Summer = easy weight loss!

BuellerFerrisBueller
BuellerFerrisBueller Posts: 35 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Why is January the most popular time of the year for losing weight? Out of all 12 months of the year, January is the worst! It's the time of year when I eat the most and exercise the least.

In contrast, it's summer now. This is the most wonderful time of the year for losing weight!

Heat is the best appetite suppressant of all. From my sporadic spot checks of my diet, I know it's easy to consume under 2000 calories per day during the warmer months of the year. In contrast, I eat 3000 calories per day or more in deep winter. The difference between the coldest days and hottest days can be a factor of 2. Thus, I'm eating for two during the January polar vortex.

Additionally, summer is my most active season. Getting ready to go outside is so quick and easy. Gym shoes provide more than enough traction, because there are no icy sidewalks. I don't have to trudge through or detour around snow piles. (If you long for the days of having to walk like a penguin because of the tricky footing, that's what high heels and flip flops are for.)

As a result, I'm usually lightest in September and heaviest in March.

I'll never understand how it's possible to lose weight in winter. I find winter weight gain to be as certain as death and taxes.

On the other hand, winter is the most wonderful time of year for trying out new recipes and trying out new healthy superfoods that I'm not sure about. Having an appetite as enormous as a Mercury Grand Marquis makes me less fussy about how things taste.

For example, it was last winter that I learned to cook lentils. I like the fact that lentils have no real taste, because that means that adding spices (like garlic and ginger powder), chopped onions, and chopped carrots makes it so palatable. It was also last winter that I learned how to bake cookies without oil or butter. (I use unsweetened apple sauce as a substitute for sugar, eggs, and oil/butter.)

Replies

  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,989 Member
    I'm the opposite...

    In the winter, it's my busy season at work. I'm working 14-hour days and don't have time for snacks or socializing. It's easy for me to plan my meals and regulate my intake.

    Summer is my time for vacations, parties, BBQs, socializing with friends, working from home, etc. This makes it harder for me to control my intake.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Heat is an appetite suppressant for me as well. It also kills my desire to exercise. I live on a pond and love to swim, but the thought of the 0.2 ml walk to the water in the 90 degree F heat is a turn off. Tonight, I'm going to have to force myself to water my garden in the 80 degrees after dinner. (When it was cooler a few weeks ago I had to force myself to STOP doing intensive yardwork after I'd been at it for 4 hours. Now all I can handle is watering.) I've also tried swimming after dinner, but between the mosquitos and lack of energy, I don't enjoy it nearly as much.

    I've been blueberry picking this month, also a 0.2 ml walk. I go in the AM, but last time it was almost 80 degrees, and I had to stop before I picked all the bushes because the sun was just too much. (I was wearing a big hat.) The walk was no longer enjoyable.

    I am most active early - late spring, when I can exercise outdoors to my heart's content.

    I do have a host of things I can do indoors, but do not enjoy them nearly as much.
  • IAmTheGlue
    IAmTheGlue Posts: 701 Member
    I understand what you are saying. We used to live in Indiana (USA) which has all 4 seasons with winter being one I did mostly stay indoors. In the spring and summer we were more active outdoors.

    We have lived in Florida for going on 5 years and it’s endless summer here so we don’t have any season where we cuddle up inside for a couple of months. We are more active year round here. I can understand what you are saying about the warmer months being a little easier to just be more active outdoors. Now you just need to find an activity you enjoy to do inside in the colder weather.
  • BuellerFerrisBueller
    BuellerFerrisBueller Posts: 35 Member
    IAmTheGlue wrote: »
    Now you just need to find an activity you enjoy to do inside in the colder weather.

    I get the paid streaming services during the colder months of the year. Winter is my season for Netflix, Hulu, Paramount Plus, and HBO Max. I don't spend as much time watching during the other months and rely on my DVD collection, the local library's DVD collection, and the free streaming services (TubiTV, Roku channel, Crackle, etc.).
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I typically gain around 8-10 Lbs in the winter, but that's pretty much November and December where my routines are disrupted with the holidays and whatnot. January rolls around and my life returns to normal and I usually lose my winter weight January - March/April and I'm usually back to my normal maintenance weight.

    I don't find it terribly shocking that people use the start of a new year for self betterment. For me, it's just getting back into my normal routine after all of the holidays and parties and gatherings and whatnot and by the end of January going into February we start having spring like weather here. Winters here are very short and mild, so not much of an issue. On average, December and January highs are usually in the upper 40s to low 50s so pretty comfortable in general. Odd days here and there that get very cold. We only get snow in the city maybe once or twice per year and it's usually just a dusting that is gone by noon.

    It's actually more comfortable to exercise outdoors in the fall and winter than spring and summer here. Spring is excessively windy with frequent dust/sand storms. In the summer you have to either get out early or head for the mountains or get on the water to kayak or something as in town temperatures are very hot by mid day and don't cool until well into the evening when it's dark. The only real downside to winter is the limited availability of daylight hours.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,741 Member
    I'm the opposite as far as activity level, but I don't gain and lose seasonally. I maintain year-round.

    However, the heat in summer makes cardio more difficult for me because I prefer outdoor workouts and struggle to put in time on the boring treadmill when I'd rather be out in nature. So, I shift to mainly lifting and body weight workouts.

    In the winter I look forward to hard cardio workouts on the treadmill and elliptical because it's the only way to stay warm! So, cardio-wise I'm much more active in the winter than in the summer.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,739 Member
    I'm a masochist when it comes to summer workouts. I mean, I don't do anything strenuous but I walk outside for exercise and it can get in the low 100s here so I spray on my sunscreen, put on my sunglasses and visor (which does absolutely nothing to cover the top of my head) and get out there. :)
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,224 Member
    I think it's more "new year, new me" that kicks of the January spurt. I'm in Australia, and after the silly season people get right on it. It's often too damn hot to exercise outside though, I prefer Spring/Autumn for that.

    I don't have an issue losing in winter though, prioritising stews, roasts, warm veggie dishes, soups...
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    It’s different for everyone. You’ve discovered what works for you, but not necessarily true for everyone. It’s an individual process in so many ways, the common factor, for weight loss is burn more calories than your body burns.
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    Oops burn more calories than you consume. (My last post above) BTW, I lost 140 pounds between March 2012 through February 2013. Other than initial weight loss spurt, (winter to early spring) lost pretty evenly throughout the year. 🤷🏼‍♀️Whatever works.
  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    I think it's more "new year, new me" that kicks of the January spurt. I'm in Australia, and after the silly season people get right on it. It's often too damn hot to exercise outside though, I prefer Spring/Autumn for that.

    I don't have an issue losing in winter though, prioritising stews, roasts, warm veggie dishes, soups...

    This is definitely true for me. A New Year gives me new goals, something to do and work on after all the busy-ness of the holidays.
  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,352 Member
    My dog has to be walked every day, snow or shine. That's really the only time I spend outside apart from going from my door to my garage or my car to the store. Winter....summer...only difference is the button I push for AC or heat.
  • musicfan68
    musicfan68 Posts: 1,143 Member
    I don't find winter any worse. I eat consistently throughout the year which helps me keep losing/maintain weight as needed. I have the habits I have, which are just as easy to follow in the winter as summer.
  • Kiwi2mfp
    Kiwi2mfp Posts: 166 Member
    I live on a farm and I gain and lose that same 10 pounds every year. If I don't lose that ten pounds of winter weight then it just keeps packing on. For the last couple years I have managed to lose it every year but a few years ago I started college and then the weight didn't fall off. That's why I'm here...trying to lose college weight. Anyway, winter has me gaining every year. Especially if my thoughtful neighbor brings by her usual, massive plate of cookies and cakes for the holidays! Ughh....they look so good and if my mind isn't right I'll eat way too much of it. The cold also gets me craving carbs to keep warm. Anyway, my goal this year is to drop that twn pounds first....be ten pounds into the negative so that when I gain it back, I'm still at a healthy weight. Instead of playing catch up every year, I can be ahead for once lol
  • Mouse_Potato
    Mouse_Potato Posts: 1,510 Member
    This is very individual and probably depends a lot on where you live. Down here in Southeast Texas it's been so hot over the last few weeks that I don't even want to go grocery shopping. If I don't get moving and finish my workout before 8:00 AM, it's not going to happen. Plus all the power companies are begging us to bump up our thermostats, so it's too hot even indoors. Our winters, on the other hand, tend to be very mild and pleasant. We get maybe two weeks a year where it's too cold to be comfortable outside and that's it (and it probably wouldn't feel that bad if we had proper clothing for it). I am way more physically active in the colder months than in summertime.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    IAmTheGlue wrote: »
    I understand what you are saying. We used to live in Indiana (USA) which has all 4 seasons with winter being one I did mostly stay indoors. In the spring and summer we were more active outdoors.

    We have lived in Florida for going on 5 years and it’s endless summer here so we don’t have any season where we cuddle up inside for a couple of months. We are more active year round here. I can understand what you are saying about the warmer months being a little easier to just be more active outdoors. Now you just need to find an activity you enjoy to do inside in the colder weather.

    I live in Massachusetts and have plenty of activities I like to do OUTSIDE in the cold weather. If there's no snow, I just keep putting on warmer clothes and boots and walk/hike. If there's snow, I shovel. I got a pair of snowshoes for $5 at a yard sale. Snowshoeing is so calorie intensive! I only get a few good snowshoeing days per winter put there are plenty of great hiking days.

    We used to have a neighbor who was a tugboat captain and liked to say, "There's no bad weather; just bad gear."

    (I just use this for the cold and pass on the rain.)
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,739 Member
    Kiwi2mfp wrote: »
    I live on a farm and I gain and lose that same 10 pounds every year. If I don't lose that ten pounds of winter weight then it just keeps packing on. For the last couple years I have managed to lose it every year but a few years ago I started college and then the weight didn't fall off. That's why I'm here...trying to lose college weight. Anyway, winter has me gaining every year. Especially if my thoughtful neighbor brings by her usual, massive plate of cookies and cakes for the holidays! Ughh....they look so good and if my mind isn't right I'll eat way too much of it. The cold also gets me craving carbs to keep warm. Anyway, my goal this year is to drop that twn pounds first....be ten pounds into the negative so that when I gain it back, I'm still at a healthy weight. Instead of playing catch up every year, I can be ahead for once lol

    I don't know your neighbor but I have a love/hate relationship with her. 😀
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    edited July 2022
    The winter here is the easiest time for me to exercise outside. Winter lows are in the 30s/40s (F) and highs are 50-70 F. I usually have a tan and am at my most fit December - March. In the summer, it's 100+ nearly every day and lows rarely get under 80F. I, and most of the people here, hibernate in the AC during the day and even when the sun goes down the temps are still too high to exercise outdoors comfortably or safely.

    Most people equate the New Year with starting over, recommitting, etc. which is why you see so many people decide to try to lose weight, get fit, exercise more, etc. in January. It has nothing to do with the weather.
  • JBanx256
    JBanx256 Posts: 1,479 Member
    As @COGypsy said, el Doggo has to be walked daily, regardless of the season (now if it's absolutely monsooning outside, he doesn't even want to set foot outdoors, but anything less than that...where's the leash?).

    My gym is climate controlled (it's a warehouse, so heating/cooling isn't quite what it might otherwise be, but still).

    My job requires me to be exposed to the elements year-round.

    My nutrition depends on where I am in my training cycle and personal goals at the time (cutting? massing? maintaining?), not the weather.

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