An average American puts on some five to seven pounds of weight during winters. There are many reasons for weight gain during winters. An increased waistline becomes a common problem for people as the days get shorter and the air gets colder.
Weight gain might vary from one person to another, and for some, the numbers on the scale become a total nightmare. No worries knowing about some factors that increase your risk of weight gain and keeping those factors well under control can help you come out of winter holidays without any serious weight problems.
Reasons To Watch Out For
All you need is to make sure that these reasons do not affect you much. Your deliberate attempt and wise planning can help you to prevent undesired weight gain, especially during winters. Let us go through each of these.
1. Colder Weather
It is very cold outside during winters, and people normally like to stay indoors. Curling up near the fire and lying down under the layers of wraps is normally what you do to help you feel cozy and warm. However, you might not realize that during this time, all your outdoor physical activities get compromised.
For instance, you might not be able to go out on a walk with your friend as you used to do. You might also discontinue your basketball or tennis schedules. Well, there is less you can do about outdoor activities since the weather is freezing outside, but one thing you can make sure of is to focus more on indoor activities. Just make sure that you are as much in action as you can.
2. Too Much Alcohol
Holidays might sound incomplete without alcohol. However, make sure that you do not overindulge in it. As its excess is not only bad for your health but it is also a major contributing factor to weight gain.
Pairing alcohol with holiday meals might give you way too many additional calories than required, eventually resulting in weight gain. If you or a loved one is really struggling with alcohol abuse, then the best New Year gift you can give is finding the best treatment for yourself or the loved one.
Amid coronavirus, finding a rehab that meets your needs online is really convenient. For example, simply type rehab centers Las Vegas for finding treatment facilities available in that location, and a whole list will appear in front of you. Then you can choose the treatment facilities that suit you the best.
3. Holiday Meals
Winters bring along the time of festivity. It is very hard to prevent weight gain with an influx of parties and social gatherings. Binge eating and drinking are very common during this time of holidays, resulting in weight gain. You can adopt some useful tips to prevent yourself from overindulgence.
Most importantly, just make sure that you do not arrive hungry at the party as it increases your chance of ending up overeating. Enjoy holiday food, but remember to enjoy meals only in reduced portions; this will help you prevent excess weight gain.
4. Sugar Is Everywhere
Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and even New Year all come one after the other during the winter season. All these big celebrations revolve around food, and dessert is an integral part of this holiday food. Thus with too many sugary treats, it is very common to witness weight gain.
Though there is less you can do to avoid it but make sure that out of so many sweet treats, you only pick the one that satisfies your sweet tooth. It is very hard to avoid dessert at this time of year but make sure that you are not totally into it.
5. Metabolism Increases
The metabolism naturally increases during winters to help the body burn more calories and keep warm. There is a natural inclination towards food and your natural desire to eat more with increased metabolism.
However, it can lead to weight gain if you are not careful with your eating pattern. So, you need to be even more cautious in your choices. Make sure that you go after healthy choices and then treat yourself with a controlled portion of holiday meals and desserts.
6. Body Is Bundled Up
One of the biggest reasons for winter weight gain is that you are unable to read out visual cues of weight maintenance during winters. In order to keep the body warm, the body is layered with warm clothes, and this makes it really hard to observe any changes in weight.
You only notice weight issues when the winters are gone, and you reach summers. Again there is less you can do about it, but making sure that you are doing most of the right things can help you stick to your weight.
7. Less Fresh Fruits & Vegetables
While summers give you a variety of options when it comes to fruits and vegetables, you relatively have fewer options during winters. Vegetables and fruits are low-calorie and nutritious sources of food. Additionally, these are also rich in fiber and help you keep fuller.
However, you do not have fresh produce to pick during winters. So a better way is to go after frozen vegetables and fruits and make use of it in order to stay healthy and fit.
8. Special Coffee Drinks
You will definitely desire a cup of special latte coffee during winters to help you keep warm. However, these are loaded with sugar and bring too many calories. Also, in order to stay active and alert, especially during lazy winters, you would need it more than ever.
Just make sure that you take it occasionally. To help you keep warm, you can opt for other healthy options such as green tea and healthy soups.
Take Away
Learning about the reasons for winter weight gain can help you to avoid it much appropriately. These factors might vary from person to person based on their lifestyle and habits. However, more or less, these reasons are very common for most people.
