Winter Weight Loss

Hi, this is my first time posting here.

I can't figure out my body and I've never met anyone else like this so I'm hoping there's someone else here that has the same issue and knows more about it than I do.

For some reason the last few years I always lose weight in the winter and gain a lot of it in the warmest months.

I'm a 5'2, 23 year old female. In 2008 I was down to 100 pounds in January and by August I was up to 122.

More recently, I weighed 118 on November 7th and now I'm at 109. My boyfriend is really upset about me losing weight and keeps asking me to put it back on again, so I eat until I feel sick, I'm eating a lot more calories than I expend, but I'm still dropping weight.  I don't think I'm sick because this has already happened before. But before I was celebrating the weight loss because I had a poor self-image and was always on a quest to get as skinny as I could. Now my blessing is my winter curse and is also making the winter blues way worse.

I've been a vegetarian for 5 years for health reasons and I'm lactose intolerant to almost all dairy except yogurt. I have a very sensitive digestive system =(

Am I destined to always look bad in a bikini but great in a poofy L.L. Bean winter coat? This is a sad state of affairs.

Do you just eat less in the winter? Exercise more? I usually have the oppisote problem since I'm always busy in the summer and sometimes don't have the opportunity to eat as much since I'm on the go. Plus, we usually go swimming every day and take lots of walks.

Winter is an easy time to gain, dare I say it. Not because you can pig out on holiday goodies, but because since it's not as nice outside, you're less likley to say, go on a jog or go hiking (not in -10 weather!). Also, the cold sometimes makes heartier foods like chili or warm pasta dishes seem more welcoming, and spending time in a hot kitchen is definatley more desireable when it's freezing outside than when you're working up a sweat.

FWIW I've always lost weight in the winter too.  I work outside and have an active job, so can't hide from the cold.  I think I shiver off more calories in the winter than I sweat off in the summer.  I know most people gain, but if you spend a lot of time outside in the cold, you might be in the same boat as me.  Of course, I'm trying to lose, so the winter is helping me out there :)

Not really related, but our horses always have to have their food increased in the winter, some by quite a bit, to help keep the weight on them.  We'll even add oil to their feed for extra fat.  Some of it is that there's less grass, but we always keep hay in front of them year round, so the cold does impact that. 

My sister is the exact same way. It's because she is very active in the summers and gains muscle mass, which she loses in the winter since she's less active. Could that be your issue?

Thank you! I've done some more research on it and talked to a nurse and she said it's most likely caused from stress that's flooding my body with adrenaline and making it hard to stomach food and causing my metabolism to go into overdrive. Which would also explain how I'm able to exercise the way I would imagine someone can when they're on steroids.

i am the same as you. i lose weight when i am stressed. also in the summer i ate like 2 hotdogs a day or hamburger and ice cream every day on vacation.

I'm pretty sure your body burns more calories in winter just to stay warm.