Gaining weight over the winter- Why Does It Happen and how to avoid it?

Gaining weight over the winter period is a common complaint of many people. It seems that every winter it is almost certain that we add a few pounds,gaining weight seems so easy but losing it again is a different matter. A few of the extra pounds always seem to stick around, making us a little heavier each year. These extra pounds seem to get harder and harder to shed, Why does this happen and what can we do?

There are many contributing factors. Firstly, it seems likely that we have a genetic disposition to store more fat as winter approaches,many animals do this and our ancestors also probably found that it was vital for survival. Extra layers of fat on the body protect us against the cold and then can be used as fuel in the late winter and early spring when food stocks would historically be very low. We probably have a tendency to eat more in the fall, when food is plentiful after harvest time, to help this process along. We may also unconsciously choose foods that are higher in fat content at this time.

Hormone levels can also influence factors in gaining weight. The interaction of hormones and other chemicals in the brain can bring about variations in appetite and cravings. Some neurotransmitters can also influence the way we eat. People who are overweight often have low levels of these neurotransmitters and the results can include excessive appetite, depression and sleep disorders. At the same time, the lack of daylight caused by the shortening days during late fall and winter can bring on seasonally affected disorder or winter depression. One of the quickest ways to give a boost to the energy levels and emotions is to eat high carbohydrate foods including sugar treats, chips and cereals that give us a fast blood sugar ‘fix’. So people who feel low in the winter will tend to overeat or eat the wrong foods, leading gaining weight, more depression and a vicious cycle that is hard to break.

So altogether there could be many reasons why we would choose to eat more high carbohydrate foods such as pastries,puddings, cookies, pies and chocolate in the winter, and of course most of these foods also contain high levels of the dreaded fats. One of the best way to overcome this is to attempt to replace these fatty foods with other more healthy foods that are also high in carbohydrate so that we get what our body craves, but which have low levels of unhealthy fat content and more of fibre. This means potatoes, wholegrain bread without butter, wholegrain rice, cereals, and fresh whole fruit.

It is also important to continue to take exercise. Often our physical activity levels drop in the winter and we have a tendency to want to stay home in the warm but there is no reason why this should have a negative effect on the amount of exercise that you undertake.Nowadays there is such a huge variety of fitness aids and equipment that allow for easy home exercise that there really is no excuse for gaining weight.Winter weight gain really is avoidable,take measures before the weight gain because it is a lot easier to keep the weight off than it is to gain it and have to take it off and besides think of how much it will cost you for a new wardrobe.

Written by JayJeffers

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