Simple Fixes for Winter Weight Gain

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By Duston Morris, Ph.D., ABD, M.S., ACE, USAT

Staying in control of your eating through the holidays can be more difficult than following your training schedule. To top it off, the more fit you are the less calories you need! With the abundance of fattening foods (and plenty of it!) during the holiday season it is a time of year when many endurance athletes struggle with weight maintenance. For a simple fix to the problem try following the following guidelines.

1. Eat less but more often – getting the majority of your calories from 1 or 2 meals can contribute to winter weight gain.
2. Monitor your weight – this means you should weigh yourself regularly. I recommend about every 7-10 days. Remember that weight fluctuation (2-3lbs) is considered normal. However, if you see a weight change of 5lbs or more…well it is time to watch your caloric intake more carefully!
3. Stay away from heavy foods – many holiday foods are PACKED with calories. This includes creams, sauces, deserts…etc. So go easy on the portions!
4. Stick to your training schedule – one of the easiest ways to help offset the holiday feasts are to stick to your TS! Less training time is one obvious reason that endurance athletes tend to gain weight in the winter month.
5. Try X-training – yes that’s right! There are other things that will help you maintain that athletic body (and ability) besides swimming, biking, and running. So if you want to mix it up during the winter months, just ask your coach to throw in some winter variety!
6. Don’t eat as much – OK…this is VERY obvious, but not so easy to do. During the holidays, food is everywhere. Discipline is the key. Sometimes you just have to walk away…leave the cookies, the holiday doughnuts, mama’s fruitcake, the numerous office parties.

Every year I work with athletes who gain 5-10lbs over the winter months, or off-season (Oct-Jan). This can mostly be attributed to 1) eating more than normal and 2) a reduction in their training volume. The real key is to be careful with what you eat, how much you eat, and when you eat it. If you follow these simple steps, a reduction in training volume will not contribute to significant off-season (winter) weight gain, and you can give your body a rest from the heavy training that begins after the first of the year. SO just try and be more vigilant about how you eat. Remember caloric consumption of part of your over all training model.

For more information about healthy eating through the off-season feel free to contact me!