Are We More Hungry When It’s Cold?

As the temperature drops during winters, we start eating more and more. The annoying added kilos on the scales are particularly noticeable after the winter months. Are the falling temperatures to blame or Are we more hungry when it’s cold? Let’s find out.

Many people have firmly resolved to keep the hard-earned summer figure by withstanding the luring winter treats. But as soon as the sun gives way to the curtain of clouds and cooler temperatures, the good intentions are gone. Why is that? Are we more hungry when it’s cold? Let’s find out.

When it gets grayer and colder outside, the weight curve steadily rises. The weight fluctuations in the year are biologically based. The Diwali sweets and Christmas cookies may have a cultural background, but strictly speaking, they are evolutionary. We put on fat to get through the cold months. This comes from a time when there was simply less food in the winter months. You could compare it with a monkey in the park who finds a box full of bananas and of course, eats them all. Due to evolution, we are still these monkeys in the park. Despite a constant supply of all foods, one instinctively feels more like carbohydrates in winter.

Weight fluctuations are important

It would explain why the fresh salad and chicken meat tastes so good in summer, but why one longs for Tandoori Paneer or fatty Parathas in winter. Like the pakoras in the rainy season, a hearty meal is the perfect source of energy. In winter we need more energy. When we are cold, some of the food energy is converted into heat to maintain body temperature. The body then needs additional energy for the metabolic process which could explain the greater hunger.

Not only the cold but also the lack of light in winter is said to be a cause of food cravings. One comes across this thesis again and again when looking for reasons for the winter fat. The reason for this is that the body produces less happiness messenger serotonin in the dark season. Carbohydrate-rich foods like chocolate contain high amounts of the amino acid tryptophan, which our brain uses to make the happiness hormone. So to prevent a bad mood, we instinctively reach for calories.

However, this explanation is far too simple to justify the weight fluctuations in the annual cycle. If the body is deficient in serotonin, it can get the hormone from other sources. However, the lack of light in winter has a different consequence. The body releases more of the hormone melatonin. So you sleep longer in winter. We should also accept this sign of our body in the sense of the summer figure. Because those who sleep too little and are tired get hungry faster. We always want to be energetic, slim, and happy. However, the fluctuations in the annual cycle are in our nature. We need them in order to be able to start energetically after the winter is over.

Holidays make you fat

So can you indulge in Kaju Katli, Besan ladoos, and chole puris without a guilty conscience, because there is nothing you can do about winter fat anyway due to evolution? Not quite. People put on weight, especially during the holidays. After Diwali and Christmas people weigh an average of 0.8 kilograms more than before. 

The fact that you have to reshape the summer figure in spring is more due to the Advent season than to the freezing temperatures. During the festive celebrations, the range of hearty and sweet dishes is greater than in the summer with a few holidays. To keep your weight controlled, it probably helps most to stand firm and keep up your workout program even in the cold months.

The psychologists found that food for frustration or comfort is type-dependent. People who generally trust in social ties tend to go back to their parents’ kitchen when they are stressed than people who have problems with trust. You will therefore reach for sweets and chocolates more quickly to comfort yourself.