Winter Fat

Neil7905

Hiya ! I've been doing really well, to a point where my body thinks; you'll be hibernating soon and I've started to pack on weight. I felt great with the weight I've lost. Do I let nature take its course or fight the fat?

claireychn074

Where do you feel healthy and good? What are your sugar levels and blood tests like? If it is a few pounds and you feel good, then let nature take its course (my weight fluctuates by about half a stone over the year). If carrying extra fat is having an impact on your health / you don’t like it, then fight it.

There are lots of hearty filling foods for the autumn and winter, I like sausage and bean casseroles, fish pie, cottage pie with tonnes of veg, fished steamed in white wine and garlic with roasted veg… the list goes on. I personally find it easier to lose weight in winter as the food is much more filling - I don’t feel like heavy meals in the summer so can snack and the calories add up then.

neanderthin

Maybe head south where the weather is warmer, no hibernation required.

Retroguy2000

Is it perhaps that you are moving less in general, doing fewer walks, working out, etc., and also eating at least as much as before?

You can correct that. If you can work out at home, there you go. If you don't have much equipment at home, well you don't need much. A bench and a set of adjustable db's is all you need at first. Otherwise, if the weather sucks, you might have to visit the gym.

You'll also need to be vigilant about cutting down on desserts and sweets, especially with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Xmas coming up. Also cutting down on beer, if applicable.

Corina1143

I will always gain in winter, lose in summer. Never thought of fighting it. It's as natural as breathing to me. But I know it will come off with zero effort come Spring. Do you?

springlering62

I live in a pretty warm climate, and granted, we rarely get snow or ice.

I actually feel the opposite. It’s much easier to maintain in cold weather because I expend a lot of energy keeping warm. I’m also a lot more comfortable walking. Not that I don’t walk in the heat, but I’m more likely to walk more often, and longer, when it’s cool or cold.

And then there’s that fast run from the pool to the dressing room. That few moments of breathtaking cold must burn something, right? Something’s gotta stoke the fires.

I guess it’s all perspective. But I don’t plan to let “nature take its course”. That didn’t work the first thirty or so years. 😅

herblovinmom

So I have the opposite experience, I gain in the summer and lose in the winter, but I live in the desert.. I tend to hibernate in the summer when it’s scorching hot outside but once the weather cools down I can get outside and be active again. I have found this to be my natural rhythm. I’ll gain 10lbs or so, if I’m lucky I can maintain through the heatwave.

annliz23

I always gain in the winter but I try to fight it by doing more exercises when i can and having one pot meals to fill me up.

AnnPT77

It's not fully seasonal, but my weight has drifted up and down during maintenance, though still all within a healthy range and the same jeans size. (Personally, I hate to clothes-shop, which helps me engage if those jeans get snug .)

Honestly, I don't worry about it, until it reaches that or some other trigger point. At this stage, I feel fairly confident that if my weight drifts up, I can drift it down again with some surprisingly small and painless changes done persistently over a longer period of time.

I don't have firm advice for you, because you know yourself and I don't. Some people do better with hard limits on gain, and if they hit the top end of their intended weight range, they cut back. (Some cut back more deeply, some more like me with small cuts requiring more patience.)
On the other hand, depending on how small the gain is, some people would be comfortable with letting weight drift up (within reason ) and seeing whether the seasonal loss kicks in when expected.

It's really key, though, to have a plan that suits you, and to commit to following it. Know when you need to nip it in the bud, and consider how you want to do that. Just letting it go - the head in the sand approach - isn't a great plan, IMO.

I have some of the pre-hibernation issues myself, spiked appetite but also less daily life movement. Some things I've done to counter are to have a pleasant low-season plan for workouts (and a clear picture of my calorie needs with/without exercise); a sunlight-type lamp (SAD, seasonal affective disorder lamp) that I use in an attempt to game my body/mood a bit; and some strategies for increasing daily life (non-exercise) movement during periods when it's not as delightful to be outdoors (or needful to be outdoors, because the garden is dead ).

If you're interested in the latter, there's a thread here where many MFP-ers share their ideas for increasing movement other than adding exercise sessions to the schedule:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1

Best wishes!

xbowhunter

I gain when I eat more than my body needs. The season has nothing to do with it. If you were a black bear, I would buy your theory... lol

nossmf

@Neil7905, the whole reason you've been having to lose weight in the first place is because you allowed "nature to take its course" based upon eating more than you needed, which led to weight gain. You then made a conscious decision to reduce your weight and have worked diligently to make as much progress as you already have.

So if your body is now gaining weight again, it's not simply because the body's anticipating winter, but because the ratio has shifted back again towards eating more than needed. This change may have occurred unintentionally, as pointed out by others above, but can definitely be countered intentionally.

If you CHOOSE to ease off the weight loss program during winter due to fatigue, a desire to indulge in treats, or any other reason, that's a personal decision. If you CHOOSE to continue to lose weight, that's a personal decision.

mtaratoot

herblovinmom wrote: »

So I have the opposite experience, I gain in the summer and lose in the winter, but I live in the desert.. I tend to hibernate in the summer when it’s scorching hot outside but once the weather cools down I can get outside and be active again. I have found this to be my natural rhythm. I’ll gain 10lbs or so, if I’m lucky I can maintain through the heatwave.

If it's summer, you don't hibernate; you estivate (aestivate). For me, summer is probably my most active season. So why, then, do I seem to gain in summer? I have no clue. Well, I do. It's because I must eat more fuel than my body uses. It's happening again this year - slow gain starting mid-May and just now coming back off. That said, it has taken me actually paying attention and focusing to assure that I'm moving back to my maintenance weight.

Sometimes an extra layer of fat can hep keep you warm. So can a coat and hat! So can moving more. Many of us have seasonal patterns. The main thing is to keep paying attention and don't let apathy take your focus away. Want to gain a few for winter? Fine. Set a goal for the limit, and then if you get close to that be ready to take action.

Yo-you weight loss and gain really can be detrimental. When you lose, you usually don't just lose fat. You lose some lean mass. You can counteract this to some degree by working out to maintain and/or gain lean mass. The trouble comes when you regain. Unless you're really training, you gain almost exclusively fat mass. Then when you get back to the weight you were "last time you were at this weight," your body composition has moved more towards fat. Then you lose fat and muscle and when you get to a lower weight, you have less lean mass than last time. Bad cycle to get in.

So gain or maintain? Your call. Just be cognizant that it is your decision, and don't beat yourself up if you get the results you expect. If you can, maintain your lean mass if you work on losing fat.

And as always, STICK TO IT!

csplatt

I try to eat more at maintenance in winter to allow for comfort foods