The Mammal in Winter

On a holiday visit with NJ family, we grab what time we can to run, but weather and holiday circumstance are always in the way. Today is the third very cold day in a row, and also the third without a run. It's been too icy, or too bitter cold and windy since Wednesday. QMH is down with a stomach ailment, and I'm losing the battle with my appetite.

For several years now, I have noticed my winter-time urge to eat more, especially more sweet and fatty foods. Peanut butter sandwich? Yes, please! Have some cookies? You bet! Why bother putting away that little bit of leftover spaghetti? It'll just be another dish to wash later!

I joke that, being a mammal, I must obey the biological imperative to add an extra layer of fat for the cold months. Kid Kate says it's just an excuse to indulge myself.

Dr. Michael Smolensky, who studies chronobiology at University of Texas Houston, says, “Adults typically consume 6 to 7 per cent more calories in the winter,”  in a London Times Online article headlined Are we hardwired to feel hungry in winter and put on weight?

A piece by Donna Watmough at Suite101.com discusses Why we eat more in Autumn and Winter and how not to, explaining that the appetite spike could be linked to a shorter-days deficiency in Vitamin D. The article goes on to suggest increasing exercise, eating smaller amounts more frequently, and getting more Vitamin D either from more sun exposure or dietary supplements.

I know I won't be able to get back to running before Monday, because tomorrow we drive back home, and I hope I can keep from overeating until then.

Do you find yourself packing in more food and packing on the pounds in colder weather? What do you do about it?

Leave a comment and let me know!