May 18, 2006
Vacation Overeating
At some point in our lives, most of us have ditched practical eating habits to indulge in a week of overeating. Whether it's during the holiday season or on a family vacation, we give ourselves permission to enjoy whatever foods we want, in larger than normal quantities. The assumption is that one week won’t sabotage our weight.
A 2005 study conducted at Cornell University suggests that it may not be the isolated weeklong overeating that leads to a sustained weight gain, but the retrained appetite that follows it.
During this small-scale study, 12 normal-weight men and women were asked to overeat for two weeks, after which they were to revert to their usual diets. The researchers discovered that in the time following the increased consumption period, participants ate as much or more than they did during the two-week mandatory binge.
It appears that our bodies adjust to the high-calorie diet and continue to crave more food than what it needs for energy. Simply put, your body wants to eat more calories than it will burn, leading to weight gain.
Although the smartest approach is to resist the temptation to ‘pig out’, if you do decide to overindulge over a period of time, resume your normal eating habits as soon as possible. Trying to revert to, or compensate with, a calorie-restricted diet—much lower than your usual intake—may backfire and lead you back to over-consumption.
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