this time of year do you gain a few lbs?

brenn24179

I dont know if it is just me but winter and the cold I am staying up a few pounds, not much but it seems more of a struggle. Dont get outside much because of the dirn cold and the warm foods seems to have more calories, at least the ones I like. I love my salads and tuna, etc in the summer. I know there is stuff in the summer, cookouts also but just wondering if you allow yourself 5 lbs or so in these cold months? or other times of the year?

cmriverside

I used to gain a few every winter. This is about the time I'd start losing it again. It's pretty common, brenn.

Five pounds isn't a big deal to me. 10 would be tragic.

LunaTheFatCat

Yes, definitely harder in winter, I'd be craving more hearty comfort foods and it's harder to get out.

riffraff2112

no doubt about it winter is always a struggle for me. Activity level and a lot of 'staying in' cause me to gain weight. The holiday season is also difficult, with so may dinners and special treats.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

I tend to gain in the fall when the races end, the light and weather changes, and holidays happen. Then, I usually go on a cut in January. I'm not all that successful this year, having only lost about 2lbs in a month. I attribute this to the weird year in which I can't (or don't want to even if it's open) go to the gym or pool.

On the bright side, I jog a few times a week and I don't own a treadmill, so all my running has been outdoors. This has been a mood booster. My cycling has been on my trainer, which also hasn't been too bad. I really miss swimming at my favorite 50m pool! To a much lesser extent, I miss the gym.

Noreenmarie1234

No, never have. I only indulge a few days over the holidays and count my calories. Instead of my usual outdoor bike riding I move indoors.

1poundatax

Unfortunately the 5 pounds a year is what got me here. I would rationalize that it was only a few pounds and I never worked to get it off. Finally when it got to be 35 to 40 and I started to have health issues I began to deal with it. You would think that I would see how heavy I am in pictures but again I just rataionalize it.

AnnPT77

I don't particularly allow myself X pounds, but I've noticed that I tend to get a little more crave-y in the Fall. (Cold? shorter daylight? Scandinavian genetics? Dunno, don't care.) In addition, my exercise volume is lower in the Winter (no effect, since I account for that), and so is my daily life movement (less reason to be walking around outside, so drop maybe 2000-4000 average daily steps?).

So, yeah, in maintenance I often gain a few pounds in the Fall, and lose part of those pounds once it's Spring again. (There's usually a little jump in November/December from birthday, holidays, but that usually is very temporary).

I haven't lost the whole Fall jump every Spring, so I've had some weight creep (though never out of healthy BMI range/rational weight for me, but cumulatively more than I'd prefer, up to around BMI 23 +/-). Late Fall of 2019, I decided I needed to creep my weight down again to BMI 20-21ish, so I didn't have the usual Fall upcreep in 2020; instead, weight just kept creeping down. I did have the November/December jump, but that's nearly all gone now.

I don't always keep that behavior gap between what feels absolutely good in the moment every moment sometimes, and what would be best for me overall (i.e., I sometime flow with the cravings in Fall), but I'm not too worried about it if it doesn't get out of hand in a long-term sense. I don't want to yo-yo: I think that's kind of the worst plan, health-wise.

SuzySunshine99

Disclaimer: I'm talking about a NORMAL year, not this past one....

I actually have to be more careful in the summer.

My work schedule is much lighter in the summer, and very busy in the fall-winter-spring.

So, summer is my time for social gatherings, BBQs, picnics, vacations, parties, etc. Lots of food, drinks, and other frivolity.

The rest of the year, I'm too busy to get together with anyone or do any kind of bored snacking, so my meals are a little more regular.

Luke_rabbit

I live in the south US, so I am much more likely to gain in the summer (too hot) and lose in the winter when I can walk lots. Just had a new low this past weekend (in the 117s) although I'm not trying to lose.

But, I think seasonal ups and downs are normal. And not a problem as long as you adjust behavior to compensate before it goes too far.

briscogun

I call it my "Winter Weight". My issue starts in fall, not winter. It's like I'm a bear or something and my body just craves more and more food that time of year. Lots of rich, hearty food and flavors in the fall I guess? But its like clockwork every year...

So yeah, I do have a few pounds to shed right now. Down about 5 already, few more to go...

cwolfman13

I typically put on 5-10 Lbs over the winter, and usually this is about the time I start taking it off. Not so much food or heavier calories as it is that my activity level overall dips. Still exercise regularly, but a little less...but general activity dips quite a bit as we are usually out and about doing things during the warmer months. We start to see more spring like weather starting in early February, so we start getting out more.

This year was quite a bit different...I put on about 20 Lbs over the course of 2020. Some of that had to do with an injury that resulted in a few months of not being able to do much...but also, we've been pretty locked down for the year and the things we would normally be out doing during the nice months were mostly closed, so my general activity was nowhere near what it usually is in the spring, summer, and fall.

SModa61

It's funny how we are all so different. Fall is my best time of year. Winter is not bad, except for the holidays. Spring is pretty much the same. Then summer, for me is a mess with too many unpredictable activities.

Speakeasy76

I wonder if it some's sort of old evolutionary trait--gaining more weight/fat for the colder months to keep us warmer.

I think I typically do, but have managed to stay the same weight this year, only because I've been tracking diligently and getting the same amount of exercises/steps per day.

sijomial

I generally go from around 168 - 175lbs (12 to 12.5 stone) over the winter as my cycling volume drops massively due to cold weather and short days and my general activity level also drops. My training focus also changes and I lose the "need" to be lighter.
Plus Christmas and New Year celebrations of course.

175lb is as high as I will let my weight go and then I'll start to nibble those extra pounds off to be my best weight by Spring. Maybe odd but works well for me.

ExpressoLove11

I don't tend to gain weight but I do find maintenance more mentally taxing because we have Christmas and then four family birthdays in between then and early February. The regular sweet treats from these events really test my food discipline so I spend the entirety of January and February working hard on my self talk around food.

MadisonMolly2017

I seem to peak around Jan 10 and fight it a bit Jan/Feb then lose /maintain and bump up again mid July & bump down near end of Sept.

So my working theory is I eat a little more calories early January - usually mochas. It’s cold, rainy, grey & anti climatic after the holidays (when I’m vety good.)

And I bump up 1-2 lbs 2nd week of July : HOT and the wt drops off once fall hits end of Sept.

So winter cold with mochas and a little less movement due to shorter days in Dec.

And summer heat likely exercising less & possibly eating more due to discomfort.

Still figuring this out, but I do know it’s always been easier for me to lose wt in fall & spring...and I always gained 2 lbs/month in the summer when I was obese - basically I was sedentary.

As several said, we s as lol have different patterns, but I’m thrilled I’m beginning to figure them out

richardgavel

I usually gain or am stuck at maintenance in winter because my cardio activity goes down, less walking and no cycling outdoors.

spiriteagle99

I am usually the opposite. In winter I am usually training for a marathon, so with increased mileage I have increased calorie burn. In summer I run less (can't handle the heat) and most years we travel more, so I eat out more often and do a lot of fast food when we are on the road. Winters I cook almost every meal, so we eat better and I have control over the calories.

springlering62

All I can figure is, I’m so stinking shivery cold all the time in winter, my body is stoking a furnace inside and it’s just burning calories like gasoline. I’ve been eating like a fatted calf since Thanksgiving trying to put on weight and it’s not happened.

I’m worried when it gets warm again, and that furnace calms down, I’ll balloon.

springlering62

But I gotta say, it’s been awesome in the short term.

eels4peels00

I totally put on 10 pounds in the winter. I'm in Chicago and originally from Savannah so let's just say I don't do mid west winter well. I also ride my bike a bunch during the warmer season, around 150 to 250 miles a week, while I only commute on it in the winter and do indoor training a couple times a week. I was a little worried putting on a couple pounds the first year I was here, but saw that I was able to drop it really quickly to my "race weight" in the spring. With that being said I have a certain weight that I don't want to go beyond in the winter so I keep an eye on it by weighing myself every week.

ridiculous59

I remember someone posting on MFP a few years ago called it their "winter fluff". I like that term

When I used to go to the gym (several years ago) I rolled my eyes at all the New Years resolution types who flooded the gym and made my time there less enjoyable. But now I get it. You put on a few pounds in December and then work like crazy in January/February to get rid of it. They are the smart ones because I had spent my life putting on a few pounds over the winter and never doing a thing about it. Till one day, I weighed 232 pounds.

But yes, winter fluff is a thing for a lot of people. I'm as active in the winter as I am in the summer, I just do different things (skiing instead of running, snowshoeing instead of paddling). And dogs still need walking, no matter the weather. My issue has always been controlling what I eat, and the darker, colder months draw me to comfort foods. Funny though, I tend to drink more alcohol in the warmer months (a cider after mowing the lawn, a glass of wine in the evening on the deck, Baily's in my coffee while camping). You'd think it would all balance out, but somehow it doesn't.