So, Summer turns to Autumn (fall) and I turn to pasta instead of salad. I suppose I’ve known about this forever but never paid any attention as all that glorious weight loss of the past few months disappears and the clothes get a little tighter (again). This past two weeks or so – and I don’t know why – I have been more aware that I’m fattening myself up for the winter. I really feel a need for Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding.
Aside from this, I know Winter can also bring on ‘Seasonal Adjustment Disorder’ (or something ?), for some folk. Is there anything else happening , actual or potential, that I should know about ?
Those with summer approaching most definitely need not respond.
Yes, definitely. My husband and I turned into deep-dish carnivores when we moved to Pennsylvania from California. There is something about rain and snow that makes me want big breakfasts with eggs and sausage, and casseroles and stews for dinner.
It even happens here in San Diego when the weather turns a little cooler. Gotta pile on some pounds to withstand those fearsome 50 degree winter winds, I guess.
I just had a quick scout around and I wonder……I think I might becoming a little hairier (Yikes ! :eek: ). While I welcome the potential opportunity to meet Buffy the ears are still unpointed so, hmm….perhaps something more of this world might be occurring. Or maybe I’m just looking to hard.
I have for many years now suspected that I have a touch of SAD (Seasonal Effective Disorder). When the weather cools and the days get shorter I get grumpier, lose interest in physical activity, crave carbohydrates, crave extra sleep, and generally don’t feel well. People have suggested vitamins, I guess it might be D (correct me if I’m wrong) and going to the tanning bed. It is true that I work in an office with no windows and by the time I arrive home it’s almost dark. I really don’t mind winter as much if the days are clear and sunny but the past two or three have been dark and overcast. I long to move farther south.
I gained quite a few pounds after moving from California to Missouri. When it gets cooler outside, I am hit by an uncontrollable urge to COOK. I make beefy chili and all kinds of fat-laden comfort foods. Of course, I have to sample the stuff to be certain I won’t poison my family and friends…
Since I am a breastfeeding mom at this time, and I’m hungry all the time as a result, I will in all likelihood achieve new heights of gluttony this fall.
It’s the wiring in our bodies left by our ancestors that click on the “eating mode” when the weather starts to cool. Before the days of chemical preservatives, refrigeration, and the importing of exotic food stuffs from other countries, our ancestors had to make do with what they were able to harvest, and this was also a time of eating everything you could to fatten up for winter. So, not only was this a time of trying to preserve everything possible for winter storage, but also a time of eating. Those 10 to 15 pounds gained could mean survival through a lean winter.
Unfortunately… it doesn’t quite work like that anymore. We have the urge to eat when it gets cold, but we no longer are in the situation our ancestors were.
I have the same problem… but the minute it hits 60° in Los Angeles, I’m craving baked potatoes and pancakes. Hey, it take alot of energy to get through those “cold” winters here!
Actually, for some unknown (and fortuitous reason) I am eating much less than I did over the Summer. To the point where I’ve slowly lost 10 pounds over 8 weeks.
Hey Anthrcite, that’s a really nice achievement. Congrats! Keep that up and you’ll have Sophie Marceau eating out of your…what’s the word I’m looking for…hmm…hand…before you know it.
London, is there any prognosticative ability in your weight gain or increased furriness. Does it vary year to year? Can you be used like hairy catepillars or horse’s thicker coats to predict a severe winter?
(Anthracite, sorry to misspell your name. I have this whole dyslexic thing going on and sometimes I forget to thoroughly proof read, Sorry.)
mipsman – Actually, I have no idea. I’m your standard dumb headed bloke who normally is totally unaware of anything concerning his own body. But it’s an interesting notion. I rather hope I don’t develop ‘prognosticative ability’ as I fear any more hair will see me confined to London Zoo for the winter.
I have been known, however, to sit down in fields – often with a picnic. As this occasionally precedes a downpour, I do wonder if my burgeoning relationship with the animal kingdom might extend to sharing a common weather predicting heritage with cows.
Well, that and maybe after my $6500 teeth get finished also (only $4500 to go…)
After thinking about it - it could be my dental work that has reduced my eating more than anything. That would explain a lot. So the quick-weight loss trick is, gals - just get root canals, wisdom teeth extracted, root planings and scrapings, and about 12 fillings. Watch the weight melt off!
I do gain weight at this time of year, but I think it has more to do with my allergies. (I don’t think you don’t have ragweed on your side of the pond.) I typically gain 5-10 lb. during the season (mid August to early October) and lose it in about a month. You’d think it was because I stay indoors and don’t exercise. But you’d be wrong. I exercise just as much, I just can’t stop eating. In fact I was thinking of starting a thread on this subject. I suspect it’s the allergens and not the antihistimes, but I can’t be sure.
