How to quickly lose weight in winter. How to eat properly in winter. Poor sleep requires additional energy from food
Winter is a difficult test for the body; lack of sun and heat, increased risk of viral and respiratory diseases requires endurance from us. During the cold season, most people dial excess weight, and in order not to panic in the spring, they wonder how to lose weight in the winter. We will look at options for body correction and figure out what determines weight gain.
The deposition of fat reserves in autumn and winter is determined genetically. 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. In cold weather, we prefer traveling by car or public transport walking, physical activity is minimized, because the energy supplied with 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 time its deficiency can be up to 80%, which is why we develop a simply brutal 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.
Proven methods
Balanced diet
To understand how to lose weight in autumn or winter, you need to understand what food our body needs when cold weather sets in. If you believe what reviews from those who have lost weight say, you can create an optimal menu for weight loss, which will be rich in all nutrients.
Let's consider what you need to include in your diet in order to correct your figure at home and not undermine your immune system.
Ban on fasting
Reviews from professional nutritionists and people who have tried different systems for weight loss in winter period, confirm that hunger is the worst companion for losing weight. Do not skip meals under any circumstances, because this way your body will be even less willing to part with fat deposits, saving them “for a rainy day.”
It's best to eat small portions healthy foods at intervals of 2-3 hours. This way you will convince your body that you will give it the necessary amount of energy regularly, and it will begin to use subcutaneous fat to maintain life.
Physical exercise
Without physical exercise We can’t get by in winter, because, given the minimal physical activity at this time of year, it will be quite difficult to create a calorie deficit using diet alone.
To start the process of actively burning fat, use the following methods:
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 diet menu. And for sports training you don’t even need to go to the gym, you can study on your own with the help of training videos. A competent approach will help you lose weight comfortably.
If you are concerned about how to lose weight in winter, then you have seriously decided to take care of yourself - after all, losing weight in winter is more difficult than at other times of the year. But it’s still possible!
Just don’t set yourself unattainable goals: minus a few kilograms during the winter months, jam-packed with holidays, is a great result.
So how to get rid of extra pounds and meet spring in great shape?
Cold against a slim figure
In winter we tend to eat more - this is due to natural cycles. This is how the body tries to protect us from the cold. And everything would be fine, but we spend most of the time, even in winter, warm. Therefore, everything eaten in excess is stored in fat reserves.
This means that diets in winter are doubly dangerous. The body requires more food, and we require it with a diet. Nature understands strict food restrictions in its own way: cold, and there is also hunger ahead, which means that at the slightest supply of food - STORE!!!
How to deal with increased appetite in winter
First, eat foods that keep you full for a long time more often. These are protein dishes (meat, fish, seafood, legumes, dairy products), complex carbohydrates(porridge), as well as puree soups.
Secondly, if you are really cold, never warm yourself with food. First - a hot drink, then a break for about 20 minutes, and only then food. By the way, with this approach, you may not even get to food.
And don’t create situations yourself where you might freeze – dress warmly. This important condition to avoid overeating in winter.
Thirdly, drink a winter slimming drink. This is what I call sugar-free dried fruit compote (a glass of dried fruit per half a liter of water). For added effect, you can add half a teaspoon of cinnamon. Drink hot (warm) 15-20 minutes before meals or instead of snacks, 0.5 - 1 cup. This drink will significantly reduce your appetite.
And remember about light: the more light and bright colors in your life, the less susceptible you will be to winter overeating.
How to eat in the cold to lose weight: winter menu plan
How to lose weight in winter: not everything hidden is obvious
Outerwear is an indispensable attribute of winter. So, it's time to master hidden gymnastics! Under your clothes it will not be visible to others, you can safely do the exercises in transport, in queues, or while waiting. Your task is to develop a healthy exercise habit without wasting time, and at the same time tighten your figure.
By the way, the movement on fresh air really requires more energy - this is why our body is trying to accumulate “winter” reserves. So don’t miss the opportunity to even just walk, much less actively relax on the street. In winter, daily 40-60 minutes of movement in the fresh air and in fast pace will help you do without gyms and still lose weight.
Have you read the article? Make a plan - choose what's right for you, what you'll tackle right now and what you'll do later, and set a deadline. Without a plan there will be no action - verified! You now know how you can lose weight in winter without harming your health - it’s time to turn what you want into reality.
P.S. Many people perceive losing weight as giving up food. In fact, this has nothing to do with reality. On the contrary, to lose weight, you need to turn food into an ally. How can you do this if you refuse it? Then ? Read – it’s not about the food at all...
Mini Tips for Losing Weight
Reduce your portions by a third - that's what will help you lose weight! Short and to the point :)
Add more or stop? When this question arises, it’s definitely time to stop eating. This is the body giving you a signal that you will be full soon, otherwise you would not doubt it.
If you tend to overeat in the evenings, then take a warm shower before dinner. 5-7 minutes, and you already have a completely different mood and attitude towards food. Try it - it works.
No matter how delicious the food is, you will eat it many more times. This is not the last meal of your life! Remind yourself of this when you feel like you can’t stop and are frantically swallowing piece after piece.
Our environment influences us - that's a fact! Avoid conversations like “I lost weight and couldn’t”, “but we’ll still remain fat”, “there must be a lot of good people.” Well, even if there are “a lot” of them, what do you have to do with it?
Remember a simple word: graceful. This is exactly what your portion of unhealthy foods should be. And then you too will become graceful - it’s only a matter of time.
Let me start with the fact that you can lose weight at any time of the year, regardless of what you see outside the window of your house, be it hot summer, or rainy autumn, or severe frosts, richly flavored with meter-long snowdrifts.
It is more difficult to lose weight in winter than in summer - there are much fewer vegetables and fruits, and weather conditions do not always imply the possibility of active activity on the street.
On the other hand, at home it is always easier to organize your diet, even down to preparing exactly the food that is most optimal for losing weight.
Today I will tell you how to lose weight in winter at home, I will tell you what prevents us from losing weight in winter, and how to get rid of these “interferences”.
What prevents you from losing weight in the winter season?
Actually, at the beginning of the article, I already named the main reasons that prevent us from losing weight, or more correctly, they are some obstacle to losing weight in winter at home. The main reasons are the lack of the required amount of vegetables and fruits, as well as the cold weather outside.
I will dwell on these reasons, as well as some others that prevent you from losing weight in the winter season.
Lack of vegetables and fruits
It seems to me that everyone knows that constant consumption of vegetables and fruits allows you not only to maintain your weight at an optimal level, but also to lose weight. As they say, eat more vegetables and fruits - and you will be happy.
But what about in winter, when there are an order of magnitude fewer vegetables and fruits than in summer time of the year?!
Of course, they are available in stores, but their prices are simply outrageous, and if you regularly buy fruits and vegetables in the store, there won’t be enough money for it, and not a trace will be left of the family budget. On our website you can find a lot useful information and about the family budget, and about proper nutrition.
What to do in this case, because for a healthy and nutritious diet without vegetables and fruits there is simply no place?!
While the situation with some vegetables is usually not so difficult, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, onions and beets can be bought in the store at any time of the year. Some shortages and increased costs may occur, for example, in cauliflower, eggplant, cucumbers and tomatoes, peppers, radishes, and celery. Although, now in the winter you can even buy fresh herbs in the store.
By the way, in my distant childhood, and this was more than a dozen years ago, I did not like going to the grocery store. It seemed angry and lifeless to me: on the shelves there were three-liter jars with giant pickled cucumbers, about two and a half cucumbers per three-liter jar, three-liter jars of juice, sauerkraut by weight, which stank the whole store, and terrible a conveyor belt along which potatoes were fed to the scales... In general, it was creepy.
But now the shops are simply blooming with a variety of vegetables. And it’s quite possible to buy vegetables for yourself that are quite affordable. The same beets and carrots are always available in stores.
With fruits the situation is a little more complicated. The prices for “summer” fruits that come to us from distant southern countries are simply “exorbitant”.
There is only one way out: to eat right and lose weight in winter, choose seasonal fruits that ripen and are available in stores in winter, for example, winter varieties of apples, citrus fruits, kiwis, persimmons, bananas, or fruits that are available almost all year round.
An excellent option for proper winter nutrition would be to use your own preparations. If, of course, you took care of this in the summer. In the summer, in a store or vegetable market you can buy any product grown in the garden, from cauliflower to strawberries. Almost all garden crops can be frozen and can be stored for a long time.
Having your own preparations will not only save the family budget, but will also allow you to follow the necessary diet along with vitamin supplements for the body.
Frosty weather outside
Prolonged cold weather is the second reason why we have difficulty maintaining weight at an optimal level and losing weight.
Few people want to go outside into the cold once again.
Although, even a short street walk in frosty weather allows you to burn much more calories than you spend when walking in the warm season!
The body has to spend its energy not only on normal walking, but also on adapting to weather conditions, that is, energy production for basic warming of the human body increases.
And this is an additional calorie expenditure, which we strive for so much.
Few sunny days
We get up in the morning - it’s still dark, we go to bed - it’s already dark. During the day there are only a few hours of light, and even then it is not always sunny. And people living in the north do not see the sun for half a year.
What do you want to do in the dark?! Right. Sleep - sleep - sleep... And be lazy and do nothing. Activity decreases, and with the decrease in activity excess weight is added.
The body accumulates excess fat
As soon as it starts to get cold outside, our body involuntarily begins to accumulate additional fat.
Everything is correct - cold is stress for the body, and more energy is needed to overcome stress. The best way accumulate energy - store some fat. It's simple.
By the way, many people who lose weight face the problem of gaining weight instead of intensively losing weight. That is, at the beginning of the diet, the weight decreased, then it stopped at the same level, and then suddenly began to increase, although there were no violations of the diet.
In this situation, the body of a person losing weight decided that he was experiencing stress, and it would be necessary to somehow survive it. Therefore, from those products that entered the body, part of the energy was used to maintain the body, and part was directed to the accumulation of reserves.
And so, we have considered the main reasons that prevent us from maintaining weight in the winter season and losing weight. Next, I will tell you what rules you need to follow so that you can lose weight in the winter at home.
Basic rules for losing weight in winter at home
I use these rules myself, and many of my friends follow these same rules.
1. Drink a glass of water immediately after waking up
Water is the basis of our body. The body needs water at any time of the year, both winter and summer. In the summer, you drink water casually because you want to. But in the winter, at first, you will have to force yourself.
As an argument for the need to drink more water in the winter season, I will give one main one. Tell me, what condition is the skin of your face and hands? Do you feel dry and want to use moisturizer as often as possible? If the answer is yes, you clearly have a water shortage.
The body spends the water it receives to maintain basic vital functions. And if the incoming water is not enough, our skin, as an indicator of health, begins to suffer first, which is expressed in dryness, peeling, blemishes, and redness.
Next comes metabolic disorders, the functioning of the kidneys, circulatory system, etc. deteriorates. And if we can immediately see the lack of water on the condition of our facial skin, then other symptoms go unnoticed for us.
And then we wonder why it’s hard for us to move, why we don’t have the strength, why the weight increases.
I repeat the rule - immediately after waking up, drink a glass of water. Even if you don't want to.
2. Ventilate the room
Even if the apartment is cold, it is necessary to ventilate it at least twice a day. In the morning and in the evening.
Fresh air, or more correctly, fresh frosty air, gives a charge of vigor and, as it were, “starts up” our body.
Open the window for a few minutes. It would be enough.
3. Morning exercises
It is not at all necessary to carry out a full-fledged workout in the morning, which is done in the fitness room. And I understand that if you suddenly start doing morning exercises that you have never done before, you risk being ridiculed by your relatives.
It can be made simpler. In the bathroom, while washing your face in the morning and brushing your teeth, before taking a shower, that is, in the bathroom where no one can see you, do a few exercises.
For example: swinging your arms, up - down, right - left, tilting the body to the right - left, forward - back, turning the body right - left, several squats and several bends.
Three to five minutes of this exercise will give you a great boost of energy and allow you to stretch your muscles.
4. Mandatory walk during the day
Even if it’s freezing outside, you still need to go for a walk. It may only be fifteen minutes, but you still need to go out!
Ideally, in winter you should walk at least one hour a day. And don’t just hang around at the entrance, but walk at a fast pace.
The more distance you walk, the more calories you can burn. And, as I wrote above, walking in winter allows you to burn much more calories than in the warm season, and, as a result, allows you to lose weight.
And yes, do not use the elevator if your house has one, go up and down on foot. At least several floors.
It will be better if you go for a walk during daylight hours. You can, of course, walk in the evening, but a walk in daylight will have a much greater effect.
5. Planning your diet
It doesn’t matter how many times a day you eat, three or five. Try to distribute your diet in such a way that you eat the heaviest foods in terms of calories in the first half of the day, leaving lighter dishes, for example, vegetable dishes or sour-milk products, for the second half of the day.
Duration of such fasting days should not be more than one day. This way you will not experience a strong feeling of hunger, but you will be able to maintain your weight at an acceptable level and gradually lose weight.
Most people gain excess weight during the winter months. The main explanation for this is that in winter physical activity decreases and the consumption of tasty, but undesirable food for the figure increases, especially on New Year's holidays.
Weight gain only occurs if calorie expenditure is lower than calorie intake. Therefore, you can lose weight when you spend more calories than you eat.
You can eat everything, but in moderation. The main thing is not to abuse it. For example, if you eat a little chocolate a day, it will not affect your body weight as long as you exercise.
Lack of daylight indoors can lead to decreased serotonin production. This leads to despondency and melancholy, and along with this the desire to snack. To get rid of this problem, light your home or office well. For correction, add fluorescent lamps.
Get into the habit of eating slowly. The brain needs 20 minutes to signal saturation. Therefore, if you eat quickly, then most likely you will eat more than what your body needs. And also beautifully presented food will help you get full faster.
It is extremely important to drink warm drinks in winter to help keep you warm. But, for example, hot chocolate with whipped cream will add a huge amount to your diet. It is better to drink regular tea or espresso with the addition of skim milk. In addition, you need to limit alcohol.
You will avoid the temptation to buy high-calorie foods if you stock up on food for a few days. Even bread can be stored longer than usual if it is placed in the refrigerator. This way you will be able to quickly prepare dinner, such as vegetable soup or stew.
Drink coffee outside the house, work near a window if possible, and walk outside for at least 15 minutes during your lunch break. These seemingly insignificant tips will help you lose weight in winter.
Winter diet
There is no need to include more calories in your diet at this time of year. An exception may be, for example, if you are going to go to the mountains when the temperature is below 0 degrees.
Do not reduce the amount of fluid you drink. But don't put your water bottle in the refrigerator. It's better to let it be at room temperature.
You can also choose herbal teas, broths or vegetable soups. You can use first courses from bags, adding fresh vegetables to them.
It is not advisable to use hard cheese. Buy cheese instead.
Salads can be replaced with steamed or grilled vegetables.
In winter, it is better to eat cooked fruits. For example, apples, pears or bananas can be baked in the oven or microwave.
Legumes, pasta and porridges should be combined with plenty of vegetables and lean meat, which will help
Eat calmly, chewing every bite. This not only promotes better digestion, but will also help you understand the moment of fullness.
Do not take long gaps between main meals so as not to accumulate hunger.
Follow your eating schedule. This will help maintain proper metabolism. The break between doses should not be less than 1 and no more than 3 hours.
Fitness
Researchers say that by doing physical training outdoors in cold weather can increase calorie consumption by 30%. This occurs due to thermogenesis, the body's effort to maintain body temperature.
When temperatures are low, many people avoid working outdoors. This is the main drawback that leads to weight gain in winter. , will help maintain weight. Try to dress warmly and comfortably and go for a run near your home or play with your children.
If due to bad weather it is not possible to go for a walk or go to Gym, and you will stay at home, use the fitness training disc.
You can use treadmill or an exercise bike. Place them in front of the TV and watch your favorite TV series or listen to music.
Visit the pool, indoor court, take the stairs at work and at home without using elevators.
One thing to keep in mind is that it is important to enjoy these activities. It will not do if this is done as a duty. In this case, such activity will not last long. But this should become part of the lifestyle.
Everyone knows that after winter, most women strive to get rid of extra pounds. But perhaps there is a way to avoid gaining extra weight during the cold season. And before you and I begin to study ways to lose weight in the winter, let's find out why our body strives to accumulate fat during cold weather.
reasons for gaining weight in winter
So, why do we gain at least three to four kilograms during the three winter months? From a medical point of view, there are two versions:
- Genetic necessity. It will not be news to anyone that in winter the temperature is quite low. Consequently, our body needs more energy in order not to freeze. Today we have warm clothes and heaters at our disposal, but several centuries ago our ancestors lived in caves, and increased nutrition was not a whim, but a condition of survival. And nowadays, despite the presence of heaters, instinct still makes you eat as much as possible;
- The second theory is that when there is not enough sunlight, our taste buds become more sensitive. Accordingly, we get more pleasure from eating food. It is for this reason that we begin to eat more.
In addition, gaining weight is complicated by the fact that almost all jackets are voluminous, which means you and I don’t notice how fat we are getting. So, if you don’t want to gain extra pounds in the winter, you should trust the scales and not your eye.
how to lose weight over the winter
Of course, you can lose weight, but remember that strict diets they won't help you. In addition, if you limit yourself in food in winter, the result may be ordinary vitamin deficiency. It is very simple to explain its appearance: in winter, the amount of vitamins entering our body is not too large.
And if you also limit it, then unpleasant consequences will not keep you waiting. One more negative consequence Winter fasting can also lead to a decrease in immunity, which is especially dangerous during influenza epidemics.
By the way, the same recommendations apply to the autumn period. If you want to lose weight in autumn and winter, then you should eat smaller meals. In this way, you will convince your body that the upcoming weather change does not pose any danger and it is completely unnecessary to stock up.
In addition to reducing the amount of reserves for the winter with the help of fractional nutrition, you also speed up your metabolism, which, in turn, helps burn the fat layer that has already accumulated.
how to eat in winter to lose weight
Particular attention should be paid to the amount of water absorbed. Yes, of course, in winter you and I don’t feel like drinking at all. But this does not mean at all that our body does not need liquid. So it turns out that liquid is deposited in our body, creating the effect of increasing volume. And you and I have absolutely no use for this! Therefore, do not forget that you should drink at least one and a half to two liters of water per day.
Also, in winter and autumn, you and I need to fuel our bodies with vitamin C. And it is not at all necessary to buy special chewable tablets in the store. You can simply add small pieces of lemon or orange to oatmeal in the morning.
You can also lean on sauerkraut. In general, try to fill your body with all kinds of vitamins naturally, and you will always have time to take a pill.
Another feature of the winter diet is soup. Firstly, this is the same liquid that will allow you to avoid sudden weight gain. And secondly, thanks to hot soup you can improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, you feel full after soup much longer than after any other meal.
Let’s not forget about the need to eat dairy products, the peculiarity of which is the ability to trigger in our cells metabolic processes. And this, in turn, leads to the burning of adipose tissue.
At the same time, it is absolutely not necessary to eat dairy products 24 hours a day. It is quite enough to eat one hundred grams of cottage cheese or hard cheese in three to four days and drink about the same amount of milk or fresh kefir.
By the way, if the feeling of hunger keeps you awake at night, then you can afford to drink a glass of kefir an hour before bed. At the same time, remember that you should not drink cookies or regular bread with it. Only kefir!
So, we have already figured out how you can eat in winter to lose weight. As you understand, the main thing is to avoid eating flour and confectionery products. I would also like to say a few words about the New Year holidays.
If you are not used to meeting New Year if the table is empty, we advise you to develop a special diet menu that will save you from the possibility of gaining extra pounds, but at the same time will be very tasty.
physical activity during the winter
A few joggers in a park in the middle of summer is not unusual. But in the winter, having met such an extreme sports enthusiast, you start thinking about why people can’t stay at home and how you can run in the winter to lose weight in just a sports jacket if the temperature outside is sub-zero.
But as it turns out, such a pastime is quite beneficial for our body. The advantages of such morning jogging hardening of the body and more is considered intense combustion calories, and strengthening a certain group of leg muscles.
But no matter how wonderful the prospect of losing weight in this way looks, we should not forget that it also has contraindications. For example, it is strictly forbidden for those who are predisposed to various colds. It is not recommended for those who suffer from varicose veins veins and chronic respiratory diseases.
