3 Tips to Avoid the Dreaded Winter Weight Gain
Winter weight gain often feels inevitable-the effects of overdoing it during a never ending holiday season, the colder, shorter days, and the binge watching of Bravo TV. If you notice the number on the scale creep up during the grey in months between the holidays and spring you’re not alone. Many of us bemoan dreaded winter weight gain around this time of year. Here’s 3 ways you can avoid it.
- Don’t Let Comfort Food Make You Uncomfortable in Your Clothes. From gooey mac and cheese to freshly baked cookies, chowing down on some good comfort food passes the time, warms your body, and makes the dreary winter months more tolerable. Comfort foods may be good for the soul, but few are as friendly to your waistline. Instead of turning to food to lose the winter blues, stop and think about what’s getting you down. Are you feeling cold? Warm up with a cup of hot chicken broth or cuddle up in a snuggly blanket. Cold weather making you stir-crazy? Call up a friend and do something active together. Identifying the reasons why you want to eat will make it easier to stop eating. If you don’t want to give up on comfort foods altogether, you can still have them! Just make sure to use smart substitutions in favorite recipes to stay on track with your diet.
- Stop Bingeing out of Boredom. With the colder temperatures and extreme weather conditions, you may often find yourself cooped up in the house more often in the winter than during other times of the year. Many people turn to food to stimulate them when they are bored, which makes sense; it tastes good, gives you something to do, and takes your mind off of stressors. However, eating might not be the most favorable winter pastime for you if you want to fit into your swimsuit when summer finally rolls around.
- Be Mindful of Your Body’s Signals. Winter is a busy time and dieting is often the first thing to get lost in the shuffle. Your hunger and fullness cues get thrown out of whack from the food-centric parties (holidays, Super Bowl), and dealing with bad weather. There are a few simple things you can do to keep yourself accountable for your health during the winter:
- Step on the scale. Keeping an eye on your weight can help you stop major gains before they spiral out of control. Aim to weigh yourself twice a week to track broad trends. The scale does not define you, but it does keep you accountable and serve as a little extra motivation during the winter.
- Keep tabs on how your clothes are fitting. In the colder months, we lounge at home more often (hello elastic-waist sweatpants!), and wear more layers and chunky sweaters to keep warm. Although these clothes are functional for the weather, they don’t allow you to see subtle changes in your body. It’s easier to see small gains during the warmer months when you’re wearing thinner layers or sporting a bathing suit. During the winter, try on some of your warm-weather clothes every few weeks to make sure they still fit and to monitor any changes in your body. That way, there will be no surprises when spring hits!
- Combat stress. When you find yourself getting consumed with winter stress and turning to unhealthy habits, stop what you’re doing for a few minutes and do a mental check-in. What are you thinking about? How does your body feel? What do you truly need right now? Sometimes you’ll find that you may think you’re hungry, but are actually dehydrated due to the dry weather. Or, you may realize that your mind is craving resolution to a problem more than that extra slice of pie. By making an effort to be in tune with yourself, you will be more mindful about sticking with your diet intentions.
The doldrums this time of year is tough, but hang in there. Spring is right around the corner!
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