For many people, the winter is synonymous with weight gain. Between the holidays and less time spent outside, it can be easy to watch the numbers on the scale creep up. It's not an uncommon phenomenon, and if you go into the season with a plan, you won't find yourself packing on the pounds.
While many Americans spend more time inside during the winter, the sedentary lifestyle isn't the main culprit for weight gain. "The majority of weight gain over the winter is dietary," Dr. Mir Ali, medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at California's Orange Coast Medical Center, told Yahoo.
"We recommend that our patients be careful with the amount of carbohydrates and sugars they have," Ali said. "You don't have to be as cautious with protein and vegetables." But it's more than what you eat; it's also what you drink. "The more you eat and the more alcohol you consume, the more calories you're taking in," he said.
Dr. Kunal Shah, an assistant professor in endocrinology Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center, shut down a popular belief that human bodies—like those of hibernating animals like bears—will tend to keep extra fat during the colder months."It's possible that this is true," Shah said, "but we don't have any studies to back that up."
Weight gain might just come naturally with the territory of the winter season regardless of how hard we may work out between massive meals. A 2020 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that subjects pack on the pounds during the winter regardless of if they change their dietary or exercise habits.
"The current results indicate that body weight, physical activity, food intakes, and sleep conditions are affected by season," the study concluded, "but no significant relationships exist between seasonal weight gain and changes in lifestyle patterns. Individuals who gain weight are often assumed to have increased their energy intake and/or decreased their energy expenditure; however, the current findings suggested little differences in these factors."
Alcohol consumption can play a pivotal role in how many extra calories we take in during the winter season. It's best to go into these nights of drinking with a plan. "Be mindful, plan ahead and say, 'I'm only going to have one drink,'" Dr. Dina Peralta-Reich, director of New York Weight Wellness Medicine, told Yahoo. "You don't have to overly restrict yourself, but just be mindful of what and how much you're having."
Ultimately, if you do gain a few pounds during the winter, it's nothing to beat yourself up about, especially since it's so common. Shah's advice if you find yourself in this situation is to give yourself some grace.
"I tell all of my patients that I'm not looking for them to lose weight over the holidays, but my goal is to have them maintain their weight during this time," he said. "That seems to work well for most people."
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