Why We Eat More in Winter and How to Avoid Weight Gain |
Posted: February 17, 2022 |
Gaining a couple of pounds during the colder part of the year is considered to be the norm. Why? Well, because we eat more and tend to be less active. While this is a correct answer (both parts of the answer), it raises more questions than it answers. For instance:
With all of this in mind, let’s try and figure out why we eat more in winter and how we can avoid this unnecessary weight gain! Eating Makes Us WarmerIn order for our body to function, we’re burning calories. Now, where there’s burning, there’s warmth, which means that eating actually makes us warmer. While we are burning more calories in the winter, this doesn’t mean that we’re actually in deficit. You see, your body is looking to make stockpiles of energy, which is why your caloric cravings are disproportionately higher than they would have been in the summer. This is the first and the most obvious correlation between our eating habits and seasonal dietary preferences. One thing you need to understand is that calling calories fuel is not metaphorical but literal – they are consumed in order to produce warmth/movement. The more calories you consume (to a degree), the warmer you get. Also, keep in mind that while carbohydrates and proteins consist of 4 calories per gram, fat consists of 9 calories for each gram. This makes people gravitate towards fats far more during the winter months. In fact, we should go even further and note that there’s a direct correlation between the climate and the national cuisine of the region. Have you ever wondered why some of the world’s hottest regions provide some of the hottest dishes? Well, because hot food facilitates sweating, which is a natural mechanism that the body uses in order to cool itself down. Cold regions, on the other hand, have cuisines that rely on sweet, fat, and caloric food. Eating Out of BoredomDuring the winter, a lot of people feel depressed and outright down. There’s a clear lack of vitamin D due to low exposure to the Sun, which makes people get less serotonin, as well. In other words, getting a bit depressed during the winter is a regular occurrence and shouldn’t be dismissed. This is the so-called seasonal affective disorder (SAD). People prefer to stay indoors when the weather is bad. This has pragmatic but also anthropological, even biological, reasons. Our primitive ancestors didn’t have cars, raincoats, umbrellas, hairdryers, or even warm homes/workplaces to retreat to. This meant that exposure to rain, snow, low temperatures, and frost was a real hazard to their health. You could even say that we’re programmed to stay indoors when the weather is bad. With all of this in mind, it’s no wonder why people start avoiding going out. Sure, you could still work out at the gym or go for an indoor sport like racquetball in order to stay in shape, but this is a lot harder to do. The best way to overcome this obstacle is to try and bolster routine by displaying more discipline. Other than just gaining weight from being inactive, you’re also more likely to look for comfort in food. As we’ve already stated, you’re lacking serotonin, and the easiest way to get some (the one that requires the least effort), would be to turn to your comfort food. Needless to say, there are not a lot of people out there whose comfort food is leafy greens. Weight Gain Is Not as NoticeableThere’s one more thing you need to keep in mind, which is the fact that weight gain is not as noticeable during the winter months. People dress in layers and warm clothes are often baggy. This means that they’ll conceal those several extra pounds that we’ve amassed over the past weeks. On the one hand, this is a good thing, seeing as how there’s less external pressure, fear of being judged, and peer pressure. However, spring is just around the corner and people who are bothered by these factors will have to face them either way (and in a way worse condition). Sure, being healthy, fit, and feeling good in one’s own skin should be a priority but the truth is that the majority of people are primarily focused on the aesthetic aspect of weight gain. They want to lose weight in order to be more satisfied with their looks. This point of view may be caused by all sorts of wrong societal norms but its influence cannot be denied. To make the long story short, gaining weight is an issue that the majority of people don’t worry about until they actually see it. The Holiday SeasonEating a lot of tasty caloric food is a craving that doesn’t require too much cause but, at the same time, it’s important to stress out that having an excuse is always helpful. Of course, you’re not going to diet during a Christmas family gathering. In fact, indulging in as much gluttony as possible seems like the way to go. Now, we’re not suggesting that you should fast on Thanksgiving or Christmas but displaying some moderation might make a huge difference. Also, you can only consume so many calories in a day. It doesn’t matter how much you ate during the Christmas dinner if you take it slow during the next week. Giving yourself a break (a cheat meal/day) every once in a while, is definitely a good thing from the psychological perspective. Just make sure not to carry on with this gluttonous behavior after the holiday. Holiday DrinkingAnother thing you need to understand is that counting calories that you drink is far more difficult. In fact, we would go as far as to say that it’s something that a lot of people don’t bother doing. Sure, water has 0 calories, tea and black coffee (without anything added to them) have around 4 calories, both of which are negligible. However, alcoholic beverages, hot chocolate, milk, soft drinks, even hand-squeezed orange juice are a different story altogether. The calories you drink are just as dangerous as the calories you eat. Seeing as how this is something that you indulge in on a daily basis, you might soon find yourself in a serious caloric surplus. The worst of all is the fact that you’ll be completely oblivious of why this happened and might even assume that your diet or exercise regimen isn’t working. Naturally, during winter people are more likely to consume warm and sugary beverages. From here, the end results are more than obvious. In ConclusionTo make the long story short, the first thing you need to do in order to avoid gaining weight in winter is to understand why this happens. This will give you extra motivation to stay active, spend more time outdoors, and maintain a balanced diet. Just remember that you’re fighting an uphill battle against millennia of biology and anthropology. While possible, this is definitely not going to be easy. Still, the end results are more than worth it.
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