Yup you heard it right; we will consider today losing weight during winters.
Usually winters bring weight, as too keep body needs fuel and fuel is food, therefore, we feel more hunger than summers and eat more. Secondly, outdoor activities are reduced during winters which increases time spend indoors, snuggle in cozy blankets with some cake and coffee, sound familiar, right?
How to lose weight in winters
With small changes in the routine of winters we can manage to lose weight. So this article is not on dieting, still trying to weight loss in winters.
1. Water Intake
Due to cold weather, water intake is much less, but water requirement is not. This deficiency is fulfilled by our body by consuming food, as water is by-product of energy production. This can be reduced by taking at lease 2.5L of water daily, which is about 10 glasses of regular size.
Drink water warm, as it will increase thirst and more water will be drinkable. Whenever, wherever, you are in a heated room, keep water with you and keep yourself hydrated. This will help you reduce food intake (indirect weight loss) and make your skin glow too.
2. Proteins, Unsaturated Fats Instead of Carbs
Winter is a season of cakes, chocolates, sweets (traditional, continental) and dry fruits, all around the world. Try to avoid all products that have high sugar content, instead use things with lower sugar and higher protein content. As one of famous winter dishes of Pakistan is “Gajar ka Halwa” (
traditional sweet made of carrots, milk and sugar), try another popular recipe of “Badam ka Halwa” (same sweet made of almond, milk and sugar) but instead of sugar use honey. Honey has less fattening effects compared to ordinary sugar, unless you’re a bear who eats honey all day and sits on a rock :)
Even from this sweet do not eat more than two table spoons in a day (provided no other sweet or chocolate has been consumed).
Take two boiled egg whites and can consume one of the yolks; not eating yolk at all will be preferred.
Dry fruits like cashew, pistachio, almond and walnut have high proteins and unsaturated fats as compared to any other fruits or products. Peanuts on the other hand have higher sugar content as well. Fix yourself a ration of not more than a handful of dry fruit. Binge eating of dry fruits is not helpful if you skip a meal take a half bowl of mix dry fruits, believe me, it will suffice you physiological needs of the day.
There are other good sources of proteins like fish, chicken, red meat and beans. Among all these fish and beans help reduce weight as well. Fry fish is not recommended try fish stake or BBQ fish. For chicken, the processed chicken is not helpful in losing weight. Therefore, avoid chicken as much as possible. Red meat stakes can also be used once a week. Half bowl of boiled beans as a snack is also good.
3. Warm Water, Green Tea
Hot beverages are also one of the winter sensations.
Try to avoid all milk containing hot beverages like hot chocolate milk, coffee latte, creamy soups and others. Instead take green tea, mint tea or even plane warm water. It will suffice the need of a hot drink, detoxify your body and the caloric intake is practically none.
Green Tea is also known to dissolve body fats, moving in our blood stream. Which is helpful in digesting the food we eat and helpful in losing weight.
Taking more than 2 glasses of warm water early morning before breakfast reduces body fats, harmful cholesterol and is also known to decrease hunger. Drinking warm water in winters is possible as compared to summers.
4. Soup to lose weight in winters
There isn’t a winter vocation that doesn’t have soup. Creamy, high chicken content and fancy soups also put on weight. Try simple vegetable soup and avoid cream and other fattening stuff. In another post I will give a weight reduction soup recipe as this post is not about weight reduction by dieting. One cup of soup should have at least 2/3 of water content. Take soup prior to dinner to reduce hunger, have early satiety and less food intake.
5. Exercise to lose weight in winters
As this post is not about weight reduction exercises or diet plan per say so here I’m just giving some steps to modify your winter activities resulting in weight reduction. Try not to sleep or snuggle in the blanket immediately after dinner. Get yourself some time by taking green tea within 20 to 30 minutes of dinner, after that do any kind of activity that increase of body temperature. This will bring better sleep and kick body metabolism that will consume whatever was eaten during that day.
6. Daily Walk
Do not stop exercising or walking during winter if you were taking early morning walks in summer and now if it is too cold to follow the same routine, try afternoon walks.
7. Sleep Time
A good sleep for an average adult is between 6 to 8 hours daily. Sleeping less or even sleeping more effects hormones that alter our metabolism, hunger and body weight. Therefore, avoid excessive sleep during winters.
8. Potion Size
People start eating more in winters partially, due to increase hunger and time to eat. Also due to the feeling that in order to maintain my body temperature I need to eat more. Don’t increase your potion size even if the metabolic requirement is high. Stick to your ration of summer. This alone can affect your weight loss tremendously.
Following any four of the above seven and sticking religiously to the last one will not let you gain weight at least this winter vacation, and there is a high chance that you’ll lose some.
Happy Holidays!!! Happy Losing Weight!!!
For soup checkout Weight loss soup.