Ruchi Goyal
Winter can be a bleak time of the year and the cold weather plays havoc with our exercise and eating schedules. The cold, shorter days make it harder to go outside, and easier to stay glued to TV. One is likely to reach for comfort foods that are sweet and fried. And, we tend to pile on those extra pounds.
Eat right
Despite the challenges, we can manage our weight in winter by just being a little careful and conscious about what we eat and how we eat. As a thumb rule, always focus on foods that give long term satiety rather than an instant sugar or energy spike.
Work it out
It is not just the physical aspect of burning calories during exercise that helps keep the weight in check but there is also a metabolic aspect to it.
When we exercise, the hunger hormone (ghrelin) decreases, while levels of the hunger-suppressing hormone (peptide YY) spike.
(Goyal is a Chandigarh-based dietician)
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