Why Do We Gain Weight In Winter?

To help prevent winter weight gain you need to determine the factors that may be playing a role in your weight gain.

“Every year when the holidays arrive, suddenly life is overwhelming,” says your client. “I eat too much and feel too tired to do anything, let alone exercise. I feel better once I get to the fitness center and work out, but it’s hard to get here. What can I do to make it easier to get through the winter?”

Winter weight gain

Many people gain weight during the winter months. Some people joke that they are eating and sleeping more because they are getting ready for hibernation. But we do not get to crawl into a warm hiding place and sleep the fat away. So in our sedentary culture, where more than half of all adults are already overweight, factors that accelerate weight gain are a real concern. Some of those extra pounds acquired over the holidays may stay on year after year, eventually contributing to obesity and consequent health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and artery disease.

People gain weight during the winter months for different reasons. To help clients prevent winter weight gain, work with each one individually to determine the factors that may be playing a role in their weight gain.

Are you SAD?

Sometimes winter weight gain is a byproduct of seasonal depression. Seasonal depression ranges in severity from quite mild, as in the winter doldrums, to quite severe, a condition known appropriately as SAD — seasonal affective disorder. Seasonal affective disorder is a clinically-diagnosed type of depression that is characterized by recurrent episodes of depression, sleeping more than usual, fatigue, increased appetite with carbohydrate cravings and weight gain. These symptoms typically begin in September, when the days become shorter, and continue into March. Yearly appearances of winter symptoms and their disappearance in the summer months almost always confirm a SAD diagnosis.

Research suggests that, in general, about 4 to 6 percent of people in the U.S. experience SAD, while another 10 to 20 percent have milder forms of winter depression.4 SAD is most likely to affect people dwelling in the northern parts of the country where days are the shortest, with a 10-percent incidence along the Canadian border, 5 to 6 percent in the New York metropolitan area and only 1 percent in the southernmost states.3 Women are diagnosed with SAD almost four times as often as men, but this difference may partly reflect that women are more likely than men to seek medical care for emotional health symptoms. Men diagnosed with SAD are more likely than women to experience major depressive episodes, while women tend to experience milder symptoms of depression.2

Most adult clients with winter depression will probably have already observed the seasonal nature of their symptoms and will appreciate your sympathy if this topic comes up in discussions of winter weight gain. Depressive symptoms are even more troubling than weight gain, and if clients complain of depression, urge them to seek treatment from their healthcare providers as they work with you to set up a regular exercise program.

Exercise helps reduce depressive symptoms, but many clients will need more than exercise to ameliorate winter depression. Clients’ healthcare providers may recommend special light treatments, which are effective for many people with SAD.1-4 Patients are commonly advised to sit under these bright lights for 30 minutes or more per day, usually in the morning. Eyes must be open during treatment. Light intensity appears to be the therapeutic variable, not light spectrum. In fact, fluorescent lights of 2,500 to 10,000 lux are recommended, since the UV rays in full spectrum lighting may cause eye and skin damage.

Winter lifestyles

The weight gain associated with the winter doldrums or with SAD is often enhanced by winter lifestyles. Whether clients are depressed or not, winter can lead to a decline in weekly caloric expenditure, as darker days and inclement weather limit opportunities for physical activity. This is the perfect time for prospective clients to join a fitness center. Indoor options become more attractive when winter darkness sets in.

Encourage clients to take advantage of fitness centers, but encourage them to make friends with winter as well. Clients whose schedules let them get outdoor exercise, especially at midday, will get the double benefits of exercise and light exposure. Clients with both indoor and outdoor exercise options have more ways to fight winter weight gain.

Holiday excess

People who have a tendency to gain weight during the winter often find that the extra stress imposed by the holiday season, combined with extra exposure to high-calorie treats, turns that tendency into a reality. In addition to stress, there is usually less time to exercise, more treats and extra alcohol. You couldn’t find a better recipe for weight gain.

Help clients concerned with winter weight gain to plan a holiday survival (and enjoyment) strategy that makes health a priority. Regular physical activity should be the cornerstone of every plan, since exercise not only burns calories, but reduces feelings of stress. Encourage clients to think about factors that have made holiday exercise difficult in the past: loneliness, travel, busyness, lack of childcare, etc. Help them with active problem-solving to come up with realistic plans for staying active through the holidays.

What about holiday eating? Again, a survival strategy is helpful. What treats are an essential part of the holidays? How can clients avoid munching and drinking just because “it’s there”? Getting enough sleep, drinking plenty of water, and finding time for fun and relaxation can help reduce hunger by reducing feelings of fatigue and stress.

REFERENCES

1. Groom, K.N., and M.E. O’Connor. Relation of light and exercise to seasonal depressive symptoms: Preliminary development of a scale. Perceptual and Motor Skills 83(2): 379-384, Oct. 1996.

2. Partonen, R., and J. Lonnqvist. Seasonal affective disorder. The Lancet 1369-1374, Oct. 24, 1998.

3. Pinkowish, M.D. Effective treatment for winter depression. Patient Care 33(1): 19-21, Jan. 15, 1999.

4. Saeed, S.A., and T.J. Bruce. American Family Physician 57(6): 1340-1349, Mar. 15, 1998.

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