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Should I worry about vacation weight gain?

Just like no one “healthy” meal can make you lose 5lbs, no one “unhealthy” meal can make you gain 5lbs. Vacation eating is not going to significantly impact your weight in the long term. This is supported by studies that show that the average holiday weight gain from Thanksgiving to New Years is less than a pound.



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All those pounds are mostly water weight. The reason for the five-pound “gain” is water retention. What is this? Not only do certain rich foods leave you retaining water, but you also have the physical weight of the excess food traveling through your system for at least 48 hours or so.

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Experts told Insider that weight gained after an indulgent few days is unlikely to be fat, and usually falls away when a person's normal diet is resumed. Taking a break from a diet while on vacation can even be beneficial in the long run, according to research.

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If you have one high-sodium meal and then return to normal, healthy dietary habits, you'll likely return to your normal weight in 1-2 days. If you're returning from a vacation of over-indulging and are retaining a higher amount of excess fluid, it may take longer.

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All those pounds are mostly water weight. The reason for the five-pound “gain” is water retention. Not only do certain rich foods leave you retaining water, but you also have the physical weight of the excess food traveling through your system for at least 48 hours or so.

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The key to dropping that weight is getting right back on track with a sleep routine + diet. Getting a good nights' sleep will give your body time to recover, and allow your body to start releasing water weight and providing it with proper nutrition will do the same.

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Fortunately, if you've overindulged on delicious food on vacation (which is great!), you can easily recover. Simply go back to your normal clean-eating habits and active lifestyle, and any weight that you gained while on vacation will come off.

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Celebrations and vacations can involve eating foods higher in carbs and salt than your normal diet, and both of these lead to water retention, she said. We store carbs as glycogen in our body, and for each gram of glycogen we retain several grams of water right along with it, Mockler said. Same with salt.

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Vacation weight gain is often largely water Celebrations and vacations can involve eating foods higher in carbs and salt than your normal diet, and both of these lead to water retention, she said.

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Let's face it: Summertime weight gain can be a real bummer, though experts say it's fairly common. During a one- to three-week vacation, adults tend to gain a little less than 1 pound (lb), according to a study published in March 2016 in Physiology & Behavior.

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Vacation weight gain is often largely water
Celebrations and vacations can involve eating foods higher in carbs and salt than your normal diet, and both of these lead to water retention, she said.

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