Where you go on vacation can determine how much weight you gain. Surprisingly, the legendary rich food of France, the all-you-can-eat buffets in Las Vegas, or the beer and pretzels in Germany, did not top the list.
The destination with the largest weight gain is Greece, where the average adult puts on three pounds over a ten-day holiday. At least, that’s the conclusion of travel operators Thomas Cook, which surveyed its guests to rate which destination can pile up the most pounds.
That’s a surprise, considering Greece and neighboring Italy invented the healthy Mediterranean diet, rich with low-fat fish, unsaturated-fat olive oil and anti-oxident laden fresh fruits and vegetables. Not to mention Greek yogurt. And scenic walks up and down steep hillsides that burn off the calories.
This is significantly more than what vacationers gain in United States, despite large food portions and the preponderance of cholesterol-loaded greasy fried stuff served up by fast food chains. The USA came in fourth for weighty vacations, after Turkey and Portugal. France was in seventh place.
The average weight gain reported was 5.5 pounds for men and 1.5 for women.
This survey was of British travelers, who are called holidaymakers by British-based Thomas Cook. It would be interesting to compare vacation weight gain rates for travelers from other countries.
What do you think? We value your comments and love hearing from you.