Getting Through the Winter Without Gaining Weight

Do you put on weight every single winter? Many of us find that our weight creeps up over November and December, with Thanksgiving and Christmas merging the early winter into a holiday from our diet … and then those January resolutions last all of a week.

Here’s how to get through the winter without gaining weight, despite the twin dangers of cold weather and Christmas.

(Apologies to those of you in the southern hemisphere: hopefully the Christmas tips will help, and you can use the cold weather ones in six months’ time…)

Coping with Cold Weather

Cold weather is a diet enemy: it encourages us to fill up on warm, stodgy foods and comforting, calorific drinks … and it makes us want to curl up under a blanket rather than go out and exercise.

Make Your Comfort Foods Healthy Ones

Rather than coping with the cold weather by eating creamy pasta, warm pastries and other diet-breaking treats, look for comfort foods that fit with your diet.

One of my current favorites is oatmeal: it’s a filling, tasty breakfast that keeps me full all morning and makes a great start to the day. For lunch, how about a big bowl of vegetable soup instead of your usual sandwich? With dinners, focus on plenty of vegetables and lean meats or fish: spices give you plenty of warmth and flavor without calories, so don’t rule out curry – just go for plain rice and plenty of vegetables.

Stay Active When It’s Cold

If you’re used to exercising outside – perhaps jogging, walking or cycling – the winter months may mean that your routine gets ditched. Look for some alternatives: how about trying a gym class? The run-up to Christmas is likely to be a quiet time to join a gym and get started – don’t wait for the January rush!

There are hundreds of different DVDs that let you exercise without leaving your house. And don’t forget that housework burns calories, too! Your activity doesn’t have to be formal exercise to “count” – just use the activity calculator to figure out how many calories you’ve burnt.

Coping with Christmas

Does it seem like Christmas starts earlier and earlier each year? You may already be sending and receiving cards, big boxes of chocolates keep appearing in the office, and there’s all that present-buying, tree-decorating and cooking to do. It’s no wonder that many of us give up on our diets for December – and end up setting ourselves back.

Dealing With Stress Without Overeating

Are you an emotional eater? Most of us dieters eat for reasons other than hunger, and for many of us, stress sends us heading straight for the chocolate.

Christmas can be a difficult time, with financial worries, family tensions and overexcited children all taking their toll. Hopefully you’re not feeling too stressed just yet – so now’s a good time to figure out your stress-reduction plan.

What helps you calm down when the world’s going a bit crazy around you? Make a list of non-food things that de-stress you: perhaps a shower or bath, a quiet walk, or simply five minutes on your own in a darkened room.

Christmas Food

You’re bound to be offered nuts, candies, and Christmas treats of all sorts in the run-up to the big day. Plus there will be events to attend: office parties, or gatherings of friends and family. Be realistic – you’re probably not going to stick to vegetable sticks and sparkling mineral water all evening.

If you keep getting offered food in the office or when visiting friends, get in the habit of saying a polite “no”. If you’re worried about offending people, “I’ve just eaten, but I’ll have one later” is often a convenient excuse.

When you know you’ve got a big party coming up, plan ahead. Eat sensibly for a day or two (having something to look forward to can be a great will-power booster), and think through how many drinks or how many courses you want to eat. Then stick to it – despite any well-meaning friends encouraging you to “forget the diet”.

Above all, don’t use December as an excuse to give up dieting for a month – it could take you till spring to get back on track. Don’t worry if you have a few days when you eat more than usual: just stick to eating healthily most of the time, and you won’t end up getting asked to play Santa next year…

What tips do you have for coping with the winter without gaining weight?

Written by Ali Hale

Related posts:

1. What Do You Need to Cut Out of Your Life?
2. Picking Yourself Up After a Weight Gain
3. Six Dieting and Exercise Tips for Rainy Days