Proven Solutions To Winter Weight Gain And How To Lose It

Did you know winter weight gain may be the biggest enemy you have in your battle to keep your weight down? You may be one of those that really pack the pounds on during the winter. Have you ever asked yourself why it happens to you? Well actually there are several things that can cause this unsightly weight gain. However, you can take steps to help lessen the chance of putting the extra pounds on.

One of the biggest contributing factors can be winter boredom. Chances are you decrease your activities during the winter months; especially the outdoor ones. This can be due to the shorter daylight hours.

Recent studies have shown that when physical activities are reduced you tend to get bored. The same studies indicate boredom causes many people to eat more than they normally would. And if you are like so many others you will tend to snack on comfort food.

Unfortunately much of todays comfort food is not good for our overall health much less our waist line. If you must snack out of boredom you should be extremely careful to make sure your snacks or healthy. It would be a good idea to keep veggies, fruits and nuts around. The lower the calorie counts the less chances you will have winter weight gain.

Some scientist place the blame of cold season weight gain on our ancestral blood lines. These same folks think some of your pre-historic relatives may have had to pack on the fat just to stay alive during the cold months. In turn this same need created a desire for food that would add the extra fat quickly and easily. Today we call that loading up on the calories.

Furthermore these scientists also believe your relatives also piled on the extra calories because of the fear of the food spoiling. And of course the food spoilage would cause shortages before the coldest part of the winter was over. The need for survival was to add the fat, just like some animals do for survival.

But you dont have to let this needling of Need Meat, Need Meat control you. A chain around the refrigerator will do just fine; thank you very much. Seriously you can over come this inherited need (if that is what it is) by remembering you live in a warm friendly environment and the grocery store is just around the corner. Thus you dont have to eat everything in sight just to stay warm and survive.

But lets face it; you know darn good and well you tend not to exercise as much during the winter. Its much easier to come home in the evening and throw yourself down in the recliner and catch some TV time. Well, friend you just compounded your winter weight gain by a factor of 2 or more.

No matter what else you do you have to get some exercise. If the weather is to bad to go outside and walk, use the stairs in your office building. Go to the gym for lunch instead of to the cafeteria. Do what ever you to do to keep your metabolism up to burn those extra calories.

As you can see there are many things that can cause you to jump up to 2 pants size larger during the winter months. However, if you take some of the steps mentioned above it will help control your winter weight gain and make it easier to lose when the warmer months roll around.

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Sugar is everywhere you look and it might pop up in some surprising places. Did you know that most whole grain breads have at least one form of sugar in them? We have a national sweet tooth epidemic. Even if you dont eat a lot of sugary treats you may experience intense sugar cravings in the first few weeks of the Atkins diet. So many healthy carbohydrate foods have hidden sugars in them, your body may be experiencing withdrawal.

The problem with sugar is that your blood sugar is tied into your energy levels and your overall health. When your blood sugar is too low, you will experience intense cravings. High blood sugar is a result of eating high-sugar meals. When you eat concentrated sugar, your blood sugar will raise to high levels. Your pancreas thinks there is something wrong and then it secretes insulin to lower the blood sugar. As this happens more, you can create pre-diabetic conditions in your body as your pancreas becomes worn out and eventually cannot secrete insulin.

Fortunately, getting started on the Atkins diet plan can put a stop to this cycle. However, this doesnt mean that sugar cravings go away automatically. Sugar products are everywhere and temptation is sometimes hard to fight.

The best way to approach sugar cravings is with planning. If you maintain a balance of protein, fat and fiber in your daily diet you will prevent blood sugar drops that lead to sugar cravings. Also, do not go too long between meals without eating. Snacks are an important part of keeping your blood sugar stable. Have some handy snacks like cheese, nuts, seeds and boiled eggs on hand with you so you can quickly stabilize your blood sugar without turning to sweet treats.

Sugar cravings can also be a sign of a nutritional deficiency. When you are low on magnesium, you will crave chocolate and other sweets. Zinc and chromium can also stave off sugar cravings. If you arent taking a good multivitamin supplement with these minerals, start immediately. If you are and you are still experiencing cravings, consider trying additional supplements of these nutrients.

Another tactic is to brush your teeth. Many Atkins dieters find that brushing their teeth or using Listerine breath strips can help with cravings. Both methods will numb your mouth and prevent you from wanting to eat. Drinking two large glasses of water can also help eliminate cravings. If your stomach is full, then youll be less likely to reach for a sugary treat.

Sometimes out of sight, out of mind is the best approach. If you find yourself overcome with cravings while you are at home, get outside and take a walk. The distraction will have you forgetting your sugar craving in no time. Calling a friend for support or logging into an Atkins support forum can also go a long way toward preventing you from succumbing to sugar cravings.

Having a low-carb version of your favorite treat is another good idea. You are less likely to feel deprived if you can have a satisfying low carb treat. There are a wide variety of low-carb products available on the market that can beat your sweet tooth. Low-carb yogurt, chocolate, ice cream and candy can all help you stay on the Atkins plan and still get something sweet to eat.

Sugar cravings are a reality of following the Atkins plan, but the previous tips will help you overcome them and stay committed to your weight loss efforts.

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You may think that to lose weight you have to learn to hate food. This is so wrong and is the exact opposite of how you should be thinking. You need to learn to love food for the fuel that it gives you to get through your day and to find foods to eat to lose weight instead of gain it.

Too many people rely on food to give them comfort when all it really does is make you fat because you eat too much of the wrong things. When you start making healthier choices and paring down your portion sizes you will begin to see some differences in the clothes you wear and the energy your have.

I am going to talk to you about foods to eat to lose weight. There are many to choose from and to mix and match. There are ways to make sure that you eat enough of everything to get the nutrients and vitamins you need on a daily basis but still not go over your calorie count for the day.

Since you need to eat five or six small meals per day to lose the weight you want, you may need to mix things up a bit so you do not get bored with what you are eating. Fresh fruits and vegetables need to play a major role in you losing the weight you want, even if you do not like them. Pick the one or two that you do like and stick with them.

If you do like them then you are basically home free. You need to eat a piece of fruit or a vegetable with every single meal. Preferably one of each. If you choose to have fruit as one of your snacks, pair it up with some low-fat yogurt or some sunflower seeds. Mix the fruit and sunflower seeds into the low-fat yogurt and make your own special granola type snack.

The low-fat dairy and the seeds will keep you fuller longer and provide you with lots of protein and essential fats your body needs to function properly. You can’t cut out all the fat from your diet because your body needs some fat to help your body absorb certain nutrients.

Lean proteins are important, too. Eggs, fish, shrimp, low-fat dairy, and poultry are all great sources of lean protein. Just make sure to keep the portion sizes to about three ounces, four if you are male.

Like I said, fats are important but only in very small amounts. If you should choose poultry make sure the skin is removed and the fat trimmed off completely. Eat red meat only as a treat every once in a while. I don’t know about you but I love steak and could not possibly go without it for the rest of my life but I could just have it once or twice a month and be happy with all the other foods to eat to lose weight for the rest of the time.

Tags: Atkins, Calorie Count, Choices, Clothes, Daily Basis, Eating Habits, Eggs, Essential Fats, Foods To Eat To Lose Weight, Fresh Fruits And Vegetables, Fruits And Vegetables, Healthy Diet, Lean Protein, Losing Weight, Nutrients, Portion Sizes, Poultry, Proteins, Shrimp, Snack, Snacks, Sunflower Seeds, Vitamins, Vitamins And Minerals, Yogurt —

Looking for easy ways to lose weight? Want to do it with a minimum of hassle or sacrifice? Want to do it pretty quickly too? If so, keep reading. I may have just the weight loss plan for you.. .and if you do it the way you are supposed to, it is totally healthy too.

Now, it’s time for my disclaimer: I’m not a doctor or nutritionist so I can’t advise you medically. So you need to talk to your doctor before you start any weight loss or diet plan. He can tell you what you can do, what you can’t do and what you should do.

Make sure your weight loss is done safely, there really isn’t any other way.

Now, I will tell you about the “diet” plan I used and I lost almost a pound a day.. in was a healthy plan too. And, in case you are wondering the word diet is in quotes because that word can really conjure up the wrong ideas.

For the purpose of this article I use the word diet to mean what I eat and how much and how often. I don’t mean diet in the terms of starving myself or hardly eating anything at all and feeling hungry and deprived (which is a dumb method and doesn’t work for the long term anyway).

So, here is the easy ways to lose weight that I used and I lose 6 pounds in one week:

1. First, I ate more food during my day! Weird huh? But I didn’t just fill up on high calorie low nutritional value food. I ate food that fueled my body. Food that kept my metabolism burning hot.

That means that no matter what I was doing; watching t.v., sleeping, etc. I was burning more fat. My metabolic “furnace” was just going and going and going.

2. I ate between 5 and 6 times a day. Most of my meals and snacks consisted of the same types of food: some lean protein such as chicken, fish or seafood, some fresh vegetables such as spinach or a salad, and some small amount of carbs such as a little rice or small portion of pasta.

I would also have fruit during the day. Mostly I concentrated on what I was putting into my body. I tried to concentrate of foods that were going to provide my body with needed nutrients, not just useless calories.

3. During the first week I love 6 pounds and at that time I wasn’t doing anything different except eating these small, nutritious meals throughout the day. I hadn’t increased my exercise at all. I did make sure to drink more water too.

I’ve never been a big fan of all the weight loss pills, potions and gadgets. I think easy ways to lose weight are really just about giving your body what it needs, in the right quantities and at the right times. That is what my “diet” is all about.

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