Winter Weight Gain? How to Shed It Now!

Are you struggling to shed winter weight gain?

The weather is finally warming up in my neck of the woods, and I’m feeling the urge to get up and do more things outside.

With that urge comes the awareness that I’m a little more sluggish than I want to be. What’s causing that? The few extra pounds I put on over the winter months.

All that cold, snow, wind, and freezing temps drove me straight to comfort foods. I kept working out regularly, but to no avail—the extra pounds came on anyway.

As writers, we’re even more at risk for that devious, slow type of weight gain that catches up with us over time. We can’t let it take over, as that puts us at increased risk for more health problems.

Below, find out why it’s so hard to avoid winter weight gain and what you can do now to get rid of it.

Why It’s Hard for Writers to Avoid Winter Weight Gain

Scientists reported in a 2015 study that most of us gain a little weight over the holiday season, then keep it until the next year, when we gain more.

That means over the years we get heavier and heavier until one day we wake up to realize we’re officially overweight or worse, obese.

Here are some more reasons why it’s tough to avoid weight gain over the winter:

• The weather discourages us from going outside so we don’t exercise as vigorously.
• The cold weather causes us to crave heavy comfort foods.
• We are programmed to store fat in the winter months.
• Many of us are exposed to less sunlight in the winter.
• We’re writers—we spend a lot of sedentary time at the computer or editing our pages.

I was surprised to learn that along with the extra eating and sitting around, it’s the increased darkness, particularly in the northern latitudes, that compels our bodies to hang onto the fat.

What Happens to Fat Cells During the Winter

Scientists recently discovered the fat cells lying underneath the skin shrink when exposed to the blue light emitted by the sun. In other words, when we get out into the sunlight, our cells don’t store as much fat.

Senior author Peter Light noted, “If you flip our findings around, the insufficient sunlight exposure we get eight months of the year living in a northern climate may be promoting fat storage and contribute to the typical weight gain some of us have over winter.”

So try to relax. It’s not all your fault (or mine!) that the extra pounds are there. But it is up to all of us to do something about it to avoid that long-term weight gain that can threaten our health.

7 Tips to Help Writers Drop Winter Weight Gain

1. Weigh Yourself Daily

Time to drag that scale out of the cupboard. Studies show that weighing yourself regularly helps you lose more weight:

• Researchers followed a little over 60 obese adults and found those who weighed themselves more often over a 6-month period lost more weight than those who didn’t.
• In a later study, those who focused on daily weighing for six months lost about 13 more pounds compared to those weighing less than that.

So every morning shortly after you get up, weigh yourself. It may help to hang up a chart where you can record your progress.

Drop Winter Weight Gain Tip 2. Get More Sun

We now know that sun exposure can help in your weight loss goals. Not only does it tend to shrink fat cells, but it also wakes up hormones in your body that energize you.

Try taking an early morning walk or jog. According to a Northwestern Medicine study, people who had most of their daily exposure to even moderately bright light in the morning had a significantly lower body mass index (BMI) than those who had most of their exposure later in the day.

If that’s impossible, get out on your lunch hour. Open the drapes more often. Try to write by a window. Walk the dog or go on a bike ride with the kids. Even taking your pages outside to edit can help.

3. Fast…Intermittently

I’ve tried this method and have found it to be really helpful.

Here’s how it works: between meals, as long as you don’t snack, insulin levels drop and fat cells release stored sugar to be used as energy. That gradually results in weight loss. All you have to do is allow those insulin levels to go down long enough to burn off the fat—and you only have to do that a couple of times a week.

When you think of fasting, you may imagine having to go a full 24 hours without eating, but that’s not necessary. Simply restrict your eating hours once or twice a week with one of these two options:

• 12-hour fast: Fit all your meals into a 12-hour period, say between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Then don’t eat again until 8:00 the next morning. This works well for new fasters and may be all you need to shed winter weight.
• 16-hour fast: Fit all your meals into an 8-hour period, say 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., then don’t eat again until 8:00 the next morning. This is a more difficult option—you may want to save it until after you become an experienced faster.

Not only does intermittent fasting help you lose weight, but it’s also been shown in studies to improve insulin sensitivity, reduce inflammation, and lower blood pressure. Even better—once you get over the initial hump at the start, you probably won’t feel hungry.

Drop Winter Weight Gain Tip 4. Drink More Water

Water is not only very healthy for you—it’s also a great way to lose weight. Start by replacing any soda, alcohol, or fruit juice you usually drink with plain or sparkling water.

Then drink a full glass of water (or two) before each meal. Researchers found in one study that drinking about two cups of water a half hour before eating a main meal helped participants lose weight.

Those who drank water before all three main meals of the day lost an average of 9.5 pounds over 12 weeks, while those who drank it before just one meal or not at all lost just 1.76 pounds.

5. Eat Just a Little Less

It’s very difficult to lose weight if you’re eating the same amount of food every day. You can cut back a little without feeling hungry using these tips:

• Choose water-rich foods and beverages—they are more filling while remaining low in calories. Good examples include soups, skim milk, teas, and water-rich fruits and veggies like celery, watermelon, grapefruit, cantaloupe, apples, berries, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, and zucchini.
• Use smaller plates—research shows it helps you to eat less at meals.
• Eat slowly—it takes your brain at least 20 minutes to realize you’re full.
• Take less than you think you’ll need the first time—you can always go back.
• When eating out, ask them to package up half the entré in a to-go bag (restaurants are notorious for serving too much food).
• Fill more of your plate with vegetables or salad and less meat and carbs.
• Never eat straight from the container—always measure it out.

Drop Winter Weight Gain Tip 6. Pump It Up

While gaining weight, most of us lost muscle over the winter months. Muscles help you burn calories, so you’ll want to build them back up again. All of these exercises are good options:

• Planks
• Squats
• Push-ups
• Lunges
• Jumping jacks
• Single-leg deadlifts
• Situps or crunches

7. Get Enough Sleep

The recommended amount of sleep per night is 7-8 hours. When you don’t get enough, your hormones go out of whack, causing you to feel hungrier than usual and to choose high-fat, high-carb options that lead to weight gain. Sleeping too much can cause the same problem.

If you’re having trouble getting your 7-8 hours, talk to your doctor, then be sure to keep your room cool and quiet and technology-free, and make sure you have a comfortable mattress. It also helps if you perform a relaxing before-bed routine each night that includes activities like listening to soft music, reading, crafting (coloring, knitting), or taking a hot bath.

One More Tip

It’s difficult for writers to avoid late-night snacking. This type of eating is disastrous to your weight-loss goals, though, because calories you consume late in the day are more likely to be converted into additional fat cells.

Late-night snacking is usually driven by emotional needs. You can quell these cravings by scheduling some sort of activity during the day that leaves you emotionally satisfied.

This could be time out with friends and loved ones, a creative activity that allows you to express yourself (be sure to get your writing in!), taking part in a team sport, or even just going out for a walk around the neighborhood.

Look for activities that will engage your mind, body, and senses, so that when you get back home at the end of the day, you feel “filled up” and relaxed emotionally. This can help make it easier to avoid late-day snacking, which almost always leads to weight gain.

How do you shed winter weight?

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_References

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_{Ondrusova, Katarina, Mohammad Fatehi, Amy Barr, Zofia Czarnecka, Wentong Long, Kunimasa Suzuki, Scott Campbell, et al. “Subcutaneous white adipocytes express a light-sensitive signaling pathway mediated via a melanopsin/TRPC channel axis.” Scientific Reports 7, no. 1 (2017). doi:10.1038/s41598-017-16689-4.}

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_{Steinberg, Dori M., Gary G. Bennett, Sandy Askew, and Deborah F. Tate. “Weighing Every Day Matters: Daily Weighing Improves Weight Loss and Adoption of Weight Control Behaviors.” Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 115, no. 4 (2015), 511-518. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2014.12.011.}

_{Welsh, Ericka M., Nancy E. Sherwood, Jeffrey J. VanWormer, Anne M. Hotop, and Robert W. Jeffery. “Is Frequent Self-weighing Associated with Poorer Body Satisfaction? Findings from a Phone-based Weight Loss Trial.” Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 41, no. 6 (2009), 425-428. doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2009.04.006.}