Hibernating in Winter
by Meggan Larson
I’ve lived in Canada for my entire life and I have yet to get accustomed to the cold and snow. Sometimes we can get over 50cm of snow in a single day. One. Single. Day. Does the city shut down? Nah. They might cancel the school buses though. And of course, schools will stay open so that parents can drop their kids off; if they could get out of their driveways that is. If you’re anything like me, you probably tend to hibernate during the winter months (unless of course, you live in Florida in which case I’m jealous of you right now). Hibernating can come with some heavy leaning towards carbs, which I can assure you, I tend to eat more of in the winter months. If I’m not feeling well, the temptation to eat mostly comfort food doubles.
Even though meals with some carbs can be completely on the plan, there lies a trap in eating too many…
A healthy eating lifestyle is all about balance and finding the rhythm that works for you. Balancing between meals is essential to the foundation of any plan so if you lean far too heavily to one side or the other, problems can occur. I’ve gained 3lbs this month even though I’ve been 100% on my plan. How? Far too many meals without balance. The right balance for me is a majority of protein meals with a few carb meals thrown in throughout the week. That’s my personal sweet spot. When I mess with that I tend to gain. Winter can feel long and cold and the temptation to eat bread at every meal, or sweet potato fries, or pizza on sprouted dough, etc is at an all-time high for some of us but we need to resist the temptation if it’s not going to get us to where we want to go. So, 3lbs up for me is the exact opposite direction of where I want to be at the end of this year, therefore, I know I need to get back to really planning my days instead of just winging it because I feel lazy and cold.
Winter months along with the holidays won’t last forever and soon enough we’ll be out for walks again and barbecuing on the back patio (okay so most Canadians still BBQ all year long but we’ll at least be sitting out there again). We won’t be cooped up like sloths on the couch eating baked tortilla chips because we’re too lazy to get up and cook. Ahem, or something like that. Hold on to the hope that the spring and summer are coming despite what it may look like outside and get back into the routine of what works best to help you lose weight. You can be 100% on plan and still gain. It’s important to understand the science behind it. Warmer weather will be here before you know it.
~Meggan
ps…If you need help to figure out why you are struggling with the weight in the first place, what plan will work for you, or why you emotionally eat, then I strongly urge you to check out the 5-Day Video Mini-Series inside our private Facebook community-“Release the Weight from the Inside Out” click the link to join the Facebook group! It could be the change you’ve been searching for!
Meggan Larson is a wife, mom of three, and challenge overcomer! Diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and undergoing aggressive chemotherapy, when her second born child was only three months old, gave Meggan an expected twist to her life. Dealing with pregnancy weight gain and the debilitating effects of chemotherapy, Meggan’s weight soared to over 228 pounds. Feeling humiliated with no desire to socialize Meggan was desperate for a change. Shortly after losing 20 pounds with the Trim Healthy Mama program, Meggan found out she was pregnant with baby number three, which ended in an emergency C-section and unexpected hysterectomy. Despite the challenges she faced Meggan has just celebrated her one year “trimiversary”, and her success of releasing just over 60 pounds! Meggan is confident that her success on plan is “doable” for anyone looking to gain back their health and wanting to live a trim and healthy lifestyle!
Disclaimer:
We are not affiliated with Trim Healthy Mama nor endorsed by them. As with all resources, you should review them with care. We have done our best to make the recipes and all menu plans THM compliant in an effort to assist you on your journey.