How To Lose Weight in Winter in 8 Easy Steps

Winters marks the beginning of the holiday season as Christmas and New Year’s are just around the corner and it’s so easy to break the rules and overindulge in good food, tempting delicacies, and yummy sweets.

It is also the time the cold spells and chilly breeze that hold you from engaging in physical activities. So in totality, we tend to eat more and exert less. And the results? Well, we tend to gain a few extra pounds.

So, today, we will dive into this and find out how to lose weight in winter.

Why do we gain weight in winters?

There are several reasons why the body gains additional weight during winter. Let’s have a look at a few key reasons –

• Our physical activities reduce to a great extent. Consider making a choice between going out and hibernating in the quilt and watching Money Heist on Netflix along with a cup of hot chocolate.

• Our body produces more heat to maintain body temperature. While this increases the metabolism activity, it also creates more demand for food intake in order to meet the growing energy requirements.

• With the kind of choices available, we tend to eat more sugary and high calory food around the holiday time than on the regular days.

How to lose weight in winter and get back in shape before spring

1. Watch your calorie intake – how to lose weight in winter

Let’s be clear here. Calories in your diet are not your enemy. As a matter of fact, a normal body requires up to 2000 calories a day (this also varies as per age and gender, etc). Even if you are on a diet, you should strive to consume 1500 calories a day for a sustainable weight loss regime.

A simple trick that is found to be highly effective in reducing the calorie count is having a bowl of soup before the meal. Although soup acts as an appetizer which may make you eat a little more.

However, in research conducted at Penn State University, it was found that people who had soup before their meal tend to eat more of less calorie food afterward, which means the overall consumption of calories dips by 20 percent than otherwise.

2. Manage a well-balanced diet – how to lose weight in winter

Both the quantity of food and the quality of food that you eat can affect your weight loss plans. While limiting the quantity is easy, it’s more critical to understand the food that isn’t healthy and should be consumed less.

Eat a well-balanced diet that has all the vital nutrients. Make it a practice to replace the daily white bread with whole-grain bread or your regular pasta with whole-grain pasta.

It will be a great idea to fill up your plate with up to 50 percent of uncooked meals.

3. Consume good carbs, not bad carbs – how to lose weight in winter

More than consuming carbs (carbohydrates), it’s more important to know your crabs and eat the right carbs. Avoid products that contain high glycemic carbs. These are less healthy carbs and are present in sugary foods, soft drinks, white bread, potatoes, white rice, and most processed foods.

The problem with unhealthy carbs is that it increases sugar levels in the blood which can lead to weight gain. Also, the excess glucose in the body is converted into fat.

To meet the body’s needs of carbs, switch to low glycemic healthy carbs such as soy products, oats, whole grains, beans, and seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Knowing and eating the right carbs will help you on how to lose weight in winter.

4. Manage the quantity of food in your plate – how to lose weight in winter

We all can’t resist the temptation of yummy festival food and it’s only natural to eat more. If you can’t hold yourself from eating it, the best you can do is manage the potion and quantity of what you eat. Enjoying the yummy food in small servings is a simple yet highly effective strategy for weight loss in winters.

5. Water is your best friend – how to lose weight in winter

Water is essential for weight loss throughout the year, but especially in winter when you might be less active. Drinking water helps you feel full and can reduce your calorie intake It literally contains zero calories, so you can drink it without worrying about weight gain.

Here is a little secret. You must drink water at normal room temperature as it takes some time and some effort for the body to bring it to the normal body’s temperature which helps in burning calories furthermore. Drink up to 8 glasses at normal temperature to meet your daily water requirements in winter.

6. Get exercise indoors – how to lose weight in winter

Agreed. You don’t want to go out or hit the gym during winter. But should it stop you from exercising? Well, probably not.

Don’t restrict yourself from engaging in physical activities. Try to spend at least 20 minutes each day doing indoor exercises. You can try some indoor exercise to lose weight.

Some examples include skipping, running the stairs, push-ups, pull-ups, dancing, etc.

These indoor exercises are a great way to lose weight in winters and burn calories naturally.

7. Practice yoga – how to lose weight in winter

The health benefits of practicing yoga can not be ignored. It helps in boosting immunity Regular practicing helps you lose weight in winter and stay flexible.

Besides this, meditation and yoga also curb the craving for indulging in high-calorie and sugary foods.

For best results, practice yoga at a silent place for about 15 minutes each day.

8. Set realisting goals and track your progress – how to lose weight in winter

As the wise men say – ” you can’t achieve what you can’t measure”. This is exactly true here as well.

There are two things to keep in mind before you start your journey on how to lose weight in winter.

• Set realistic goals
• Measure and track your goals on weekly basis

It’s very important to set up small and realistic goals which can be achieved through persistent efforts. If your goals are too high to chase, you might lose interest halfway or feel disheartened with the results.

For instance, it’s a decent goal to lose one pound a week. With some discipline, commitment, and little effort, this can be managed easily.

For some, this might not seem much. However, keep in mind you have 3 good months to get back in shape before spring. This means losing 12 pounds in a span of 12 weeks. Now that sounds worth chasing. right?

Winter Foods to eat for Weight loss – How to lose weight in winters by eating the right food

Here are a few winter foods you must try to lose weight.

1. Carrots – Low in calories and good on digestion
2. Guava – rich isn dietary fibers that help in weight loss
3. Beetroot – Make juice or eat is as a salad as it contains fibers which are weight loss friendly
4. Fenugreek Seeds – Manages sugar levels and helps curb cravings
5. Cinnamon – Stimulates metabolism and helps in burning fat
6. Spinach – rich is insoluble fibre which aids in weight loss

Besides this here is a list of juices that can help you lose weight. If you are struggling to lose weight after pregnancy, you can try these 5 simple ways to lose weight after pregnancy

A few words from CityMom

If you are looking for ways on how to lose weight in winter then look no further. Try these simple and effective ways to burn that extra fat around the belly.

A bit of commitment and discipline can go a long way and help you be in shape before the start of the spring season.

References

nutrition.gov | bhf.org.uk | and many others