Holidays can mean punch and paunch

Newswise — Holiday festivities can pack on the pounds. The typical American adult gains three pounds during the holiday season, making January the biggest dieting month of the year, according to the Calorie Control Council. The Council, which has been tracking dieting and weight loss trends in the U.S. for more than 20 years, has encouraging news though – many consumers are keeping their spirits bright by eating light.

In fact, just over half of the respondents to the Council’s online poll about holiday dieting indicate they are trying to lose weight during this tempting time filled with cheeseballs, spinach dips, pumpkin pie, gingerbread cookies and the like.

The survey of 1,076 visitors to the Council’s web site, www.caloriescount.com, asked, “How do you plan to battle possible weight gain during the holiday season?” With emphasis on the “plan to” part of the question, 52 percent answered, “As difficult as it may be, I plan to try and lose weight during this time.”

Almost one-third of those surveyed said, “I’m focusing on maintaining my weight (not gaining during the holidays), rather than weight loss.”

Acknowledging how difficult the six weeks of temptations can be (between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day), 15 percent responded, “It's the holidays so I can't be concerned about my weight during this time of year, I'll focus on losing weight when the New Year hits.”

And then there’s always a few jolly old souls in the bunch – 3 percent chose to respond by saying, “I haven't decided yet; ask me after my next few eggnogs!”

For those who will face 2006 with the most popular New Year’s resolution (to lose weight), the Council sponsors www.CaloriesCount.com, a website that features tools such as calorie calculators, meal plans, recipes, chat groups and information from weight loss experts. Also, for support during the remaining days of the holiday season, visit the Council’s sister site, www.caloriecontrol.org, especially the feature section called, “Stuff the Bird, Not Yourself,” which provides tips and recipes to have healthier holidays and keep the season light.