This Diwali, men gained more weight than women, HealthifyMe study finds

This year Diwali was the much-needed festive celebration for people who have faced two years of uncertainty during the Covid pandemic.

Indians have not been shy about going all out during the festive season, especially when it comes to the sugar binge.

On Wednesday, health and fitness app HealthifyMe revealed that Indians gorge themselves the most on sweets for Dhanteras, Diwali and Bhai Dooj. Overall sugar consumption hit a record high this year of 32% during the holiday season. Daily workouts saw a 32% drop on the app.

The study also showed that men needed more sugar than women. Sugar consumption increased by 38% among men during the holiday week, while it was 25% among women.

Too much sugar consumption and a lack of exercise were the main reasons why men gained more weight than women in a week. While men weighed an average of 1.7 kg more, women gained 1.28 kg during the week of Diwali.

Across India, the sugar rush peaked in Pune, where individuals saw a 46% spike during the festive week. It is closely followed by Bengaluru (34%), Hyderabad (34%) and Chennai (33%) who consumed too many sweets and desserts.

In Delhi and Kolkata, consumption of sweets increased by 30% and 27%, respectively. Mumbai residents managed to control their sugar cravings with an increase of only 20%.

However, sugar was not solely responsible for a spike in caloric intake. While the Mumbaikars may have controlled their sugar cravings, their overall food consumption saw a peak increase. The neighbors of Pune gained 2.4 kg on average over the week. Maharashtrians were followed by Delhites and Hyderabadis who gained 1.5kg and 1.2kg in weight respectively. The South showed much better resolve, with the Bangalorians and Chennaites gaining just 0.9kg on average over the week.

Kaju katli and gulab jamun dominated the hearts of people in Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune at that time. Besides these Indian sweets, the Punekars and Mumbaikars gorged on shankarpali (sweet donuts), karanji (also called gujiya in the North) and besan ladoo (made from gram flour), while the Chennaites stuffed with Mysore pak. For the people of Delhi, kheer was one of their guilty pleasures and the people of Kolkata had squishy Bengali sweets like sandesh, rosogulla and kadam kheer to satiate their sweet cravings.

After letting their hair down during the festive season, the Indians began their detox journey. Average sugar consumption decreased by 30% between October 28 and November 3. There was also a 12% increase in physical activity among individuals to get back in shape. The average weight loss recorded in the ten days post-Diwali is 1.2 kg. While women lost 1.1 kg, men managed to lose 1.4 kg on average. The most popular workouts are running, leg swings, static shoulder stretches, and stepping.

Indians have also become more mindful of clean and healthy food. The most consumed healthy foods are boiled eggs, idli and oats. Water consumption has also increased by 13% on average.

For the study, the company consolidated data from the app between October 22 and October 27. The society studied the eating and exercise habits of more than 5,000 Indians to understand the impact the week-long festivities had on people’s health.