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

This year, Diwali was the much-needed festive celebration for people, who dealt with two years of uncertainties during the Covid pandemic.

Indians didn't shy away from going all out during the festive season, especially when it came to the sugar binge.

Health and fitness app HealthifyMe on Wednesday revealed that Indians gorged on sweets the most for Dhanteras, Diwali and Bhai Dooj. The overall sugar consumption was at an all-time high this year by a whopping 32 per cent during the festive period. Daily workouts saw a 32 per cent decline on the app.

The study also showed that men craved more sugar in comparison to women. Sugar consumption increased 38 per cent in men during the festive week, while it was 25 per cent in women.

An excess of sugar binge and lack of exercise was the primary reason men gained more weight than women in one week. While men weighed 1.7 kg heavier on average, the women gained 1.28 kg during Diwali week.

In all of India, the sugar rush was at its highest in Pune where individuals saw a 46 per cent spike during the festive week. It is closely followed by Bengaluru (34 per cent), Hyderabad (34 per cent), and Chennai (33 per cent) which overindulged in sweets and desserts.

In Delhi and Kolkata, sweet intake increased by 30 per cent and 27 per cent, respectively. People in Mumbai managed to keep their sugar cravings in check with only a 20 per cent increase.

However, sugar wasn't the only culprit for a spike in calorie intake. While Mumbaikars may have controlled their sugar urge, their overall food consumption saw the maximum rise. Neighbours from Pune gained 2.4 kg on average during the week. The Maharashtrians were followed by Delhites and Hyderabadis, who gained 1.5 kg and 1.2 kg of weight, respectively. The South showed much better resolve with Bangaloreans and Chennaites gaining just 0.9 kg on average during the week.

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

After letting their hair down during the festive season, Indians have started their detox journey. The average sugar consumption went down by 30 per cent between October 28 and November 3. There has also been a 12 per cent increase in physical activities among individuals to get back in shape. The average weight loss recorded in the ten days post-Diwali stands at 1.2 kg. While women lost 1.1 kg, males managed to lose 1.4 kg on average. The most popular workouts have been running, leg swings, shoulder static stretches and steps.

Indians have also become more mindful of clean and healthy eating. The most-consumed healthy foods are boiled eggs, idli and oats. Water intake has also seen a 13 per cent jump on average.

For the study, the company consolidated the data from the app between October 22 and October 27. The company has studied the food and exercise patterns of over 5 lakh Indians to understand the toll the week-long festivities have had on people’s health.