Why We Gain More Weight In Winter And How To Prevent It

Winter is also called the holiday season in many countries because there are so many parties and feasts that can make you gain weight easily. However, even when you are not interested in those activities, your body still gains more weight during this time.

1. Reasons for weight gain in winter

There are a number of factors behind your weight gain during winter months, besides the fact that you may attend more parties than usual.

• Faster metabolism

When the weather gets colder, your body tries to keep its warm by burning more energy, resulting in faster metabolism. To keep up with this increasing rate, the body also feels the need to eat more. And that’s why you may gain more weight from this diet change.

• Lack of sunlight

Scientists have revealed that human fat cells react positively to sunlight. When they are exposed to the sun they tend to get smaller and store less fat. On the contrary, these cells could grow in size and store more fat during winter.

• Preparation for ‘hibernation’

Sounds like bears but it’s exactly the fact. Research suggests that human primitive instincts make our body try to stock more calories during winter. This is due to the fear deep within us that foods might become scarce in this season, so we have to store enough nutrients for a period like hibernation in bears.

• More sleep, less exercise

The lack of sunlight in winter makes us feel sleepy more often and tend to move less. The cold weather also discourage us from going out or hitting the gym.

With this lifestyle, it’s understandable why people gain more weight in the winter.

2. How to prevent weight gain in winter

Knowing the reasons behind common weight gain in winter is the key to reverse the process. Here are some solutions to keep you fit throughout the cold days!

• Keep you warm and comfortable

To minimize the dependence on extra energy takes, you have to make sure your body is kept warm and comfy. Wrap yourself with a blanket while enjoying hot chocolate and watching Netflix at night. During the day, stay in a temperature-controlled environment.

• Eat food that needs more time to digest

To prevent fat storage in winter, you should eat healthy fats, carbs, and proteins which take much longer time to digest than others. Instead of chewing snacks as usual, a banana is enough.

• Get more sun exposure

As we mentioned earlier, the lack of sunlight results in more fat storage and a sleepy mood during the day. The solution is get up earlier and spend more time outside.

• Eat food that balance melatonin levels

The melatonin level directly affects one’s appetite. To reduce the amount of food you consume in winter, you have to balance the melatonin level in your body by eating tomatoes, olives, unprocessed milk, and cereal.

• Adopt mild exercises

If you find it hard to maintain your gym schedules in winter, you can opt for simple home exercises. Try to spend 20 to 30 minutes on walking per day, in combination with forms of exercises that can be done at home, such as yoga, dancing or aerobics.

Above are common reasons for weight gain in winter and how to reduce its impacts on your diet.

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