9 Ways to Avoid Winter Weight Gain

Here are 9 ways to avoid winter weight gain. Preventing weight gained during the winter is important. Studies have shown that winter weight gain averages 2 lbs,  accumulates over time and is tougher to lose.  If this extra weight accumulates through the years it may be a major contributor to obesity later in life.

1. Increase your protein intake to curb carb cravings in winter. Head off cravings for simple carbs by stocking up on healthier foods. Be very mindful of cravings for comfort food.
2. Stock your refrigerator and cupboards with healthier foods that are high in complex carbs. Healthy eating choices include; fresh fruits and vegetables, dried fruits (without added sugar), whole-grain breads and cereals and healthful, low-sodium soups. Foods that are high fiber, are utilized by the body more slowly, feeling satisfied longer. Eat more broth or vegetable based soups to stay full longer. Foods that contain water, keep you feeling full longer than just drinking water.  So, stock up with healthy foods low in calories and high in water content, fill you up faster.
3. Have snacks in-between meals.  Snacking boosts your metabolism, maintains your energy between meals and keeps your blood sugar steady. Plan several protein, fiber-rich snacks a day; unsweetened applesauce, roasted unsalted nuts and seeds, dried fruits made without sugar, such as raisins or apricots; and whole-grain cereal.
4. Keep a food journal, honestly listing your entire food and beverage intake. Assume most mouthfuls are minimum 25 calories.  Some people keep a list every day; others keep a list for a week, once a month.  Whether you use a PDA, phone app, online tool or paper diary, journaling is effective.
5. Never, ever go to a party hungry. Remember to have fun, see and talk to people. Create a plan to resist excess holiday party and food temptations. Don’t expose yourself to temptation without planning. One successful trick I use is to eat a serving of oatmeal before leaving home.
6. Keep physically activity. Weather may prevent outdoor sports, so plan for indoor activity.  When your time is tight, don’t become obsessive, but do be consistent. Plan on being active daily.  At least 3X weekly spend planned exercise time. Buy a few DVDs for indoor activity, Plan 10-15 minute bursts of activities, Create new exercises patterns, Walk upstairs, mall walking.
7. Avoid empty calories on foods or beverages. Avoid or minimize alcohol.  Alcohol is loaded with empty calories.  Drink a full 8oz. glass of water often.
8. Consider taking Vitamin D supplements to compensate for less sunlight and outdoor time.  Check with your doctor.
9. It is okay to say no.  You do not have to accept every invitation or eat/drink every item offered. Practice if you must, but don’t feel guilty about protecting your health.

The key to avoiding winter weight gain is to be aware and mindful of both your eating and exercising.  Take the pressure off and think about what you eat and how you are active.

Please comment. Share how you prevent winter weight gain with other readers.

How to Increase Your Metabolism

Many people find it hard to lose weight. Often, the culprit is a slow metabolism. Metabolism is the process through which your body converts the fuel from your food into energy. This it does by burning calories. There are three components of metabolism: your resting metabolism (BMR), your physical activities, and the digestion of food. A high metabolism means that your body is burning more calories. This is why most experts recommend increasing your metabolism to lose weight. Here are a few things that can help you increase your metabolism.

Improve your diet and eating habits to increase your metabolism

We have all heard about how breakfast is the most important meal of the day. This is especially true if you are trying to raise your metabolism. This is because you have already gone for about 8 to 10 hours without a meal and when you skip breakfast, your body goes into starvation mode and it begins to store excess energy as fat. In fact, this is the reason why you should not skip any meals.

The best way to boost your metabolism is actually to eat about 5-6 small meals throughout the day. This keeps your blood sugar level stable and a consistent supply of energy helps boost your metabolism.

You can also include foods that boost metabolism in your daily diet. Foods rich in protein, essential fatty acids, fibers, and complex carbohydrates increase your resting metabolic rate by as much as 2-3 times. Your body burns more calories in digesting and breaking down these foods than foods containing simple carbohydrates. This is what is known as the thermic effect on metabolism.

Also, make sure to include enough antioxidant vitamins such vitamins B and C as they are necessary for the smooth running of many functions of your body. Finally, the importance of water cannot be emphasized enough. At least 64 ounces of water each day are necessary for the efficiency of your metabolism. Or else, your body gets dehydrated, the temperature of your body drops, and to raise the temperature your body begins to store fat.

Increase your physical activity to increase your metabolism

Aerobics exercise increases your heart rate which in turn boosts your metabolism. As much as you can and, if possible, early in the morning is the best way to include a regular aerobics program into your schedule since it can help in raising your metabolism all throughout the day.

You also need to do weight training or resistance exercises at least 2-3 times a week to boost your metabolism. These exercises help in building muscles. And it is a known fact that muscles burn more calories than fat. So, a regular muscle-building program will raise your basal metabolism and help you burn more calories.

Also simple physical activities such as taking the stairs rather than the lift, taking a walk in the park, or simple stretching exercises can also increase your metabolism. The idea is to become as physically active as possible.

So, if you are having difficulties in losing weight, it’s possible that you are not doing enough to increase your metabolism. So, build muscles to raise your basal metabolism, increase your physical activities to increase the number of calories expended on them, and improve your diet and eating habits to increase the calories expended on the digestion of food. And believe me, you will surely see the difference.

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Factors Affecting Your Metabolism

Metabolism is a collection of chemical reactions that helps your body get the necessary energy from food. This energy is necessary for your body to sustain its essential functions. The speed at which your body burns calories is your metabolic rate. A fast metabolism or high basal metabolic rate (BMR) helps in weight loss. And that’s not all. A healthy metabolism is necessary for the overall health of your body. There are various factors that can affect how fast or how slow your metabolic rate is. Here are some of them:

Age

Your total lean muscle mass is largely responsible for your BMR. After the age of 30, the body begins to lose its lean muscle mass. This leads to a decline in your metabolism. Expect your metabolic rate to decrease by 2% every decade after the age of 20. You can increase your metabolism by increasing your physical activity after the age of 30.

Gender

Since men have more lean muscle mass, their metabolism is higher than women. This is why women tend to gain weight more rapidly than men and need to work harder to boost their metabolism.

Height

If you are tall, your body has a higher surface area to sustain. This means that your body needs more energy than a short person. As a result, the taller you are, the more active your metabolism and the more calories you need to stay energized.

Genetics

We have all known people who do not gain weight inspite of being heavy eaters. And then there are those who end up gaining weight although they eat normally. This is because of the differences in their genetic makeup. Your BMR is inherited and there is not much you can do to change it. However, knowing your BMR will help you do the needful to raise your metabolism.

Eating Habits

Some foods increase your metabolism and some slow it down. How and when you eat are also factors which may decrease or increase your metabolism. If you eat small meals throughout the day rather than one huge meal a day, your metabolism will be more active.

Stress

If you are under constant stress and pressure, your metabolism will be slow. You can increase your metabolism by managing your stress effectively.

Hormonal balances

Different nutrients are metabolized by different hormones in the body. Correcting a hormonal imbalance can increase a sluggish metabolism.

Physical activity

Increasing your physical activity and exercising is the best way to increase your metabolism. Aerobics and working with weights increases lean muscle mass and increases metabolism. If you have a sedentary lifestyle, your metabolic rate will be slow. Any kind of physical activity requires more energy for your body. This means that your metabolism will speed up to burn more calories to produce more fuel to carry out the bodily movements.

A healthy metabolism is necessary to create new cells and tissues, maintain the body’s temperature, repair injuries, and perform bodily activities. Although there is nothing you can do about factors such as your genetic makeup and your height, a healthy diet and the right fitness routine can help increase your metabolism to the appropriate level and contribute to your overall health.

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Related Posts

1. Body Mass Index Defined
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Foods That Boost Your Metabolism

Most of us know that metabolism has a key role to play in weight loss. Anything that we do to boost metabolism will help in losing weight.

• As most of us know, metabolism is the process through which our body converts food into energy and this it does by burning calories.
  

  Raw Vegetables Boost Your Metabolism

• Increasing physical activity and exercising daily increases metabolism and we burn more calories.
• But do you know that there are certain foods that boost your metabolism? Here are a few foods that can be included in your regular diet to raise your metabolism.

Oatmeal

Steel-cut or rolled oats are a good source of complex carbohydrates and fibers. Oatmeal slowly breaks down in your stomach which keeps the insulin levels in your body low after you eat and ensures a slow release of glucose into your bloodstream. This helps boost metabolism, preventing storing of fat and helping you burn more calories. It also makes you feel fuller for a longer time, provides you with the necessary energy for your daily workout routine, and is great for your heart.

Chilli, Cayenne, and Jalapeno

If you are fond of adding cayenne pepper to your sauces and soups, you are actually increasing your metabolism by approximately 20%. Peppers contain a compound called capsaicin that speeds up your heart rate and raises your metabolism. In fact, you can actually continue burning calories even after 3 hours of eating a meal including chilli and cayenne pepper. So, don’t forget to include peppers in your food.

Fish

Essential fatty acids, in particular omega-3 fatty acids, boost your metabolism. And fish such as salmon, tuna, and trout are the best sources of these fatty acids. Essential fatty acids alter the levels of a hormone called leptin in your body. Leptin has a direct impact on your metabolism and have an influence on whether the calories are burnt or stored as fat. Lower levels of leptin mean higher metabolism. This is why fish is considered to be one of the best foods to boost metabolism. You can even try fish-oil supplements to get your daily dose of essential fatty acids.

Chicken, Turkey, and Lean Beef

If you are wondering how these foods boost your metabolism, then the word you need to know is ‘protein’. These foods are high in protein and our body needs more energy and more time to digest the protein found in meat. So, a high-protein diet translates into more work for your body in digestion, higher metabolism, and more calorie-burning.

Fruits and vegetables

Raw fruits and vegetables are often recommended for weight loss because they are high in fibers. Your body finds it difficult to digest and extract the nutrients from fibers. So, it works harder and increases your metabolism. About 8-10 servings of these foods is enough to boost your metabolism.

These are not the only foods to boost your metabolism. Foods such as grapefruits, broccoli, and celery contain low calories, but require high calories to digest. Herbs such as green tea have also proven to be great diet supplements to increase your metabolism. So, include foods high in fibers, protein, complex carbohydrates, and essential fatty acids and raise your metabolism.

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