watching, burning calories

Weight loss is all a matter of “fewer calories in, additional calories out,” and that sort of formula does seem to be harder to follow when there’s snow and ice on the ground. Many people tend to enter hibernation mode during the dark days of January, and that doesn’t make it easy to expend calories. 

For successful weight loss, Ohio State University Extension suggests to first concentrate on the “calories in” part. Make a list of favorite wintertime lower-calorie foods, and do what you can to fill up on them. Make a huge pot of vegetable soup and start each dinner with a bowl. Comb the produce section for favorite fruits and vegetables and keep the refrigerator well-stocked with them. Choose lean meats and low-fat cheeses, saving higher-calorie favorites for special occasions. 

A more serious approach involves getting a calorie-counting book and starting to weigh and measure foods, keeping a journal of how many calories are eaten each day. Study after study shows that’s a sure-fire way to stop fooling yourself about how much you eat and succeed at weight loss. 

But don’t forget the other end of the equation. Taking a walk outdoors often isn’t practical during winter months. But, why not walk or jog indoors? You don’t need a treadmill — just pick up an exercise videotape and pop it in your VCR, following along in front of the television. Or, choose some favorite music, put on your earphones, and walk in place or march around your house for 20 to 30 minutes each day. You might feel silly at first, but think about the calories you’re burning and you’ll get over it. 

You’d also be surprised at how many calories you can burn just by getting off the easy chair and vacuuming the living room, cleaning the kitchen, or doing other household activities. A 150-pound person can burn 225 to 250 calories an hour by cleaning, compared with 120 calories an hour by sitting. Walking 3.75 miles in an hour, the same person would burn 300 calories. 

By controlling calorie intake and burning an extra 200 to 300 calories a day above and beyond normal activity, you can expect to lose a half-pound per week, or about 25 pounds by this time next year. Put a reminder about that on the refrigerator or pantry door, and don’t let the dreary days of winter slow you down. 

Source: Sharon Coplin, registered dietitian and nutrition program manager for Ohio State University Extension in the College of Human Ecology. 

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