“Weighing oneself daily could prevent a person from gaining weight during the holiday,” she said. A US study published last year showed that most people gained between 0.4kg and 1.5kg during the holiday season — from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day — and holiday weight was the major contributor to annual excess weight gain, Lo said. Participants who were asked to weigh themselves daily maintained their weight after the holiday season, while some who were overweight even lost weight, but most of those who did not weigh themselves gained weight, Lo said. The study suggests that increasing individual awareness of body weight could be an effective way to prevent holiday weight gain, encouraging people to watch their food intake more carefully or exercise a little more, she said. The HPA recommends adults exercise for at least 30 minutes every day, or take at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity per week.
