Winter Weightloss

I know, I know, it's been a LOONG time since my last post. I'm sorry!! That being said lets get down to it. For anyone that really knows me, you know that I usually drop weight around the holidays. Don't hate :) I don't know how it happens and it is usually only 3-5 pounds but this year I have dropped 12. I didn't even know I had 12 pounds to lose. But alas, it has happened. Everyone has been asking me how I've done it. The plain truth is....I just don't know... But it got me thinking about what I change in the winter time to lose weight and this is what I've come up with:

• I eat a LOT of soup in the winter. Most everyday in fact. Soup typically fills you up for less calories.
• I drink a lot of hot drinks in the winter. Sugar free spiced cider and coffee are my go to drinks when it's cold outside. No soda, juice or smoothies. Just hot drinks that sometimes fill me up at breakfast or late at night so I don't eat.
• I don't eat fast food in the winter. This is one I just realized. In the summer I take the kids out to eat at least once a week. And what do they choose? McDonalds, Arbys, Burger King, Carls Jr., Wendy's, etc. But when they are in school I don't go to these places. Sure I order "healthy" when we do go, but I'm sure all those stolen fries add up.
• I am happy during the holidays. I love Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Those three holidays just make me happy. And when you are happy, you don't need food to fill the void.
• I am busy during the holidays. Between finding that perfect Halloween costume for everyone, planning, cooking, cleaning and shopping for Thanksgiving dinner, and shopping for Christmas I don't have a lot of down time from September to January.
• I exercise more in the winter. Not typical gym workouts but daily bouts of movement. Starting in August when the kids go back to school I start walking a lot. I walk them to school in the morning and back home in the afternoon. This is an extra 50 minutes of "unplanned" exercise. Then in the winter I am shoveling snow....a LOT of snow! And as you know that is hard work. I probably burn an extra 300-500 calories on the days it snows. Add in sledding with the kids and my "normal" workouts and I've got some major calorie burners happening.

So there you have it. It's not much but it seems to add up. Try one, or all. But most importantly stick to a healthy diet, eat less calories than you burn, exercise daily, stay active daily and do the things you need to do to stay happy and healthy for 2011.