4 Ways To Beat The Winter Weight Gain: Everything You Need To Know!

How to beat that winter belly fat? Although a small fluctuation in weight is not a matter of concern, it might be worrisome for your overall health and well-being when you gain significant weight during the winter season. Fortunately, there are effective ways to lose weight fast and maintain a healthy body all year long!

Understanding the Causes of Winter Weight Gain

According to a study, there is a higher probability of weight gain during fall and winter than in summer. Here are some common causes of winter weight gain:

Influence of Excessive Holiday Eating and Drinking During Winters

• Most of the holidays across cultures fall during the fall or winter season. This leads to increased calorie intake, particularly an increased appetite for sugary and carb-rich foods and frequent cocktail heavy partakes with family and friends. Thus, weight gain during the holiday season may contribute to long-term weight accumulation.

The Role of Hormonal Changes in Winter Weight Gain

• Some people experience hormonal changes during winters known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or ‘winter blues’. It is a type of depression attributed to the loss of daylight and a change in the sleeping pattern during the winter months. The symptoms of SAD are an abnormal lack of energy, excessive sadness, sleepiness and increased appetite. Winter weight gain can also be a result of these symptoms.

Impact of Cold Weather on Appetite and Metabolism

• Cold weather leads to a drop in our body temperature, stimulating our appetites as a result. This is why we feel hungrier in colder temperatures. Our metabolism gets affected during the winter months and creates a struggle in weight loss.  

4 Ways to Beat the Winter Weight Gain

Despite the causes, it is important to maintain a healthy and moderate body weight through the winter months. Some of the strategies to reduce seasonal weight gain are listed below:

1. Following a Nutritious Diet

People tend to consume more processed foods for comfort during the winter. The trick is to avoid processed foods and move to healthier alternatives such as vegetables, fruits, lentils, nuts, eggs and fish. At holiday celebrations, make it a point to fill your plate with healthy food options such as roasted vegetables and salads to follow a weight loss diet.

2. Cut Back on Added Sugar

Consciously make an effort to reduce sugar intake and avoid sweetened foods in your diet plan for weight loss. Avoid sugared beverages and sodas during holiday celebrations, and limit desserts. This is the easiest way of cutting down on extra-sucrose intake and helping in overall weight loss.

3. Engaging in Regular Physical Activity

Staying active boosts your overall well-being and helps you maintain healthy body weight by acting as a fat burner. Even if you do not engage in a rigorous workout around the holiday season, try and dedicate at least 30 minutes of brisk walking or moderate exercises to burn calories. For weight loss treatment, consider activities that can be continued all year, such as walking, going to the gym, or swimming at an indoor pool.

4. Strength Training and Resistance Exercises for Winter Weight Gain

Strength training helps boost your metabolism by acting as a fat-burner activity and building your muscles, thus allowing you to lose weight quickly. Doing these exercises in winter is easier since you sweat less, your heart doesn’t have to work as hard, and you expend less energy. Exercising in cold weather is particularly beneficial to burn belly fat and thigh fat.

Also Read: What’s the Best Diet For Healthy Weight Loss?

Role of Supplements in Managing Winter Weight Gain

While dietary supplements cannot result in dramatic weight loss, these can aid in providing additional nutrition to your body. However, you must be cautious when consuming sich dietary pills, as they may impose more harm in the form of significant health risks rather than any benefits. Dietary supplements are different from prescribed medicines by a medical practitioner to fight obesity. People take weight loss supplements such as chromium, caffeine, green tea, guar gum, and pyruvate for a weight loss diet, but these are not regulated by the FDA and, therefore, show no consistent weight loss.

To Sum Up

Changing our lifestyle is likely the only way to manage winter weight gain. With a sedentary lifestyle leading to an increase in overweight and obesity, weight loss is becoming more and more of a concern for people.

If a diet plan for weight loss and efforts at fitness is not fetching significant results, it may be time to consult a medical professional for further guidance.