Can ANYONE explain this one?

Aquajock

Aquajock

Cathlete
Greetings, sportsfans, have a bit of a conundrum going on here:

I live in the upper Midwest which, as we all know, gets bitchin' cold during the winter months and it's a DRY cold; concomitantly, it can get very warm AND very humid in the late spring through summer months.

Here's the deal: I've found over the past 3-4 years or so that, despite the fact that I work out fairly intensely, frequently and consistently (good mix of land / aqua cardio and weight training) and eat fairly sensibly, I pudge up during the winter months. Conversely (and this is what's really weird), once warmer AND more humid weather sets in, the pudge drains off with precisely no increase - or decrease - in workout performance or decrease - or increase - in calories on my part. I've lost almost 4 pounds since the beginning of May, and cannot attribute it to any behavioral changes at all. And I'm no spring chicken - I'll be 49 in July.

Is there something about warmer and more humid ambient environments that prompts pudge-drain? Any of you physiologist or climatologists are welcome to chime in here.

(BTW, this forum software does NOT recognize the word "PUDGE". Another conundrum for another day . . .)

TIA -

A-Jock
 
I always thought it was that in cold weather, your body decides that it has to hold on to fat to ensure that it keeps warm. In the summer, it figures it's safe to let go of some of it for now.
 
Dunno. I'm in Chicagoland, with fairly similar weather. I however, have pudge year round. Perhaps b/c when its hot (its 90 today - blech!) I stay inside in the A/C so my body thinks its December.

I know I tend to eat lighter food in the summer, b/c its too dang hot to eat. More fruit and water based foods, but my overall calorie intake doesn't really change.

A mystery.

Nan
 
Perhaps you are eating more cooked foods and grains in the winter, and more raw, fresh foods and fruits in the summer? IMO, type of food, more than just calories, has an influence on weight. Some foods are very efficiently used by the body, while others tend to 'stick around' more.:)

Also, unless you are one of those folks who counts calories (I'm not), you may actually be eating fewer calories, as high-water-content foods (greens, veggies, fruits) tend to be more nutrient dense yet lower in calories.
 
Seasonal weight loss and Gain

This is something we have noticed in the health club industry for years and there seems to be several reasons for it.

1. Shortened Daylight hours - Less daylight means less activity which results in less calories burned. Yard work will always burn more calories than watching TV. Even if you only burn 50 less calories per day it starts to add up after several months. Likewise if you increase your calorie burn by 50 or more calories per day you will lose several pounds after a few months. In the health club industry we're the busiest during the winter months which just happens to have the shortest days. Cold and darkness are good for business when it comes to health clubs.

2. Winter Blues - During the winter months people quite often become depressed and this can lead to eating more. This may or may not apply to you, but studies show that many people who think they're not eating more - actually are.

3. It's in your DNA - Until recently winter always meant tough times and a lack of food and summer meant "harvest" and food abundance. This may no longer be true, but in your DNA the programming still exist to store fat during the winter and shed it during the summer when it knows food will be abundant.
 
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Me too Aqua Jock!!!
I just lost almost 5 pounds with no significant change in exercise or calories!! We did have a heat wave for a little while, and I guess I am more active with the nicer weather, but not 5 pounds more active!!!!

I'll take it though!!!
and I'm 45 so I know this is not an easy feat!!!

Gives a whole new meaning to " I'm MELTING!!!!"

ellie
 
elliemom said:
Me too Aqua Jock!!!
I just lost almost 5 pounds with no significant change in exercise or calories!! We did have a heat wave for a little while, and I guess I am more active with the nicer weather, but not 5 pounds more active!!!!

I'll take it though!!!
and I'm 45 so I know this is not an easy feat!!!

Gives a whole new meaning to " I'm MELTING!!!!"

ellie
Click to expand...

RapidBreath, I feel the same way you do - physiologically, the body is getting rid of fat which is nothing more, really, that unused, unburned, stored energy. What weirds me out, though, is why it should happen with higher humidity / dewpoints rather than when it's simply warmer (with drier air). Still haven't pieced it together.

EllieMom, like you I'll take it. In fact, I'm thinking of adopting the practice, when the weather turns cooler and drier, of incorporating some steamroom sessions after select workouts to see if that keeps the pudge creep at bay. It's amazing how much difference 4 pounds can make on a 5'3" frame - but I have to keep in mind that the way this old bod stores fat, and WHERE it stores fat (of course, in all the wrong placed) it's not like the pudge is evenly distributed from head to toe. Would that it were!

Thanks to everyone who weighed in! (Oops - did I say that? Bad pun! BAD!)

A-Jock
 
I'm so there with you these last few years. I'm 49 1/2 and never noticed it until after I hit perimenopause. I've lived in the same area of MI all my life and hadn't previously noticed a problem. This winter it was worse because of an injury that left me unable to do cardio for awhile. And you should see what an extra 5 lbs does when you're only 4'9". :rolleyes:
 
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