Is weight loss in winter harder to achieve?
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Psychologically it is a bit harder for me to do what needs to be done to drop weight in the winter. I'm in Minnesota, our winters are long, and the cold gray weather makes me want to eat warm, heavy foods. Doesn't mean I have to give into those cravings, it's just harder to make good choices. Also, I love walking/jogging outside but in sub-zero temps that's pretty much impossible, and the treadmill is not nearly as appealing, so it's a bit more difficult to stay active. I'm in the hot yoga room a lot in the colder months as my main form of activity.0
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fattymcfatterson2121 wrote: »It is harder for me - I live in Scotland and it is absolutely freezing here. Cold weather = body craving hot stodgy food. I am extra freezing and miserable on a calorie deficit. I think this is why people in Scotland have an obesity problem. I love a salad in summer but during winter I want bad food like pizza and chips. I don't think there is an easy solution, I think our willpower just needs to be stronger during the cold winter months
I understand your point but I believe if you really want to achieve something, you'll make a way to find time for it.
I live in Northern Ireland and I don't eat as many salads as I do in the summer. Instead, I love homemade soups, steamed veggies and Quorn with gravy, etc.
However I walk less in the winter than I do in the summer because of the lack of light. It's not safe to walk at night and it's dark when I go to work, it's dark when I get off work. There's no gym around here so I bought myself an exercise bike, workout DVDs, etc. No more excuses for my this winter!
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Look into vitamin D supplements... I'm not saying it's a magic weight loss cure, but it can be associated with winter.0
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Psychologically it is a bit harder for me to do what needs to be done to drop weight in the winter. I'm in Minnesota, our winters are long, and the cold gray weather makes me want to eat warm, heavy foods. Doesn't mean I have to give into those cravings, it's just harder to make good choices. Also, I love walking/jogging outside but in sub-zero temps that's pretty much impossible, and the treadmill is not nearly as appealing, so it's a bit more difficult to stay active. I'm in the hot yoga room a lot in the colder months as my main form of activity.
Story of my life. I love the post about 30F vs. 90F. Only here some days it can be 3F vs. 90F! At least in the summer there's a point in the morning when it's kind of bright and the sun hasn't risen or is not yet hot - I can easily go running then. Some people run in the cold but I just can't get with the idea of potentially slipping and falling on the ice. Just walking to and from my car feels like living on the edge.
That said I finally just signed up at the Y which is very close to my home. I can transition the 1-2x per week outside running to doing something different in the gym
OP, like everyone else has said there's not really anything magical about winter to prevent weight loss - just possibly some of us eat more and exercise less during that time.
I want to know what the heck's an S.A. too, though.
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It's feckin' freezing ..I've had my bacon and egg toastie and I'm heading to the gym in 10 mins
And your excuse is what?
Whoah....dude....why are you getting so aggressive for? did I in anyway say that I haven't been eating right or excersising? that's why I have posted this thread in the first place, I'm doing everything right but the weight is comming off much slower than it normally does. All I am asking, is if weather is a factor in weight loss, Jesus Christ.
Wasn't being aggressive so sorry if you took it like that.
It also wasn't aimed at you ...just a general point into the internet ether ...we all make excuses for not monitoring our diet or for avoiding our next workout...hell, when I started I was chronically lazy and mildly asthmatic and hadn't exercised for a good 10 years
I just binned excuses, binned looking for reasons and focused on my calorie defecit
That's it ...for the vast bulk of people that's it0 -
S.A. = smart *kitten* (i imagine lol)0
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The basic science of calories in, calories out won't be effected by the weather. But your mind set can be. Even though you claim you are eating right and exercising, there is always the possibility that you aren't realizing something. Your movement could be more sluggish during winter weather, causing you to retain weight. You could be doing less overall daily activity or you could be taking in more salty foods, causing you to retain water.
Personally in the winter, I don't like to get out from under my covers and I wrap up in sweaters and blankets to stay warm (because our apartment is drafty and has one little furnace) so my daily activity becomes fairly sedentary or I spend days cooking all day to warm the apartment with the stove. Even then I am still sedentary because I am just standing in one place at a time while prepping or cooking. I also suffer from SAD so even if it is cold out, if we get some sunshine, I will let the light in so I can get some better emotional status to help me move more. We randomly got some nice weather for the past couple days and will continue to have 60 degree days for the next week or so. I plan on taking full advantage of it.0 -
When it's -25 here and my snot freezes when I walk outside and it physically HURTS to breathe, then yeah, I'm not gonna go running on my road. I do, however, trek my sorry fat butt to the gym and run on the most boring treadmill on the planet.
Also, when I'm constantly FREEZING, I want to just..eat. Eat all day. Like, constantly. I really believe it's harder to do the right things to lose weight, but I don't think the weather affects the body's ability to do so 0 -
In NYC it was 20 degrees F yesterday at 8 am. I was on the eliptical at my gym and noticed it was taking longer than usual to break a sweat. I didn't break a sweat until the 9 min mark with a max incline entry and a resistance of 3. After my 20 min on the machine, I asked my trainer if the duration it takes to break a sweat has to do with one's metabolism. He said yes and added the fact that it was cold inside the gym. So I guess it's a bit harder and takes more energy to exert in order to break a sweat when the environment is cold. Hope this helps.0
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I personally find it harder in the summer, because I hate the heat. It makes me lethargic and cranky and I don't want to do anything but curl up in a ball and complain about everything.
In the winter, I walk faster, spend more thoughtful time cooking, and have no whininess about trips up the stairs.
Plus, the skiing is crap in the summertime.0 -
I dunno, OP, but I'm with you. I stick to my plan in winter just as well as I do in summer, but I lose at a slower rate. Maybe our bodies' natural metabolic fluctuations just happen to sync up with the winter months or maybe there's some other explanation. Or maybe bodies are weird and sometimes do inexplicable things. That certainly wouldn't shock me!0
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It's been hard for me to not make my regular winter comfort foods, but I just keep making my light summertime meals! (And weighing everything out.) This is the first winter that I've lost weight!0
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mentally it can be, mathematically I don't think it is much different (cals in vs cals out)0
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I don't know about you guys, but I've noticed that my body absolutely refuses to let go of my weight when it's cold. I live in London and it's ridiculously cold at the moment and this situation is really frustrating me.
Is it down to winter? if so, what can I do to make my body let go of this fat >:P
No...
That said, people tend to struggle more with weight control in winter...it's not the actual season though...it's the fact that people tend to move less...it's cold out and it's dark...people tend to become less active. People spend more time indoors being cozy and comfortable and eating comfort foods...and because they're spending more time sitting around bored, they eat even more.
In summary, people tend to move less and eat more in the winter months.In NYC it was 20 degrees F yesterday at 8 am. I was on the eliptical at my gym and noticed it was taking longer than usual to break a sweat. I didn't break a sweat until the 9 min mark with a max incline entry and a resistance of 3. After my 20 min on the machine, I asked my trainer if the duration it takes to break a sweat has to do with one's metabolism. He said yes and added the fact that it was cold inside the gym. So I guess it's a bit harder and takes more energy to exert in order to break a sweat when the environment is cold. Hope this helps.
I hope you're not paying this trainer...'cuz that's stupid.
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I find it actually easier in the winter, just because there's less stuff going on. Because although the weather is cold (I live in Wisconsin - and I'll bet our weather is colder and nastier than in the UK lol), there isn't much else for us to do, as my SO and I don't celebrate the winter holidays, so to prevent boredom I end up at the gym and taking exercise classes and I'm better able to monitor my food intake. However, in the summer, there is always a picnic or a game or some other party going on with beer, brats, burgers, etc. So I find it easier in winter personally, even though I'm not a big fan of the cold and snow/ice.0
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Winter cooking I turn to making big pots of veggie stews with chunky veg that I can eat on rice with cheese, or big chicken or meat stews ...keep them in your fridge and heat up portions
I couldn't live on salads in the winter ...brrr0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »I don't know about you guys, but I've noticed that my body absolutely refuses to let go of my weight when it's cold. I live in London and it's ridiculously cold at the moment and this situation is really frustrating me.
Is it down to winter? if so, what can I do to make my body let go of this fat >:P
No...
That said, people tend to struggle more with weight control in winter...it's not the actual season though...it's the fact that people tend to move less...it's cold out and it's dark...people tend to become less active. People spend more time indoors being cozy and comfortable and eating comfort foods...and because they're spending more time sitting around bored, they eat even more.
In summary, people tend to move less and eat more in the winter months.In NYC it was 20 degrees F yesterday at 8 am. I was on the eliptical at my gym and noticed it was taking longer than usual to break a sweat. I didn't break a sweat until the 9 min mark with a max incline entry and a resistance of 3. After my 20 min on the machine, I asked my trainer if the duration it takes to break a sweat has to do with one's metabolism. He said yes and added the fact that it was cold inside the gym. So I guess it's a bit harder and takes more energy to exert in order to break a sweat when the environment is cold. Hope this helps.
I hope you're not paying this trainer...'cuz that's stupid.
Made me LOL
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I think you need to pay attention to your activity level and what you are eating and drinking.
I don't believe the actual temperature makes your body hold onto weight but you may be a bit more sedentary because it is too cold to walk places or you are consuming more calories when the weather is colder.0 -
Just a reminder to you all that COLD is relative. I spent a year in Inuvik-well above the artic circle. It was -40 mayny days (that's the same in F or C) So anyone complaining it's cold and wet- it's not really cold. Bundle up, get outside and walk or go a gym or pool. You can do this!0
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