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Christmas dinner, mulled wine, home-baked cookies in between: the Christmas season is a celebration of the pounds for many people - and many are rightly afraid of putting on a lot of weight at the end of the year.

Apparently, however, it is sufficient to follow a series of simple tips to avoid the dreaded holiday kilos - at least that is the result of a study by six researchers from the British universities of Birmingham and Loughborough, which they present in the medical journal "The BMJ".

The fact that the end of the year is a challenge for slim lines is nothing new: Germans are thickest ten days after Christmas, US researchers at Cornell University found out in 2016.

On average, participants in the corresponding experiment gained 0.6 percent over the holidays.

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The problem: The fat pads that are fed on during the contemplative days take much longer to melt again - if at all.

Amanda Daley, behavioral medicine specialist and author of the current study, explains: "On average, people gain up to a kilo over the year." However, a large part of this increase occurs during the Christmas season.

“Weight gained during the holidays is often not lost,” the Loughborough University scientist now states.

A gain of one kilo is not much in itself.

Viewed over ten years, however, the increase would be considerable.

However, with December's many temptations, even the most disciplined people find it difficult to restrain themselves on calorie intake.

"On Christmas Day alone, up to 6,000 calories are consumed - three times more than the recommended daily intake," emphasizes first author Frances Mason, nutritionist at the University of Birmingham.

Under the name “Winter Weight Watch Study”, the researchers tested recommendations for action in 2016 and 2017 that were intended to prevent gluttony.

To this end, they divided 272 volunteers, with an average age of 44 years, into two groups.

The intervention group was asked to weigh themselves at least twice a week, ideally every day, and to record the weight in writing.

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In addition, the subjects were given ten simple tips not to gain weight.

This included eating at the same time whenever possible, focusing on reduced-fat meals, taking 10,000 steps a day, grabbing healthy snacks and eating five servings of fruit and vegetables a day and no meals while watching TV to consume.

In addition, participants should pay attention to hidden sugars and fats, as well as calories in drinks and their portion sizes.

For a mulled wine 33 minutes of walking

Sitting for too long should also be avoided: the subjects in the intervention group were advised to get up for ten minutes every hour during the day.

At the same time, they got an overview of how much physical activity it takes to burn popular Christmas treats.

For example, you have to run for 21 minutes to work off the traditional English holiday pastry mince pie, whereas a small glass of mulled wine requires 33 minutes of walking.

In contrast, the comparison group only received a general information sheet on the subject of a healthy lifestyle without any nutritional advice.

All participants were measured and weighed in November and December as well as in January and February of the research years.

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In fact, the members of the comparison group gained an average of 0.37 kilograms during the period, while those of the intervention group even lost 0.13 kilograms.

The difference was about a pound.

The researchers conclude from these results that the intervention group was more able to discipline itself with the help of the recommendations and regular weighing.

"Our research shows that even a brief intervention over the Christmas season can help prevent the small weight gains that build up and fuel the obesity epidemic," says behavioral scientist Daley.

Accordingly, health-care decision-makers should consider such simple programs that “prevent the population from gaining weight during a high-risk time like the holidays,” concluded the study, which was supported by the UK's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

This article was first published in December 2018.