Everyone knows that we gain some extra pounds in winters, as our love handles start to show up and our face also gets a little chubbier. But the reason for this abrupt weight gain is not the temperature alone but habits which we embrace during the winter season.
Several factors ranging from lack of physical exercise to eating a calorie-rich diet play a role in the gain. With the dip in mercury, people start refraining from leaving their warm beds in the morning and many tend to skip gym or yoga sessions.
Winters is also about lots of sweets and hot beverages which are often loaded with sugar which, in turn, makes you fat. There are several other culprits for your weight gain of which some are listed below.
Hormonal changes
According to experts, there is an increased level of melatonin in our body during winters. Melatonin is the hormone that is associated with our increased appetite and sleep-wake cycle. Due to the change in sleeping patterns in winters, we tend to eat more and thus gain weight.
Shorter days
As the days get shorter in winters and it gets dark early, people avoid stepping out of their homes and resort to procrastination. Despite exercising more in winters to keep our body warm and active, we often prefer binging on some movie in our blankets.
Seasonal affective disorder
This disorder is associated with changes in seasons and people suffering from it usually experience a dip in energy levels along with mood swings. This condition causes a person to lose interest in activities and further leads to weight gain.
Comfort food
Be it hot chocolate, plum cake, gajar-ka-halwa or any of your favorite desserts, people fail to resist seeking the comfort of such foods in winters. And they end up eating excessive calories throughout the season which leads to a rise in body fat levels.
Oversleeping
Experts suggest that oversleeping combined with lack of exercise in winters can be harmful for health as it leads to obesity and causes the person to experience complications related to it such as stroke, fatty liver, and high blood pressure amongst others.
