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Your waistline isn’t deceiving you — the Grinch’s heart isn’t the only thing growing three sizes this season.
After enjoying a delicious holiday spread, your stomach expands by a generous amount to accommodate for that extra helping or two, which would explain the snug pants post-meal.
While the stomach is typically the size of a soda can, it can grow up to the size of a 2-liter bottle of liquid, which is great news for those who want that extra slice of pie.
“It will quadruple or more in size,” Dr. Arthur Beyder, associate profession of medicine and physiology at the Mayo Clinic, told Live Science.
He likened the smooth muscles of the stomach to “a rubber band,” due to the muscle’s ability to contract after being stretched over a long period.
“You pull on it and it’ll spring back,” he added.
This is especially useful when the body ingests a large quantity of food at one time, like at a holiday feast or when eating a snack mindlessly in front of the television.
While competitive eaters might be able to fill their bellies with up to 4 liters of chow, the average person would not be able to achieve that, despite the stomach’s ability to expand.
But if you’re feeling overly stuffed after another helping of turkey or potatoes, Beyder advised against lying down, which can cause acid reflux. Instead, he recommended taking a walk, which Live Science reported can aid in digestion.
Other experts have also advised drinking lots of water after a heart meal.
“Leftover Thanksgiving food is amazing, so you don’t have to eat everything the first time,” Beyder said.
“Sit there and talk for 15 minutes before you go back for seconds.”
