain it faster or hold onto it longer? It’s an interesting comparison that can tell us so much.

So when you think about just how or why we gain weight during the holidays it has to do with many factors. For the most part women are the ones that are running around getting so much done. They are busy baking and cooking and shopping, and pulling everything together. Though they are on the run more, they are also the ones that are tasting this and that and then eating more than they should, often out of pure exhaustion. Not only that but women are of course more likely to gaining weight in the first place, and so you might think that it’s them that gain it faster. For the most part this is true, but you also want to look at the man’s side of it too.

We Are All Prone To Bad Eating Habits At This Time of Year

You will find that when you consider how men gain weight during the holidays it has to do with a lack of activity and pure overeating. They may spend a lot of time watching football or relaxing with the family, not really helping as much with the running around. Though they may not be tasting as much along the way, they also happen to love to eat bigger portions overall. So in that sense men are more prone to gaining that weight, but they are also less likely to hold onto it. Men traditionally have an easier time losing the weight if they gain it, and so this works in their favor.

So when you consider who gains more weight during the holidays it’s a sort of mixed answer. Yes men may gain it more easily, but they likely won’t hold onto it as long. They may eat bigger portions, but they may not do the nibbling along the way. Women are much more on the go and have a lot to get done, but they are also grazing and then eating more when they are done. The fact of the matter is that you want to go in with a healthy approach so that you don’t gain the weight at all. If you maintain your healthy habits throughout and just eat smaller portions of your favorite foods, then you don’t have to worry about the weight gain at all—and that’s something that can benefit all of us!