﻿ Page 79 - magazine-jan-feb14

Page 79 - magazine-jan-feb14

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Losing weight in winter is more challenging than at any other time of
the year. A lot of people get affected by winter weight gain especially
if they live in parts of the world that experience cold winters.
People who live in climates that have cold
winters can get affected by winter weight
gain. If you are trying to diet you may
find that losing weight in winter is more
challenging than at any other time of the
It’s not uncommon to gain a little weight
when the weather starts to turn colder.
Even though it will different for each
person, studies shows that the average
winter weight gain is usually somewhere
around 5 to 7 pounds.
What Are The Reasons For Winter Weight
The first reason for winter weight gain
is actually biological. Genetically we
are designed to store more fat as winter
approaches just like most animals do.
Basically, more fat means more protection
from the cold and more stored nutrients
that the body can use if food is hard to
find. Our bodies don’t know that we can
just buy warm clothes and extra food
regardless of what the weather is like.
In primitive communities after summer
there was always plenty of food, when
nuts, fruits and grains were ripe for
eating. It’s no surprise that we feel
hungrier in winter and crave ‘warming’
high carbohydrate foods that can easily be
converted to fat and stored when plant-
based foods are hard to find.
The second element for winter weight
gain are our hormonal changes caused
by the shorter days. Less exposure to
natural light can cause depression and
low energy, sometimes referred to as
Seasonally Affected Depression (SAD).
Most people who are overweight tend
to eat more when they feel low. Also,
when we feel tired, we tend to turn to
refined carbohydrate foods like chips,
chocolate, cake or white bread for a fast
energy boost. These foods cause blood
sugar swings that lead to more lows and
How to Prevent Weight Gain In Winter
Being aware of the two factors above
help us to avoid winter weight gain. As
mentioned, we have a natural tendency
to eat more and to eat the wrong foods
in winter. We cannot continually battle
against our biological make-up but we
can be careful about the foods we choose
to eat.
If you eat high carbohydrate foods in
the winter months, and you are not on a
low carb diet, choose whole grains and
starchy vegetables over sugar and refined
carb foods. The fibre in brown rice, whole
grain bread, pumpkin etc helps to slow
down the absorption and keep your blood
sugar stable.
You can also avoid winter weight gain by
not eating any avoidable fats. Don’t spread
butter thickly all over that whole grain
bread or pumpkin, or cover your whole
grain pasta in a cheese sauce. Choose low
fat dairy products and use a minimum
Also, one of the key winter weight loss
tips is to keep exercising. Primitive folk
would have not have had much exercise
in the cold winters, but we don’t have to
be dependent on outdoor activities for
our fitness. We can go to the gym or keep
a stationary bike in the spare room or
garage. That way, even if we do eat a bit
extraFree Reprint Articles, we don’t have
to let it affect our weight.
Jan/Feb 2014