Kat & Tshepi

Hi there, welcome back to the K&T blog.

It is the beginning of winter here in South Africa, the transition took us by surprise, it was hot one day, it rained the next, then it was chilly ever since. Any change of season has an impact on weight management efforts, our bodies are so smart that with every changing season they try to adapt to help us survive, in warmer months we crave cold type of drinks and foods, in colder months we crave hot calorie-rich starchy and fatty type of foods. If one is not aware of the impact of these changes and lives on autopilot by just adhering to the cravings the results are detrimental to their weight loss goals. Winter in particular is that season that is notorious for weight loss, this season is so sneaky that you only realize the damage caused when you are transitioning into the season of spring, when you realise that the clothes you abandoned at the beginning of winter does not fit anymore.

In winter months, our body temperature constantly drops due to cold weather and we have to keep up to maintain normal body temperature, and to do this the body says “I need to use more energy to maintain the heat so please feed me” and we comply but in most cases we chose to feed with wrong types of food, which provide the body with way more energy than we require….resulting in excess energy being stored as fat. This process of the body keeping up to maintain normal temperature is called Cold-induced thermogenesis, which means in cold weather we burn more energy in our resting state than we do in warm weather (sounds like a good benefit if you are trying to lose weight 🙂 ).

On top of the calorie-rich food that we desire in winter, there is a decrease in proper hydration, there is also a decrease in physical activity both of which affects our metabolism and fat burning. Furthermore, in winter we often feel demotivated and quite somber , we suffer the Seasonal Affective Disorder(SAD) or what we often refer to as the winter blues. All of these are contrary to our weight loss goals unless we do something about them. On our weight loss journey we had to learn about the impact of winter on weight loss, we had to learn to be aware of the consequences of mindless eating and the consequences of lacking intentional adaptation to the new season.

We would usually enter winter without being prepared for its challenges. Being prepared in winter is key to success in losing weight, the ramifications of not being prepared and mindlessly going through winter is the risk of losing all the benefits gained before winter, it is the risk of gaining back all the weight lost since the beginning of the year, if not more. We certainly had to restart our process a number of times on our journey because winter had set us back , and unfortunately it takes more effort (and pain 🙂 ) to restart and make weight loss progress than it is when you’ve hit a momentum.

This week , we would like to share our 10 tips for winning against winter, we hope these tips will help you fare better this year.

10.Review you diet and make necessary changes and swaps.

Some foods are hard to eat in colder weather than in warm weather, e.g green salad vs cooked spinach, grilled chicken vs stewed chicken. It is helpful to review your menu and to find equally healthy food that you enjoy in winter to replace those you enjoy in summer but are not suitable for winter. Focus more on lasting energy sources such as complex carbs and healthy fats and avoid highly processed foods.

9.Prepare your meals in advance.

Because body temperature constantly dips in winter, and immediate action is required to get the temperature up, waiting too long before eating can results in grabbing whatever is convenient or available. These would be sugary or fatty highly processed foods, these are often the cause of our weight crisis due to their high caloric and addictive nature. To avoid the setback caused by convenient food, prepare your meals before you are hungry e.g if you know you eat lunch at 1pm, then prepare your food at 12 so that they are ready by 1pm when you are hungry. It is a trap to wait too long in a hunger state, as you are more likely to snack whilst preparing your food or dish up more, thereby consuming more calories.

8.Keep hydrated

Drink more warm drinks because it becomes harder to drink cold beverages in winter and that includes water. The benefits of hydration are massive for weight loss, water keep things moving in your body, key nutrients are delivered for optimal health because of water. Drinking water also has the effect of avoiding unnecessary eating, sometimes we eat because we think we are hungry when in fact we are thirsty. Try drinking various herbal teas to keep hydrated and warm throughout the day (no sugar please 🙂 ).

7. Keep moving.

Burning calories helps with weight loss and being active is a good way to burn extra calories than being tucked on a couch watching TV. Last week we described a system that can help with improving your chances of exercising, you can check it out here (Creating a habit of exercising). Our bodies were designed to move, but in winter we prefer the safety of warmth and immobility. But because moving have so many additional health benefits such as activating the “feel good and happy hormones” serotonin, dopamine, endorphins and oxytocin, it is worth ditching the comfort of warmth and find ways to be active.

6.Rearrange or change your gym area.

Change is good, and a new season might be a good time to change your gym space to leverage the benefits of newness (something new is motivating). Changing your gym area to an easily accessible area improves you chances of exercising regularly , last year in winter we relocated some of our home gym equipment to our bedroom and made the bedroom our new gym, it became easier for us to wake up and gym throughout winter. It worked.

5.Start a new workout regiment.

Similar to rearranging the gym area, it can be beneficial to start a new workout regiment or program. Starting something new always boost interest and motivation, this can come in handy in beating the winter blues which are depressing. Try something you have been afraid to do or been pushing to the side, try weight lifting, go hiking in winter, do yoga, how about trying CrossFit? anything new to stay interested and active. Challenge yourself this winter.

4.Track your weight.

It helps to keep a tab on your weight, keep track not to worry or punish yourself but to be aware of how you are losing or gaining weight in winter. Remember the scale just gives you information and does not pass judgements , and if you know how you are doing on daily or weekly basis, you are more likely to do something about it, which will be easier at that point than being shocked months later when winter is coming to an end. Information is power.

3.Review your goals

A new season presents an opportunity to review your goals, to check whether the goals are still relevant and practical for you. It is an opportunity to asses your progress from previous season, and to be aware of your current state before the new season. This is where you get a chance to refresh your goals and to revive your motivation, dedication and will. Entering a new season might require an entirely new plan because seasons are so different and treat us likewise, therefore starting afresh is a good thing. If that is the case, you can follow our weight loss guide as a starting point or try our 2024 weight loss challenge to build a solid foundation for your weight loss journey.

2.Be honest with yourself

When it comes to weight loss, it is easy to make a fairy tale wish. Casually saying I want to lose a certain amount of weight without really thinking it through will not deliver the desired results. So being honest with yourself about the weight you want to lose and the effort you are willing to put in is fundamental to your success. Tshepi always asks, “how badly do you want it?”, an honest answer to this determines your level of commitment to what you are trying to achieve. In rephrasing this question, perhaps you can ask yourself , “what do you really want to see on the other side of winter? weight loss or weight gain.

1.Have a plan

On our journey we entered a number of winters without a plan and suffered the pain of starting from scratch at the end of winter. This was because we did not have a plan going into winter, we just continued with what we were doing without realizing that we brought the wrong tools to the job. It was only when we started to approach winter with awareness, structure and clarity of what we want to see on the other side that we managed to minimize the negative impact brought by winter. We recommend that one should not go blindly into winter, instead one must prepare and dictate what they want from winter and not the other way round. When you are on a weight loss journey, winter is like entering into a war, and entering a war without being prepared and having the will to win is fatal to weight loss goals. “It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it”-said Douglas MacArthur, we think it is equally fatal to enter any war/winter without being prepared.

That’s it for this week, it is worth remembering that summer bodies are made in winter. Are you prepared? What is your plan for winter?

Until next week, Stay blessed.

Kat & Tshepi