Autumn comfort eating
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Comfort food today, elastic waist bands tomorrow.7
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Eating way too much leftover Halloween candy and junk. But it's 65 in November in Chicago so I'm also walking 5 miles a day just for fun on top of time k spend on feet at work1
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I agree that the cooler fall weather makes ME want to eat bigger quantities of warm yummy foods. My current solution is to fill the crock pot with whole canned tomatoes, tons of cabbage, an onion, celery, and whatever left over veggies are in the fridge. It lasts all week, each day I add more of something else and I can eat big bowls for minimal calories. Spices make it yummy and comforting!3
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I have found a lot of great recipes on this site and am enjoying trying out new foods. I am also loving my crockpot. I made a yummy chicken taco chili and then divided it into serving portions and froze them. I also like spaghetti squash "lasagne" - which I will cut into serving size portions and freeze. Those two foods satisfy my cold weather cravings. I also will get out and walk - I try to get in my 10000 steps each day. That all helps. And I don't beat myself up when I do overindulge. That's okay. I log it and get on with it. My goal is to not gain any weight through the holidays and then go back into deficit mode in January to lose the last 10 lbs - but I am pretty happy at my current weight, so it will be a very slow process to see what's realistic for my age, metabolism, and happiness.
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Yes, I like comfort foods too as the temperature drops.
You can either try to find things that are comforting and make you feel like you're getting all of the fall/winter/holiday flavors without being crazy high in calories, or you can limit the comfort foods. Either way works.
I tend to start eating more soups, roast meats and veggies. I love turkey and cranberry mostarda (or just mustard and a schmear of cranberry sauce) in a sandwich or as an entree. I have a brand of chicken pot pie I really like and at < 400 cals, it's a staple for me this time of year. I like pumpkin, so I'll make pumpkin pie filling and bake that. I like apples, so I'll bake those with a bit of molasses and spice.0 -
cmriverside wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »My guess is that this has nothing to do with season but a lot to do with overrestricting for 9 months.
She lost 16 pounds in nine months. Why do you assume she was overrestricting?
I lost 15 pounds in the last 10 months, I'm dead in the middle of my healthy BMI now.
Autumn has always been a time for me to want to eat more carbs/food in general - for all the reasons already stated. Less outdoor time, shorter days, a touch of Seasonal Depression maybe, all the yummy holidays, biology screaming to "put on some fat, it's getting cold."
I battled 5-10 pounds every winter for the last nine years since I reached my healthy BMI. I keep telling my body it's okay, I'll keep you warm. It still fights me.
For years, I have had a touch of SAD. My cravings haven't increased yet, but I can see a slight shift in my mood already. I really don't enjoy the winter months. I love the other seasons.
I can definitely believe that cravings increase this time of year because in some cases mood and food are so interrelated. They were for me for many years because I was an emotional eater. For the past 18 months, I have been able to keep the emotional eating at bay.2 -
Is it just me or has the onset of Autumn brought more hunger for stodgy comfort food?
Started posting about this again just last week. Exactly the same for me.
Honestly, I am a serial loser. That is, I always gain 6-10 pounds between August and January and then lose it again by February. Stopped trying to fight it completely, but work to minimalize it while still enjoying.
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Is it just me or has the onset of Autumn brought more hunger for stodgy comfort food?
Started posting about this again just last week. Exactly the same for me.
Honestly, I am a serial loser. That is, I always gain 6-10 pounds between August and January and then lose it again by February. Stopped trying to fight it completely, but work to minimalize it while still enjoying.
If you're losing a 6-10lbs in a month and it takes you 3 months to gain it, I would hazard a guess that this could be more water retention issues rather than fat gain?0 -
Really craving carbohydrates in the fall may be due in part to decreasing daylight and the resulting chemical changes in the brain. Some people are enormously sensitive to this. If you are one of them, you can try a couple of things. One is to get outside more at mid-day. Another is to get a light box of the kind used to treat seasonal affective disorder and use it 30 min each morning. Doing both has worked for me.
ditto this0 -
Really craving carbohydrates in the fall may be due in part to decreasing daylight and the resulting chemical changes in the brain. Some people are enormously sensitive to this. If you are one of them, you can try a couple of things. One is to get outside more at mid-day. Another is to get a light box of the kind used to treat seasonal affective disorder and use it 30 min each morning. Doing both has worked for me.
ditto this
Definitely not this.0 -
Its time to nip those old habits in the bud, while its fine to take a diet break for a week or two, if you are slipping into old habits you need to keep logging your food.
I do agree during winter we are inclined to want to comfort eat but its just a notion/habit.
I sip at water during the evenings to stop me thinking I need to be snacking - I used to gain around 4lbs every winter because I gave in and snacked while I watched TV (less active in winter/dark evenings in general). I got fed up spending early spring always trying to lose those extra pounds so a few years ago I gave myself stern talking to - no more mindless snacking! and you know what, after the first week or so of not eating in the evenings I got used to it....3 years on, I don't even think about eating at night now. Once I've had my dinner all I'll have is tea/coffee/water. We can make new lasting habits
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trigden1991 wrote: »Really craving carbohydrates in the fall may be due in part to decreasing daylight and the resulting chemical changes in the brain. Some people are enormously sensitive to this. If you are one of them, you can try a couple of things. One is to get outside more at mid-day. Another is to get a light box of the kind used to treat seasonal affective disorder and use it 30 min each morning. Doing both has worked for me.
ditto this
Definitely not this.
As a licensed mental health clinician with three decades of experience, I know that "this" happens. The beauty of this particular approach is that if you are the person prone to "this" the light box is effective (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3004726/) and has no nasty side effects 2 -
Yes, the urge to eat more is hitting me, too. I have been making pots of vegetable soup, lentil soup, and trying to keep cravings in check. Have gone over calories a few times in past week and am trying to reign it back in...
Regardless though, I log everything - every meal, snack, etc. Never give up! Logging helps us stay aware of our eating habits and the cause and effect of our choices.
Good luck and do your best to stick to healthier comfort food choices.
Jean1 -
trigden1991 wrote: »Really craving carbohydrates in the fall may be due in part to decreasing daylight and the resulting chemical changes in the brain. Some people are enormously sensitive to this. If you are one of them, you can try a couple of things. One is to get outside more at mid-day. Another is to get a light box of the kind used to treat seasonal affective disorder and use it 30 min each morning. Doing both has worked for me.
ditto this
Definitely not this.
As a licensed mental health clinician with three decades of experience, I know that "this" happens. The beauty of this particular approach is that if you are the person prone to "this" the light box is effective (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3004726/) and has no nasty side effects
I'm sure "this" happens, but how many people use it as an excuse vs the 10-20% of of recurrent depression cases follow a seasonal pattern?0 -
I definitely feel I need more warming food now than during summer. Makes sense really doesn't it?
So instead of my green smoothie, I now have porridge as a snack in work. I have these handy sachets that just need water added and 2 minutes in the microwave (I add cinnamon too). About 150 cals.
And for lunch I would have a nice thick soup, ie minestrone. With a nice chunk of bread for dunking. It doesn't have to be high calorie at all.
And of course exercise helps. A lot! I was frrreezing last night, couldn't feel my toes! My spinning session sorted that pretty quick...0 -
Packerjohn wrote: »trigden1991 wrote: »Really craving carbohydrates in the fall may be due in part to decreasing daylight and the resulting chemical changes in the brain. Some people are enormously sensitive to this. If you are one of them, you can try a couple of things. One is to get outside more at mid-day. Another is to get a light box of the kind used to treat seasonal affective disorder and use it 30 min each morning. Doing both has worked for me.
ditto this
Definitely not this.
As a licensed mental health clinician with three decades of experience, I know that "this" happens. The beauty of this particular approach is that if you are the person prone to "this" the light box is effective (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3004726/) and has no nasty side effects
I'm sure "this" happens, but how many people use it as an excuse vs the 10-20% of of recurrent depression cases follow a seasonal pattern?
Well it's an interesting thing - it may be that more people are affected mildly than would meet criteria for SAD. Whether it's an "excuse" or a "reason" a person's still left with choices about taking action. Exercise and light seem like a reasonable way to go if the desire for carbs takes on the quality of craving, especially in the presence of wanting to sleep more, feeling "blah" and being more irritable than in the summer months.0
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