Expert advises against drastic measures to shed off weight gained during Chuseok
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Guide to managing your weight after feasting on holiday treats
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While many people look forward to the Chuseok holiday, some worry about what they will see on the scale, with generous servings of "jeon," or pan-fried battered dishes, braised short ribs, "japchae," or stir-fried glass noodles, and "songpyeon," or half-moon-shaped rice cakes, at every meal having long been a usual sight during family gatherings.
But an expert advised against extreme approaches to weight management.
“There is no need to repeatedly adjust your weight by fasting before and after the holiday, either to avoid Chuseok food staples altogether or out of guilt over eating too much,” Kwon Young-geun, a professor at the Obesity and Metabolism Center at Korea University Anam Hospital, said in an interview on Wednesday, ahead of the Chuseok holiday.
“The priority is to naturally return to your usual eating and activity patterns after the holiday.”
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During the holiday, people tend to eat more carbohydrates and salty food than usual. When carbohydrate intake is high, excess glucose is stored in the liver and muscles in the form of glycogen, a process that also causes the body to retain water. Eating too much salty food can also cause the body to retain more water than usual. The weight of food that has not yet been digested adds to the total.
This means that a post-Chuseok increase in body weight reflects not only actual fat gain but also water retention and the weight of food in the digestive system.
Instead of resorting to drastic measures, it is therefore better to return to your usual eating habits and daily routine after the holiday and manage your weight over the following few days.
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Cutting portions
Avoiding Chuseok food altogether is not necessarily a realistic approach. Rather than denying yourself the foods you enjoy, it is important to manage how much and how often you eat them.
Instead of piling large portions of jeon, fried foods or braised short ribs onto your plate at once, serve yourself only what you intend to eat and take your time. It is also a good idea to include vegetables and protein-rich foods in your meals. Rather than banning songpyeon and desserts altogether, try reducing the amount you eat at a time.
Snacking after meals is another easy habit to overlook. Continuing to eat fruit, traditional Korean sweets, cookies and drink sugary beverages while chatting with family, even when you are already full, can significantly increase your overall intake. Once the meal is over, consider stepping away from the table and going for a walk with your family.
Maintaining your usual level of physical activity during the holiday is also important. There is no need for strenuous exercise. Simply taking a walk around the neighborhood with family after a meal or walking to nearby destinations can help.
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Avoid fasting the day after eating too much
Above all, avoid extreme approaches to weight control. Rapidly losing weight before the holiday, overeating during the festivities and then fasting again is not an effective long-term weight management strategy. Maintaining healthy eating habits and exercising consistently is more important than quickly lowering the number on the scale.
Muscle mass can also decline during weight loss. Consuming enough protein and combining walking with strength training can help preserve muscle mass and physical function while managing weight.
This article from Kormedi.com, Korea’s top health care and medical portal, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.