How to avoid weight gain in winter?

How to avoid weight gain in winter?

When winter comes, we usually tend to reduce our activity and stay at home to enjoy warmth and delicious foods. Most people think that eating too much warms our bodies in winter, leading to significant weight gain in winter.

 In fact, overeating doesn't give warmth to our bodies as most people think. On the contrary, overeating could be a reason to feel cold; this is because overeating means increase in calories intake, which is transformed into fat cells. These cells tend to store energy inside it, which means there is no enough free energy to warm the body, leading to feeling cold.

On the other hand, medical studies showed that winter is related to increased appetite and continuous feel of hunger. This phenomenon is due to increased levels of melatonin hormone, which is usually triggered by darkness and lack of sunrays.

Also reduced exposure to sunrays leads to reduced levels of vitamin D (sunrays is the main source of vitamin D), which has a direct role in obesity and weight gain. So, it's recommended to eat fatty fish such as salmon, herring and mackerel as well as exposure to morning sunrays to get sufficient amount of vitamin D.

To avoid weight gain in winter, the following tips should be followed:

  • Avoid fatty dishes and fast foods.
  • Drink 2-3 cups of water before meals to give the sense of satiety and fullness leading to reduction of food intake.
  • Your diet plan should depend mainly on proteins (meat, chicken, fish, egg, dairy products and legumes) as well as vitamins and minerals (vegetables and fruits). On the other hand, try to limit your intake of fats, carbohydrates and sugars.
  • Exercise will be helpful (walking, running… etc.) to burn more calories.

 


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