Many people get better in winter. It's all due to biorhythms. Although a person no longer has to starve or hide from the cold, the mechanisms continue to work. During the cold period, the calorie content of the diet increases by 10-15%. Fasting days become difficult to observe. So the bulk of the energy obtained from food is stored.
The reasons for weight gain in winter are:
- Dyschronosis . When warm sunny days become shorter, the body experiences stress. To relieve it, people start eating more.
- Due to the short daylight hours and cloudy weather, depression . To cheer up, you want more sweets - light carbohydrates.
- Because it's cold in winter, people wear warmer, bulkier clothes. It becomes more difficult to notice that body volumes are increasing.
- Motor activity is greatly reduced . Adults practically do not play sports in winter and rarely go outside.
- The lack of vitamins is compensated by increased appetite . In winter, there is a lack of vitamin C by 80%, iron, B vitamins, and iodine.
- A natural mechanism for storing fat to preserve heat . When food is broken down, heat is produced, which further warms the body.
To monitor your figure in winter, you need to develop an action plan based on a special diet and lifestyle. Key points:
- Increase the amount of light . You need to change all the light bulbs in the house to daylight and bright ones. This will help avoid a bad, gloomy mood. Vitamins D, E and A affect the perception of light. Therefore, in winter you need to drink a mineral complex.
- Start moving more . There are a lot of winter sports: skating, skiing, sledding. It’s good to go to the gym, dance, fitness. It is also necessary to take baths with ginseng, which improve overall tone.
- Increase the amount of heat. In winter, both indoors and outdoors should not be cold. You can turn on additional heat sources and dress according to the weather. Because of the cold, fat begins to be deposited, so in winter you need to forget about miniskirts.
The winter diet includes some rules:
- Avoid strict diets. They slow down the metabolism, any food begins to be stored in reserve, and the lost kilograms are returned in multiple quantities.
- You need to eat often and in small portions, but this does not mean “bite”. Portions should consist of low-calorie foods with a maximum of useful elements.
- Drink as much water as possible and eat vegetables and fruits. The liquid helps improve metabolism, improves appearance, and removes toxins and waste.
- Each serving should contain enough vitamin C and group B. They strengthen the immune system and improve the condition of blood vessels.
- You need to eat hot soup or broth every day. It reduces the overall calorie intake and improves metabolism. Vegetable cream soups made from pumpkin or beans are best. They give a long-lasting feeling of fullness.
- Include dishes containing fiber in your diet (stewed cabbage, stew, lentils).
- In winter, you need a sufficient amount of protein - at least 90-100 g of protein. It gives you a feeling of fullness for a long time. You need to eat cottage cheese, cheese, dairy products.
- It is worth drinking more black and green tea and herbal decoctions. This is additional fluid, decreased appetite, increased heat. You can add cinnamon, ginger and lemon.
- Minimize the amount of sweets, pasta, white rice, potatoes, pastries and bread in your diet. They contain too much sugar, fat and salt. This provokes the release of insulin, reserve deposits and fluid retention, and stimulates appetite.
- Flaxseed flour and seeds have a good effect on the body, providing it with omega-3 polyunsaturated acids, vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber.
Food consumption rules:
- All portions should be placed in a small plate with a volume of 200-250 g.
- You can't take a supplement.
- Eating food should take no more and no less than 20 minutes, and chew the pieces thoroughly.
- You need a mandatory table setting, then you want to feel the taste of the food.
- It is important to enjoy every bite, then satiety will come on time.
- You need to eat only in a good mood, so as not to eat under stress.
- You should not eat in front of the TV, computer or book.
- The last meal should be no later than 20-21 pm. And it is important to eat all sweets and delicacies before lunch, maximum until 15-16 hours of the day.
It is extremely important to monitor the contents of the refrigerator . Exclude semi-finished products and ready-made snacks (chocolates, chips, buns). Every meal needs to be prepared. It is important not to go to the store on an empty stomach, so as not to buy too much, ideally with a list and a limited amount of money.
Read more in our article on how to lose weight in winter.
Is it worth losing weight in winter?
However, you should remember the disadvantages of fighting excess weight that are observed during the cold season. We already know that losing weight requires an energy deficit, which can lead to injury (if you play sports) or illness. In addition, it is necessary to remember that the cold season is a strong stress for the body. During this period of time, the activity of the immune system decreases, which leads to exacerbation of chronic diseases or the development of new ones. If you still decide to get rid of fat in winter, then first of all you need to dress for the weather and prevent hypothermia.
If you play sports, it is extremely important to pay maximum attention to warming up. Warm up all muscle groups and joint-ligamentous apparatus well. Also choose the right clothes for going to the gym. If your body is warm while going to work out, you can quickly prepare your muscles for the upcoming load.
However, even these precautions cannot guarantee the absence of health problems. It is very important to consume micronutrient complexes in winter. This applies to all people, and especially to you, because you want to know how to quickly lose weight in winter at home. Remember that in cold weather, if you are in a calorie deficit, it is extremely easy to get sick or injured.
When it's cold outside, people move much less. Short daylight hours encourage sleep. Among other things, in winter our attitude towards food changes dramatically. First of all, appetite increases and people are drawn to fatty foods and sweets. In cold weather, you are not so thirsty and as a result, a person consumes less water, which helps speed up metabolism. All these factors negatively affect lipolysis processes. Although if you have willpower and are motivated enough to fight excess weight, then you can lose weight.
Starting in autumn, the body prepares for winter and tries to accumulate fat by any means. This is one of the ancient physiological defense mechanisms, because it was in winter that our ancestors experienced hunger. Of course, this is not relevant for a modern person, but the body does not know about it and continues to act in exactly the same way as it did many centuries ago. Thus, the cold season can hardly be called ideal for fighting fat, but once again we repeat that it is possible.
Reasons for weight gain
Previously, a person experienced a lack of food and warmth in cold times, so the body actively “stocked up” subcutaneous fat in order to survive. Now we have learned to prepare food and heat rooms, but the body still stubbornly continues to perform its protective functions, and “gifts” us with extra pounds. For this process to stop, it takes more than one century and even a millennium of evolution, so all that remains in our power is to control our own weight. We can dial it for other reasons:
- Reducing daylight hours. The less ultraviolet radiation we receive, the worse our mood, since the production of the joy hormone serotonin is closely related to the amount of sunlight. Apathy and depression in many people trigger overeating.
- Abundance of holidays. During the winter months, we are constantly celebrating something, and not a single celebration is complete without a hearty feast with fatty foods and alcohol; this also has an adverse effect on the figure.
- Decreased physical activity. During the cold season, we prefer traveling by car or public transport to walking; physical activity is reduced to a minimum, because the energy received from food does not have time to be spent and turns into unattractive folds on the body.
- Lack of vitamin C. This is a very important vitamin for our body, which is involved in maintaining protective functions and metabolic processes. In winter, its deficiency can be up to 80%, which is why we have a beastly appetite.
- Plenty of thick clothing. If you're wearing several warm sweaters, loose brushed pants and a down jacket, it's hard to tell whether you're overweight or just well bundled up. It is quite difficult to control your shape when wearing loose clothing.
How to quickly lose weight in winter at home: three methods
We figured out that during the cold season it is much more difficult to get rid of excess weight compared to the summer. But if you are still determined to do this and want to know how to quickly lose weight in winter at home, then the rest of today’s article will be devoted to this.
Method No. 1
This is perhaps the simplest and most effective way to combat excess weight in the winter. To get a good result, you need to eat hot, thick food - soups. At the same time, do not forget about the calorie deficit, without which weight loss is basically impossible. Hot soup will warm the stomach, which will lead to blood flow to all tissues and organs of the body.
The soup also has one extremely useful property for weight loss, namely, it is an excellent appetite suppressant. In the upper part of our stomach there are receptors that transmit a signal to the brain about satiety. Soups can quickly activate them. These dishes have one more advantage over most others - they can be made very thick by adding vegetables that have a minimum energy value. After this, you can add a piece of meat or chicken to the soup. The puree soup is perfectly absorbed by the body and can quickly fill you up. The basic rule when preparing this dish is not to add potatoes, spicy seasonings, cereals and pasta to it. All of these foods increase your appetite.
Now we will present a recipe for a healthy puree soup that you can safely consume without worrying about your weight. To prepare it you will need cabbage, celery, onions, green beans, zucchini, carrots, green peas, parsley. Actually, you can use the vegetables that you have on hand. They should be crushed and poured with boiling water. After this, cover with a lid and cook until fully cooked. Add any non-spicy seasonings to the puree soup to suit your tastes.
Method No. 2
We continue to talk about how to quickly lose weight in winter at home using a meat diet. If you cannot eat only vegetables, then this nutrition program is perfect for you. With its help, you can quickly satisfy your hunger and the meat diet is well tolerated. At the same time, it has another positive quality - it ensures the supply of all nutrients to the body, even in conditions of limited energy value.
Let's look at a sample diet for this nutrition program. For breakfast you can eat a (boiled) egg, porridge, or steamed omelet. As a drink, use tea with honey or coffee. Second breakfast can consist of a pear (apple) or 20 grams of cheese.
For lunch, in addition to soup, you can eat all fruits, and the only exception is potatoes. You should also not eat pasta. You can include fermented milk products in your afternoon snack. An excellent dinner for you could be a casserole with prunes on one egg without using flour or grated carrots with honey. A couple of hours before going to bed, you can eat a grapefruit (apple) or drink kefir.
Healthy eating
Set aside a day a week when you allow yourself pizza, burger or pasta. But only on condition that the remaining days followed a diet that is beneficial for the body. This doesn't mean chewing lettuce without salt, add more:
- protein: poultry, meat, seafood, fish, eggs;
- healthy fats: avocado, olive oil (maximum two tablespoons per day), nuts;
- carbohydrates: cereals, whole grain breads, durum wheat pasta (no more than twice a week);
- legumes: beans, chickpeas, lentils, mung beans;
- lettuce: romaine, spinach, watercress, chard, corn, lettuce, arugula, radicchio, frisse, bok choy, celery, kale.
You can try the method of intermittent fasting. If it doesn't suit you, have dinner 4 hours before bedtime.
Don't give up sex
Active lovemaking will help you quickly burn extra calories. Why not warm each other up on a cold evening. Choose different positions, try to make sexual intercourse not passive, but more active. This way you will combine business with pleasure: you will have fun and be able to normalize your weight. In addition, sex normalizes hormonal levels and improves mood. A loving man and woman always shine and look beautiful after an act of love. Therefore, you should not deny each other this pleasure. Less conflict, more love!
Don't hibernate, enjoy this wonderful time of year. Choose interesting activities for yourself, delicious low-calorie foods, have fun with your family, you can go to a ski resort - this is not only a fun time, but also good physical activity. Even though it's cold in winter, you don't need to sit warm and fill your stomach all the time. Stay beautiful, fit and, of course, healthy at any time of the year. You will succeed!
Don't give up on movement
Some people begin to lead a sedentary lifestyle in winter and refuse to go outside. On the contrary, you need to walk as much as possible, despite the frosty air. It's raining and slushy outside. It's OK! Put on your rubber boots and go. Try to have fun: build a snowman, go sledding, skiing, skating, play in the snow.
You can sign up for the gym instead of evening gatherings at home with a plate of delicious food. Just don’t overdo it with training - no more than 5 hours of intense training per week, otherwise the body will work for wear and tear and will not be able to fight viruses and bacteria.
Advice from nutritionists and ordinary people
First of all, you don’t need to try to lose weight dramatically, sit on dangerous mono-diets and push yourself in the gym. This will only lead to the fact that the gained kilos will return, and they will not return alone. You should rely on your own experience and well-being. It is better to choose a calm rhythm for yourself, experiment with food, choose a convenient schedule for eating, sleeping and sports.
Let proper nutrition and exercise gradually become a habit (usually it only takes a month to develop it).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riuYEPdzXdQ
Keep traditions for yourself
In winter, a bathhouse is very useful. You can visit every Friday with your loved ones and friends. This way you will warm up perfectly after the cold, relax, cleanse your body of toxins, and have fun with your loved ones. The main thing is to take a bath correctly - without snacks or alcohol. Try to drink as much mineral water, tea, think positively, chat and have fun with friends. No opportunity to visit the bathhouse? Take baths at home to lose weight. To do this, fill the bath with hot water, add essential oils and relax for about 20 minutes.
In conclusion
Body shaping is possible both in summer and winter. You can take care of your body at any time of the year, the main thing is that you have good motivation and knowledge of what you need to do so as not to harm your body.
If you take into account all the body’s needs for nutrients during the cold season, you can create a complete dietary menu. And for sports training you don’t even need to go to the gym; you can train yourself with the help of training videos. A competent approach will help you lose weight comfortably.
How to lose weight quickly in winter?
In winter, a person always puts on extra pounds, and doesn’t know how to get rid of them? In ancient times, weight was considered a reliable protection against hunger and cold. During this period, a person moves little, and holidays begin to alternate one after another. Therefore, you have to lose weight in the spring in order to get back in shape in the summer. Why put everything off until later, if you can have a great time in winter and lose weight without anyone noticing. How to do this correctly?
Eat right
- 30 minutes before meals you need to drink 200 ml of water and green tea.
- You need to eat food with positive emotions, always arrive in a good mood, so there will be no need to eat stress.
- Set a rule for yourself - eat an incomplete portion, try to pour food into a small plate, be sure to chew it well, do not rush.
- Have you eaten but are still hungry? Do something useful, and soon you will forget about food. This is due to the fact that signals about the satiety of the body affect the brain only 20 minutes after the food is in the body.