Local doctor warns holiday weight gain, shares advice to stay healthy

For many, holiday parties and gatherings have already started and go on for weeks — whether it's with family, friends or at the office — and the pounds add up.

A bariatric surgeon at The Hospitals of Providence says people can gain an average of 2 to 3 pounds during the holiday season, from Halloween to New Year's.

"In the holidays, we tend to overeat because it's sometimes it's food we don't eat that often, like a turkey or the fixings of the turkey and the stuffing and things like that, or the tamales, which we may not eat all year round," says Dr. Benjamin Clapp, a general and bariatric surgeon.

The doctor also recommends exercising with resistance training, but it can't work alone, as Clapp says weight control begins in the kitchen and ends there. 

For those with diabetes, it's recommended to avoid eating many sweets or too much as their blood sugar can spike and require a change in insulin. 

"So it's okay to have a little bit. It's okay for people to go ahead and enjoy their holidays," says Clapp. "But again, you've got to use a little bit of restraint and you've got to realize that you can't do that every day."

For those with diabetes, it's recommended to avoid eating many sweets or too much as their blood sugar can spike and require a change in insulin. 

Clapp says people tend to over-eat since we're served food we don't eat often like turkey, tamales, desserts — that also includes the empty calories from drinking soda and alcohol -- which he says should not be consumed every day.

"Just be mindful, it's not the time to eat it every Christmas party, every office party and I know how it is with families," he says. "You go from house to house to house, it's a time to kind of really watch it. And and you don't have to deny yourself everything, but you can't go crazy either."

Monitor the amount of food you plate and balance the meal, and make sure to exercise for weight control.