Summer means light meals, mixed salads and raw vegetables. In contrast to winter when you eat dishes that are as consistent as they are delicious, such as the famous raclette or cheese fondue. Intuitively, summer would therefore be the season conducive to weight loss . But is this really the case? In a study published in 2016, experts found the following results: Weight gain is more common during the summer months for people of all ages. How to explain this, and above all how to avoid weight gain during the holidays even if summer is not a period conducive to dieting? We give you our valuable advice.
In summer, the diet is light, the portions smaller...
You have probably noticed that in summer, the contents of the plate are different from those in winter and above all we are less hungry.
It seems that this change in diet dates back to our ancestors. For centuries, survival was the ultimate goal and every man had to fight every day to hope to survive the next day. Especially in winter, where the extreme cold caused a large number of illnesses and a lack of life at the end of the season which endangered everyone's life. To increase their chances of survival, our ancestors tended to eat more in winter to create a protective fat reserve and store energy . In the summer, when conditions became milder again and the heat returned, they consumed less to save food for the winter.
In addition to this explanation which goes back centuries, a more physiological explanation helps us understand why we eat less and lighter in summer. During this summer season, the body's energy expenditure is focused on maintaining the temperature at 37°C to protect vital organs from overheating. We then witness the phenomena of sweating, namely loss of water which increases with temperatures. Hunger therefore takes second place behind thirst, which becomes the primary obsession. You are less hungry and your body demands water in all its forms : pure or via foods rich in water such as fruits and vegetables which you will tend to favor.
After reading this first paragraph, you will say to yourself that summer is therefore a period of weight loss. And yet, contradictorily, this is not the case. A study published by the American journal Obesity in May 2019 even reveals that on average, we gain between 400 grams and 1.5Kg during the holidays. At a time when we are supposed to be less hungry, through ancestral mimicry and physiologically, 1 in 2 French people nevertheless say they have the feeling of "eating too much" during the summer , according to an Ifop/Upsa survey carried out in November 2013 among a representative sample of the elderly French population. We explain this paradox to you!
...Yet we tend to gain weight: The reasons?
Water retention
The body is made up of 70% water, 2/3 of which is in the cells. The goal ? Promote hydration of the body and enable its proper functioning. But it sometimes happens, and even more so when the heat is there, that there is more water between the cells than inside. This is called water retention and this phenomenon can cause you to gain several pounds in just a few days and not contribute to weight loss. Find out more in our dedicated article here .
Daily habits disrupted
Who says summer means more hours of sun and heat! This brightness extending until late in the evening encourages you to eat longer aperitifs : you tend to increase your consumption of sweet or savory “stupid foods” without paying attention to the quantities because the food intake extends over a long period of time. An additional caloric intake in favor of weight gain that your scale will remember.
The presence of the sun at late hours pushes back our bedtime but also our rise time and all our habits suffer: delayed or even skipped meals, which is not good for your body and your slimming goals.
Finally, we're not going to hide it, our state of mind changes when we're on vacation . After months of work and sometimes even dietary restrictions, you want to release the pressure and take it easy. A temptation so great that no one can resist it. This letting go of daily habits leaves room for improvisation. We want to relax, treat ourselves, enjoy and we eat by instinct, by desire, without thinking about the consequences or the calories ingested . It is at the start of the school year that you will return to your “normal” life and take control of yourself. No wonder you gain weight during the holidays.
Exits and their consequences
In summer, the good weather is conducive to outings and gatherings : parties, aperitifs on the terrace, restaurants, invitations to visit friends, etc. With the holidays marking the end of the school year, end-of-study parties are in full swing while some take the opportunity to get married under the beautiful sun.
All these events are rarely accompanied by healthy and balanced food. Junk food (chips, fries, appetizer biscuits, cold meats), sodas and alcohol are often on the menu to the great despair of your body which must store all these calories. In addition, it is difficult to control your portions when all of this is offered to you to consume at will. Even if you think you're eating healthily by tackling guacamole, know that any excess food of any kind has consequences on the scale and on your weight goal.
Finally, when do you find time to do sports during the day when the weeks of your schedule are filled with multiple outings with friends? Heat contributes to the desire to do nothing and immobility is required to the detriment of physical activity. Eating more calories, moving less, wouldn't that be the ideal cocktail for gaining weight?
Summer foods
Summer vacation, or should we rather rename it the vacation of temptation? At any time of the day, you are lured by an astronomical quantity of foods rich in sugars, fats and calories which are likely to make you gain weight.
Salad , although it may seem light and balanced to you, is much less so when it is made with potatoes , which let's remember is not a vegetable but a starchy food. But enemy number 1 is especially in the seasoning , very often fatty and full of calories which we like to overdo.
Then there are barbecues which may seem harmless because they are cooked without fat. But still happy! Because very often the fat in meat is sufficient in itself. This is without mentioning the sauces that accompany them which are real calorie bombs.
Of course, snacking is required while waiting for the meat to be cooked: chips, appetizer cakes and other snacks will boost your energy intake.
And then, who has never wanted a good pancake or a good waffle after a beach session? Or even better, ice cream ? Not very healthy all that.
The joy of quenching your thirst in this hot season also pushes you to drink excessively sugary drinks such as sodas, lemonades and fruit juices, but also alcoholic drinks. Nothing that will please your figure.
Our advice to avoid gaining weight in summer:
We are going to explain to you not how to lose weight in summer but rather how to avoid weight gain and those nasty pounds that will be difficult to lose later. No diet on the program, only small adaptations to achieve this objective...
Despite the present temptations, the key word must remain “ moderation ”, it is important. You can taste everything but without excess, watch your portions and therefore your calories. Eating more doesn't necessarily make you feel better, so take advantage of every little bit and eat slowly to enjoy it until the end.
Drinking water seems to be the solution to many ailments and to be advice used in all sauces. This article will be no exception. Water, not only will it quench your thirst , will also help you reduce your appetite thanks to its appetite suppressant effect , perfect for reducing your food intake naturally. You can choose to drink naturally flavored water if you want the sensation of a soda without the drawbacks. Even better: dilute a sachet of fruity powder from our Detox Elixir cherry-blackcurrant flavor to benefit from a draining and fat-burning effect. Unsweetened teas can also be great alternatives to sugary drinks.
A little rosé on the terrace is your happiness, okay. The important thing is to learn to appreciate scarcity and only take one, and not every day. Alcohol is the fatal blow to your body weight and is even more formidable than it seems, as we explained to you in our article: These 10 foods to absolutely avoid if you want to lose weight .
The technique to avoid stuffing yourself with anything and everything during festive meals is to eat well in the morning . We advise you to take oat flakes (70g of flakes for 140g of water for a 60 kg person) garnished with your favorite fruit . Bring protein bars with a high protein content and a low sugar content to use if you're craving something sweet or savory. Or you can opt for freshly cut fruits or vegetables , rich in fiber and vitamins to counter any cravings and help you lose weight. This will prevent you from eating something less healthy and less filling. Our Absolu+ Body Control chewable tablets can be of considerable help to you in learning to control your eating impulses while enjoying yourself.
Bringing your own food, with healthy foods prepared in advance (salad with reasonable seasoning) can also be a solution.
And if you feel like having a pancake or a waffle , avoid filling them with spread or other fat, plain, it's very good too. Sorbet , made with water and fruit, is also a good solution to treat yourself without storing the fat that ice cream is rich in.
Generally speaking, set aside the beginning of the week to cook your meals and avoid jumping at the slightest opportunity to eat out. Bulky vegetables (like kale, for example) are a great way to stay full, accompanied by a protein like chicken or fish . Hard-boiled eggs are also a healthy nutritional and caloric choice.
Try to move as much as possible every day and practice regular physical activity, without necessarily playing sports . Are you at the beach? Go swimming. Do you have to travel? Go there on foot or by bike. Everything must be an excuse to set your body in motion, without constraint.
Summer is treacherous. On paper, the results are clear: you should lose weight by eating less and lighter. But the reality is quite different: after a year of hard work, you let go and allow yourself to indulge in excesses, without thinking about the consequences on your body, which are directly cataloged in your back-to-school concerns. The pounds pile up. You can no longer resist the temptations that linger in the streets, your barbecues and your evenings and succumb without thinking to the greatest curse on your scale. This explains it but fortunately there are solutions to continue to please yourself without depriving yourself, and some are offered by Reborn Paris . Food supplements sometimes give you the keys to slimming, what are you waiting for to try?