Beat the Winter Weight Gain Starting Now

Start thinking about controlling or improving your weight, don’t put off your New Year’s resolution until January. Four holidays in a row are fast approaching, and each of them is loaded with temptations related to our insistent desires for sweetness, comfort, and partying. At the end of all of those holidays, we often regret the five to ten pound gain we have made. At that point we predictably struggle with meshing a goal of weight loss in a time schedule already busy with work, family, and bad winter weather.

According to the United States (US) Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about one third of US adults are obese. By the CDC definition, overweight and obese persons are at greater risk for diseases including diabetes, heart disease and other health conditions. While the statistics are no doubt alarming for us as a nation, most of us have more intangible reasons for wanting to control or lose weight. Reasons for starting a winter weight loss program include wanting to improving your impression for a family or corporate gathering; appearance in a holiday family photograph; getting a head start on a New Year’s Resolution; and avoiding effects of winter blues. None of these reason’s lack merit, and all can lead to healthier habits.

Start now with two hours at the gym or some sort of other exercise a week. If you belong to a gym and feel guilty about not going, get started again. If you don’t belong to a gym, find some other activity at your home that needs doing. This can include deep cleaning inside the home or outdoor fall chores like leaf raking, gutter clearing, and dethatching a lawn. Any vigorous activity, even those you are trying to get done for the maintenance of your house will burn calories. If you are starting from scratch and need to move more slowly, this is a great time of year to walk in a park. The leaves are turning, and the last fall asters are blooming. As a secondary benefit to getting the exercise, the brain releases endorphin and serotonin hormones, resulting in mood-lifting during and after exercise. Current studies indicate that the release of endorphin reduces pain sensation, and increased serotonin may have the effect of reducing depression. So, you may find that exercise will help get you through the stress of the holidays and the winter blues.

If you don’t have a water bottle or cup, get one, and keep it with you. Refill and drink water instead of soda or juice. Save on your calories for the parties later in the year, and drink water when out at restaurants. With everyone’s busy schedule, fitting extra exercise time in is a schedule killer. It is so hard to fit in that extra time for a workout. Substitute a quick yogurt or cereal bar in the morning to reduce the need to cook in the mornings. Take a lunch to work, thus staving off the need for stopping at a fast food restaurant. While making your own homemade lunch from scratch can be the most cost-effective, you may need to look at a frozen dinner to save on time. The savings on fast food, soda, and snacks during this season can also add up to enough to get a special gift for someone.

When you have time to cook, skip a starch with the evening meal; you can reduce the number of simple carbohydrates you ingest. Substitute a second or third vegetable to increase the amount of fiber and vitamins you are eating. This will allow you to experiment with new dishes, go ahead and try that dish you want to make for the holiday. You may find that it is an excellent year round addition to the weekly menu.

By the time the holidays hit you and then are gone, you will have worked on incorporating these ideas into your life, and you may be surprised at the weight you can lose. For every pound a person weighs, approximately 15 calories is needed to maintain that weight. Any combination of exercise to burn off 3000 calories, or decrease intake of calories by the same amount, will reduce weight by one pound (on average, results may vary by the person’s weight, age, and metabolic activity). Increasing exercise and drinking more water, combined with using time-saving foods and skipping a few carbohydrates, could result in a fitter, more confident holiday season.

Calorie Control Council, Weight Maintenance Calculator, Website http://www.caloriecontrol.org/healthy-weight-tool-kit.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States, U.S. Obesity Trends, Data from the National Health and Examination Survey, July 21, 2011, Website http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.

Smith, P, Blumnethal J, Babyak M, Georgiades A, Hinderliter A, and Sherwood A, Effects of Exercise and Weight Loss on Depressive Symptoms among Men and Women with Hypertension, Journal of Psychosomal Research, 2007 November: 63(5): 463-469.

Young, S, “How to Increase Serotonin in the Brain without Drugs”, Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, November 2007, 32(6) 394-399.


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