How to Prevent Weight Gain this Fall

Say goodbye to Summertime (it’s long gone!), but don’t wave farewell to that beach body you worked so hard for! At PALO, we’ve been working hard to answer the age-old question of how to prevent weight gain in the fall. Here’s what we found out!

Holidays and sunshine aside, our schedules don’t change that drastically in the autumn. We still go to work every day, we still get about the same amount of steps, and we still eat about the same amount. So why does autumn always bring a few unwanted pounds with it?

We looked into the average lifestyle choices and diets of people in the cooler months compared to summer, and we found some interesting differences. Take a look at our before/after chart. “Before” is the summer, and “After” is, well, you get it.

Average daily steps:

• Before: 8,073
• After: 7,227

Drink:

• Before: Iced tea- 2 calories
• After: Pumpkin spice latte- 380 cal.

Desert:

• Before: Fruit salad- 50 cal.
• After: Apple crisp with ice cream- 368 cal.

Lunch:

• Before: Garden salad with dressing and a bread roll- 249 cal.
• After: Grilled chicken sandwich and chips- 382 cal.

Dinner:

• Before: Grilled fish and potatoes with white wine: 350 cal.
• After: Typical chilly-weather comfort food: 1 BILLION CALORIES. 

We may have exaggerated the last one…but just a bit. Regardless, it’s easy to see how

it may seem like we’re eating, drinking, and moving about the same amount when in reality, the picture is quite different.

So what can we do to fight back against the fall flab? Do we really have to give up all the delicious things we love about this season just to keep the weight off?

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to prevent weight gain this autumn and still enjoy your Halloween candy, and none of them involve frightening chemicals or scary dieting. 

How to Prevent Weight Gain this Fall

At PALO, we are experts on how to prevent weight gain, because we’re obsessed with holistic nutrition. We’ve figured out how to keep off the weight without sacrificing all the things you love or having to live at the gym, and we’re ready to share our secrets!

Smart Hot Drinks

There’s nothing like a hot cup of coffee with extra cream on a blustery day, but as we saw in our chart above, some of those coffee favorites are not worth the endorphins. Or at least not every day. Fill up your own coffee thermos at home and add low-fat milk or a milk substitute instead of cream. Or, better yet, drink hot tea with milk and honey. Once the weekend arrives, reward yourself with your favorite cream-filled caramel delight from Starbucks.

Walk, Walk, Walk 

We walk less in the cold, but we often don’t realize it because we feel more tired. In the autumn, the weather is still pretty manageable, so get on your feet for a half an hour after work (or during your lunch break) and get moving! Just a little more time spent strutting your stuff can boost your step count by 10,000 a week!

Block those Carbs

Sugary snacks, pasta, sandwiches, Halloween parties complete with that vanilla porter you can’t resist—these are all things we crave when it gets colder outside. Resisting temptation is a skill you have to develop, but no one wants to be a buzz kill at gatherings, parties, or dinners. If you find yourself in a carb-filled situation that you just can’t miss (there are many, we know), then take a 100% natural carb blocker to limit the number of carbs that convert to fat. Carb blockers are inexpensive, safe, and have the added benefit of boosting metabolism and promoting heart health.

Soups vs. Salads

Crisp salads and tart vinaigrettes taste so good in the summer, but once the weather cools off they start to seem watery and boring. The result is that we switch to meat and carbs and start packing on the pounds. Instead of going the carb route, try a hot and hearty bowl of soup. There are about a million different soups out there, and about 20 portions can be cooked at once in a pot you probably already own. If you’re eating out, make sure to choose soups that are not cream based or loaded with cheese.

Drink Wine

You have our blessing. Go forth and be merry! Red wine in the autumn is not just a smart choice for calorie counters, it’s also really, really good! Beer and cider may abound at parties this time of year, but stick to the wine and you’ll get to have all the fun without the guilt.

PALO Pro Tip: We love wine! But too much can lead to a nightmare that doesn’t end when you wake up the next morning. If you’re planning to go wild, make sure to plan a detox too!

 

Live Seasonally, Live Naturally

Change is inevitable, but we can’t always just let it happen. We have to take charge! If you want to know how to prevent weight gain this autumn, you need to be aware of the changes that come with the seasons. Knowing how the weather changes—and how your body changes with it—is how to stay happy, fit, and on good terms with Mother Nature.