Hibernation....

4thehardman

It's certainly getting colder for some of us using MFP as the evenings draw in and the snow starts to settle and I was wondering if any of you take this into account with your calorie intake?

We live in a ricketty old chalet where we have to clear our path and drive etc, its colder and at night there is a real chill in the air and I joke with my husband about how many calories I must be burning trying to stay warm.

It got me wondering if human bodies really do pack on fat and extra pounds during the winter to help with warmth and I imagine at some point with poor eating (not a problem in our house thankfully), and if those of us living in colder climates will notice our bodies holding onto the fat and if we should or even if we can adjust things in our routines and nutrition to maximise our fat loss potential.

Thoughts?

4thehardman

bump

clarech82

I read somewhere that your body doesn't gain weight for winter and that the only reason your body makes you want to eat more is because in the past food was very limited in the winter. Don't know how true that is though

4thehardman

I have a friend who is a fitness instructor and he was telling me how all of her 'ladies' were complaining that their bodies were going into hibernation and I wondered how true it might be.

asyouseefit

Imho, winter weight gain is the result of inactivity and excess of comfort food. Genetics might play a minor role but I think people tend to take that as an excuse!

PBJunky

Actually your activity level is lower during the colder winter months but nothing that a few passionate lovemaking sessions can't fix.

clarech82

http://www.fitsugar.com/What-Causes-Winter-Weight-Gain-7467475#onsugar-content-container

This is pretty much what I read

mortuseon

Unsure of how true this is for everyone, but I certainly find myself much hungrier in winter. Think it's because I rarrely have an appetite in warmer weather - all I want are salads! HOWEVER, with a bit of searching there are some delicious & low-cal winter recipes, it's just being bothered to make them :')

2Bgoddess

I think with the daylight hours shortening, we may not spend as much time outside. It is also easy to settle on the couch for a movie and snuggle up, than to bundle up and take a walk for example. My husband is a seasonal worker and he and his buddies talk about hibernating and putting on winter weight. For them though, it is because of a huge difference in physical activity. My husband has vowed not to put on weight this year, says he's going to use my treadmill. We'll see.

I don't think the human body drives us to put on fat for the winter, we've been living indoors with heat and air for far too long. We just have to work harder at staying active and staying away from too many holiday treats or junk food movie nights!

Matttdvg

Interesting question. I'd think that our bodies might make us crave fatty or sugary foods more often as it starts to get colder in order to pack on extra fuel for the hard winter months. But if we resist these cravings and eat the same as we do in the summer, if anything we'll burn more calories and lose more weight in the winter than in the summer. Our body starts to do things to keep warm. We shiver. We try to keep moving to generate heat. All these things take energy. Not huge amounts, but enough to burn a handful of calories. And if you're outside in the cold often, it'll probably lead to a not insignificant increase in calories burned. Of course if you're only outside long enough to walk from home to your car, then from your car to your office, or from your car to the gym etc. it's not going to lead to any noticeable increase in calories burned. And if you do most of your exercise outside (i.e. walking, running, cycling etc.) you're probably going to be less motivated to do this exercise, so you'll probably burn fewer calories overall.

I'm not basing this on any real science, but just thinking it through logically, so don't take my response as gospel or anything.

4thehardman

Actually your activity level is lower during the colder winter months but nothing that a few passionate lovemaking sessions can't fix.

or not........................we got triplets last time we got passionate!

2Bgoddess

Actually your activity level is lower during the colder winter months but nothing that a few passionate lovemaking sessions can't fix.

or not........................we got triplets last time we got passionate!

BAHAHAHAHA!

seriously though, even extended sessions of, um, enthusiastic lovemaking doesn't burn as many calories as one might think! So really, frequency is definitely a key factor! ;-)

2Bgoddess

tee hee!

http://calorielab.com/news/2008/02/12/calories-burned-during-sex/

4thehardman

tee hee!

http://calorielab.com/news/2008/02/12/calories-burned-during-sex/

ha ha!i love that you did your research. I didn't get much in on the lame 7 minutes between cornflakes and cartoons this morning!

LuLuRunner1

I don't qualify as living in a cold environment, or needing to hibernate because of the snow as a Texan, but I am very cold natured! I find that when I am cold, I tend to crave more food in an attempt to get warm. In the past, I found I could "help" curb it by drinking hot tea, but I don't really care for it.

Being cold has definitely been a con as far as my weight loss journey goes....on the flip side, the 100-plus days of triple digit heat didn't affect me as much this summer as it has in the past.

fiberartist219

There was a time in my life that I actually wanted to gain weight to see if it would help me stay warm in the winter. I didn't gain, and I didn't stay warm.

Now that I'm heavier, I'm still cold.

So... in my humble opinion, it doesn't happen. We might make excuses for us to eat the fall harvest or pig out at holiday dinners, but those are just excuses.

4thehardman

I have never in my life wanted to gain weight. I can imagine it is just as hard as losing it but without the exercise.