Weight Gain During Winter

The air is colder and days are shorter but still your jeans have become snugger. Gaining weight during the holidays is all too easy. Between all those heavier meals, freely available cookies, and a higher intake of booze at the full slate of holiday parties, counting calories can get downright scary. Yes, winter is here. Weight gain in winter is very common and people tend to gain almost 5 to 7 Kgs on an average during winter months. Worried about your weight gain in winter?? Don’t let this worry you and dampen your holiday. Trust me setting up the resolution to lose 10 pounds if you are going to gain 20 pounds between December and January .Knowing the reasons that can increase your chances of putting on weight will help you come out of winter with less frustration and guilt. Here’s why we usually put on weight during winter.

1} Too much Sleep

During summers, the sun rises up early and the air is warmer. Due to this, it is easy to be out of bed early and more productive. However, in winters the air is cold, the sun rises late and sets early making you want to rise late and go to bed early. This renders you less productive making your metabolism slow down and gain more weight.

2} Less Exercise

Due to the colder weather, most of us like to curl up and stay cosy in our blankets. Due to this our regular exercise routine or active work routine gets lesser. When the body does not remain active, there is less burning of calories and extra fat leading to accumulation and weight gain over the winter periods.

3} Holiday Meals

Winter is here along with the holiday season. The holiday season calls for an influx of parties and social gatherings. Parties and gatherings call for binge and unhealthy eating, as a result, we tend to put on more weight without realising it.

4} Excess Drinking

We tend to drink less of water and resort to drinks that keep us warm. Hot drinks like egg nog and smoothies and cold drinks like alcohol beverages are the main resort to keep warm during winters. However, overindulging comes at a very heavy price. Alcohol puts brakes on fat loss especially ones loaded with carbs and sugars. So be careful with what and how much you drink

5} Increased Salt Intake

Comfort foods that we settle in for winter have higher sodium content. Increased sodium in the diet makes you feel bloated and leads to less digestion and more weight gain. Higher salt intake also reduces water intake which slows digestion and leads to the accumulation of fat in the body.

6} Bundled up in warm clothes

Who doesn’t love to wear sweaters in winter? It’s so warm and cosy. But when you hide your body with warm clothes, you tend to lose the visual cues of weight gain and weight maintenance.

7} Less fresh produce

In summers, you find a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables around. However, in winter months there is lesser fresh produce and you tend to opt more for comfort foods. Reaching out for comfort foods with lesser exercise leads to more weight gain in winters.

8} Dining out

We tend to consume more calories when we dine out rather than cooking at home. In winters we resort to eating out more often simply because we feel more sluggish and lazy. As a result, you tend to dine out at restaurants more often and overeat due to the delicious food.

Now that you know the reasons why you put on more weight in winters, keep a check on your activities, food intake and sleep patterns to avoid putting on too much weight in winters. You can still enjoy the holiday season with sleep and good food if you do them in control.