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Are you SAD about Winter Weight Gain?
By Janice Elizabeth Small
As spring arrives many of us are left with a legacy from the short
days and long nights of winter - a whole heap of extra pounds we
could do without. And it's not all due to overeating during the
festive season. It seems that whether we have lots of parties to
attend or not, we are all programmed to eat more in winter.
It's all to do with our brain chemistry and especially the feel-good
hormone we produce called serotonin. This hormone helps us feel
calm, balanced and in control of our emotions and without it we
start to feel down and depressed. But levels of this hormone drop
in the population as a whole in winter and as the nights draw in
and the amount of daylight we all receive diminishes, we are
increasingly attracted to eat sweet and starchy food in an attempt
to raise serotonin levels.
Of course, a sudden intake of sweet or starchy food causes blood
sugar and then insulin levels to peak and we actually experience a
rapid drop in blood sugar as insulin does its work and reduces the
glucose level in the blood. As a result, we crave sweet and starchy
food even more!
Whereas all of us experience this drop in serotonin levels to some
degree, some 5 to 10% of the population - those who suffer from
seasonal affective disorder (or SAD) - have an acute form of this
problem and may gain anything up to 30lbs in weight each winter.
It's also thought that some 25% of the population suffer a milder
form of the disorder. SAD affects not only your eating patterns but
leaves you feeling depressed, lethargic and sleepy - none of which
contribute to anyone maintaining their summer shape.
It's all very well, knowing why we gain weight each winter, but
what can you do about it?
During winter it's important to maintain a balanced diet, keeping
blood sugar on an even keel, even if you find you need to eat a bit
more than in the rest of the year. If you choose your
carbohydrates in the form of whole grains and vegetables and
always eat some lean protein with every meal or snack you will
take yourself out of the high-low blood sugar trap and will gain
less weight.
You will probably also find that with the arrival of spring, the
pounds drop off more easily because you will be less attracted to
heavy winter foods and are happier to eat salads, fresh
vegetables and lean proteins so the start of spring is a great time
to lose weight for summer.
Copyright 2006, Janice Elizabeth Small
About the Author
Janice Elizabeth Small is a health and wellness writer and slimming club owner. She became interested in seasonal affective disorder after seeing the effects of winter on herself and her clients. For more information about Seasonal Affective Disorder symptoms, causes and treatment see her site at http://www.allaboutSAD.com.
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