Seasonal Weight Changes?

glasgowbhoy

Are our bodies inclined to store additional fat reserves in the winter due to the colder weather?

Just weighed myself for the first time this year, i'm 1m 78cm and race at 65kg. I'm 69kg at the moment. I have been training though the winter on the road, turbo and track and feeling good. I'm sure once I start racing regularly on the road next month the 4kg will come off but just wondered if the seasonal thing had any relevance or I've just eaten a bit more than the training is burning the last few months?

paulwood

I tend to run at about 2kg heavier in Winter. Not sure if it is just being a little less active because of the weather or if I loose a little more sweat overnight in Summer as I weigh myself first thing in the morning.

meanredspider

I think we do tend to store more fat in winter. I swing up in winter - partially due to less activity but it doesn't totally explain it.

jibberjim

But in winter you'll lose adaptations to hot weather like extra plasma volume, so you should weigh less...

meanredspider

jibberjim wrote:

But in winter you'll lose adaptations to hot weather like extra plasma volume, so you should weigh less...

What hot weather is that?

ETA Besides that, typical blood volume is what, 9 pints? 4-5kg. Even if the plasma volume increased 10% of total volume, it would be less than 0.5kg Where 10% more volume would go, I have no idea.

jibberjim

meanredspider wrote:

jibberjim wrote:

But in winter you'll lose adaptations to hot weather like extra plasma volume, so you should weigh less...

ETA Besides that, typical blood volume is what, 9 pints? 4-5kg. Even if the plasma volume increased 10% of total volume, it would be less than 0.5kg Where 10% more volume would go, I have no idea.

A bit more than 9 pints in most males, but the weight change is probably right as 10% is high - although you also lose volume as you get unfit, 10% is certainly a believable change in volume combining fitness and adaptation. There are other changes of course in just fit/unfit that are related to weight and most when fitter push you higher, other than fat stores of course.

It wasn't an entirely serious suggestion, I don't know of any reason why weight should fluctuate particularly during winter beyond your own personal diet/activity pattern. Most people do move less and eat (and drink) more during the winter though.

meanredspider

Yes - I'm sure most is driven by inactivity but I do believe that there is some "winter" effect. Light has a profound effect on the human body (SAD, vitamin D etc etc) so it's perfectly plausible that there is some metabolic effect.

diy

Its due to eating different food. Far more likely to want carby, fatty food in the winter and lighter food in the summer. That and being more likely to snack while stuck in doors.

phreak

Try keeping a food diary and then you gain a reasonable idea of whether you're eating more over winter than summer. I generally find that it's a bit harder to eat really well over winter, so a few kg extra is common (I was 58.9kg at the start of January). Hopefully get back down to around 56.5kg by summer. From memory, that kind of fluctuation is certainly not unusual, whether I've been swimming as a youngster or cycling as an adult.

If you keep a diary though you can keep an eye on what you're doing and make sure you don't go overboard on the chocolates and booze over the winter months.

diy

Its probably an instinctive response to seek out fatty food due to the cold. But the above comment on Vit D, is correct as a lack of vitamin D reduces fat breakdown and triggers fat storage so calories you consume are stored in fat cells rather than being used for energy. Low Vitamin D is common in fatties too. Not sure how much of a difference this makes though.

keef66

My activity levels don't vary that much from summer to winter; I'm a year round cyclist and the weather has to be really beastly to keep me off the bike. Many of the winter rides are pretty gruelling TBH.

IME it's definitely down to what I eat and how much of it. Over Christmas I ploughed through among other things an entire christmas cake (frequently with Wensleydale cheese), a christmas pudding, 25 mince pies, numerous sausage rolls, most of a tin of Quality Street, and my annual allowance of alcohol units in many forms. I'm now on the 5:2 diet and starting to lose weight. Just over a stone to go

My wife frequently suggests lighter meals involving salad, but I can't bring myself to fancy it when it's cold, wet and dark. Come the summer I'll be eating the rabbit food 5 days a week.

norvernrob

I put on 2-3kg over Christmas just gone. I ate sensibly through January and am now lighter than I was at the end of last summer, in fact I'm the lightest I've ever been in my adult life (66.7kg last Friday).

I just cut out treats apart from when I get home from work and am just about to go straight on the turbo, I'll have a coffee and a few biscuits.