Diet in winter: why is it so difficult to lose weight in the cold and what to do about it

Diet in winter — ordeal for losing weight. In an attempt to shine at a New Year's party or shed those extra pounds by spring, they resort to the most unthinkable weight loss methods. But the scales show too slow weight loss, which does not correspond to the efforts made. Or even show an increase of a couple of kilograms, which completely deprives you of faith in yourself.

But maybe it is not in malnutrition, but in winter itself?

Diet in winter: why is it so difficult to lose weight
Air temperature decrease
Reduction of daylight hours
Decreased physical activity
How to make your winter diet more effective
Diet in winter: why is it so difficult to lose weight

It's all about  our "internal" an evolutionary device that detects and adjusts to changes in the environment.

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Air temperature decrease

Many mistakenly believe that if more calories are spent on heating the body, then it will be easier to lose weight in winter. This is true, but when it is necessary to spend more energy (which is represented in the body by fat reserves), the processes that ensure the accumulation of fat also increase their intensity. For comparison: in the  warm season, out of 100 kcal consumed, about 80% is spent on basic needs, and in  — only 60%. This explains the difference in "dietary" well-being: if in the summer a cucumber salad and a glass of juice are enough for you to feel a surge of strength, then in the cold season, only a hearty lunch returns you vitality —

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Reduction of daylight hours

The intensity of metabolic processes, including fat metabolism, is directly related to the length of daylight hours. Our internal analyzers perceive the day (essentially a high level of light) as a period of physical and mental activity, and adjust the metabolism in accordance with this fact. But as soon as the sun goes down below the horizon — It's time to slow down your activity and go to sleep. And it means that metabolic processes, which are irrelevant in the period of rest, should also be slowed down. For a person losing weight, this means that even the most rigid diets are ineffective, and instead of losing weight, they lead to a feeling of extreme fatigue and drowsiness.

Very few people maintain a high level of physical activity with the onset of winter. You might argue that you continue to go to the gym or do home aerobics in the winter. But if you compare it with summer loads — winter seriously lose. Because in the warm season you walk more often, walking with a dog takes more time, and you agree to the proposal of friends to organize a meeting in the park much more willingly than in the cold. In general, this leads to the fact that in winter you burn approximately 100-200 kcal less every day, and by multiplying this amount by a week or month, you and estimate the winter calorie surplus yourself.<

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How to make your winter diet more effective Dietitians and  fitness trainers share recommendations to help overcome the "plateau effect" if you want to lose weight in winter time, and also increase the intensity of weight loss:

Dress warm.

You have only two options: look ultra-fashionable in a thin jacket and jeans, but stay at your weight, or wear a warm coat or down jacket and rejoice at how Gradually lose extra kilos. The principle is simple: if you exclude freezing, then the body stops extracting calories from each crumb with the goal of turning them into fat and, in fact, warming reserves. Otherwise, it will demand more and heavy heavy food, trying to protect you from cold.

• Drink more.
The fact that increased summer sweating has stopped — does not mean that you can cut down on the amount of liquid. To break down fat cells, you need a lot of water, so make sure that juices, teas, water, compotes in your diet are enough.
• You can cheat a little and drink more hot and warm drinks. With this you immediately kill two birds with one stone: warm up and "turn off" accumulative processes, and complete the deficiency of fluid.

  
  

  Sleep at least 7-8 hours.
 A good night's sleep is extremely important at any time of the year for a fast metabolism. Lack of sleep leads to a slowdown in energy metabolism and, accordingly, triggers emergency mechanisms in the body, one of which can be translated into our language as "We need to eat more to survive."
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The rest of the principles of the diet remain unchanged in both winter and summer. We hope that these little tricks will help you meet the spring fully armed with beauty!

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