Dietitian: Why weight gain over winter isn’t a bad thing

Your body is scientifically wired to gain a few extra kilos in the winter to stay warm and provide energy, an Aussie dietitian has revealed.

Marianne Hudson, a Sydney dietitian from MACROS, says four external factors out of our control influence weight gain during the cooler months – including daylight hours, seasonal availability of foods, hormones and behavioral changes.

With this in mind, it’s ‘completely natural’ and isn’t such a bad thing to notice changes in weight in winter. 

‘Our body has an intrinsic switch that flicks over to increase our metabolic rate to burn more energy for heat production (to keep us warm),’ Marianne told FEMAIL. 

‘And our appetite increases to ensure we are consuming enough energy to burn for heat production, and to provide some insulating fat stores.’

Marianne said shorter daylight hours combined with the cold mean we’re likely to feel less inclined to exercise, resulting in fewer calories burnt throughout the day (stock image)

Marianne said shorter daylight hours combined with the cold mean we’re likely to feel less inclined to exercise, resulting in fewer calories burnt throughout the day. 

‘Research has shown that people tend to consume more food per day in the winter months compared to the summer months,’ she said. 

‘The average adult body weight shift between seasons is not significant, with some studies showing no difference, and others showing a 500g to 2kg increase the winter.’ 

What’s more, we tend to consume comforting, heavier food that are usually higher in energy value – such as thick soups, stews and pasta. 

‘The average adult body weight shift between seasons is not significant, with some studies showing no difference, and others showing a 500g to 2kg increase the winter,’ Marianne said (stock image)

The body’s production of the sleep hormone melatonin also increases due to the reduction of sunlight hours. 

Marianne said: ‘For some, this can mean sleeping more, for others it may result in sleepiness and lack of energy to complete activities. The higher melatonin levels can also lead to an increase in appetite.’ 

‘A little weight gain over the winter is not such a bad thing, but rather a natural and evolutionary response based on factors both within and outside of our control.’  

Thankfully, these same external factors can also lead to weight loss in the summer as people start to exercise more frequently and different fruits come into season.

‘As the warmer months start to roll around, our diets start to shift again. We tend to eat less when it’s hot and are more likely to choose lighter and cooler foods, and hence those winter kilos intuitively come off,’ Marianne said.

From this, the age-old cliché term ‘summer bodies are made in winter’ also isn’t exactly correct and it’s perfectly acceptable to skip a workout session or two during winter as body mass tends to fluctuate during this time.