From: ygc0525@yahoo.com   
      
   Winter, Weather and Weight Loss   
   By Judith J. Wurtman, PhD, and Nina Frusztajer Marquis, MD   
   Authors of The Serotonin Power Diet   
      
   All other things being equal, you are more apt to feel positive and   
   energetic when the sun is shining, the sky is blue and the temperature in   
   the comfort zone. But for many people, when the weather turns gloomy, they   
   stop losing and may start to gain weight. In fact, often the longer the bad   
   weather, the more pounds are gained.   
      
   Some of the reasons are obvious. Exercising outside is hard when rain is   
   coming down in sheets or there is a windy snow storm. Extremely hot and   
   humid or brutally cold conditions also prevent most people from considering   
   and especially enjoying outside exercise. Eating suffers as well from   
   unpleasant weather. Snacks and hastily thrown together meals substitute for   
   well-planned menus when it is too hot to stay in the kitchen. Conversely,   
   hearty (a.k.a. high fat) foods are more appealing than salads and broiled   
   fish when the snow is blowing and icy drafts sneak under windowpanes.   
      
   But these weather-related obstacles to losing weight can be dealt with:   
   using home exercise equipment, joining a health club or walking around a   
   mall can minimize the impact of weather on the ability to exercise. In the   
   warm months a good fan, air conditioner or outside grill can make cooking   
   less of a problem, as does preparing meals early in the day while it is   
   still cool. When the weather turns cold, thick soups and slow-cooked stews   
   can be prepared with little or no fat and still be warm and satisfying.   
      
   But there is one weather-related threat to weight loss that cannot be dealt   
   with quite so easily. This is the absence of sunshine. There are many people   
   whose moods become markedly depressed during the late fall and winter, those   
   months when the hours of sunshine are limited and the hours of darkness seem   
   endless. Along with a downward plunge in their moods, such people feel   
   extremely tired, would sleep much longer if jobs and families allowed them   
   to do so, and eat much more than usual. This cluster of mood, energy, and   
   appetite changes is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder or the winter   
   blues. In its more serious form, SAD, as it is known, may leave some people   
   40 pounds heavier at the end of the winter. The combination of eating more   
   and exercising less or not at all because of extreme tiredness is a   
   prescription for quick weight gain.   
      
   The impact of SAD on weight gain is very noticeable especially among people   
   living in the more northern latitudes like Canada or Sweden (or in the more   
   southern latitudes like Patagonia or South Africa in the southern   
   hemisphere). Even if the temperature is relatively moderate, the shorter   
   hours of winter daylight has a significant impact on mood and appetite.   
      
   It isn't necessary to live in the Arctic Circle in the dead of winter to   
   feel the effect of too little sunlight on your mood, eating and energy. A   
   cluster of cloudy overcast days, even in the middle of the summer, can give   
   some individuals a case of the winter blues. The impact may be subtle; a   
   nagging feeling of wanting to snack more and a willingness to put off   
   exercising because one feels too tired to do so are classic symptoms.   
      
   The opposite effect kicks in upon the return of longer hours of sunshine in   
   the spring. Even a blue sky can make a difference. Suddenly appetite seems   
   more under control, mood becomes brighter and taking a long walk or working   
   vigorously in the garden is a pleasure, not an obligation or a chore.   
      
   Of course it is neither possible to control the weather nor modify your life   
   in order to stay in a sunshine zone until you lose weight. But there are   
   things you can do. Therapies for people suffering from Seasonal Affective   
   Disorder include:   
      
     a.. Daily exposure to a special type of light that supposedly mimics   
   sunshine. Positive changes in mood have been reported in many studies after   
   patients have used such devices. For people with very mild seasonal mood   
   changes, getting sunshine at noontime may be effective in increasing energy   
   and uplifting the mood.. Unfortunately neither special indoor lights or   
   outdoor sunshine seem to have any noticeable affect on appetite.   
     b.. Antidepressants are also used to treat SAD with positive results.   
   Unfortunately, weight gain can be a side effect of anti-depressants; which   
   is exactly what one does not want to happen during this weight gaining   
   season.   
   However, it is not necessary to hibernate like a bear to prevent yourself   
   from gaining weight over the late fall and winter. In fact, it is even   
   possible to lose significant amounts of weight during this time.   
      
   Recognizing that there is a problem is the first part of the solution. At   
   our ADARA weight loss clinics we always ask our clients if they tend to gain   
   weight during the late fall and winter when the sun sets so much earlier   
   than in the spring and summer. If the answer is yes we set up a program of   
   defensive eating and exercise .This program is activated by the end of   
   October and it protects our clients against falling victim to increased   
   appetite and lack of energy. The key to this program is the brain chemical   
   serotonin.   
      
   Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, a chemical that regulates mood, energy,   
   appetite and several other functions in the body. Somehow serotonin activity   
   is altered when there are fewer hours of sun. We found that the solution to   
   keeping our clients on their diets and exercise regime was to make sure that   
   their serotonin levels did not go down just because the sun was setting   
   early.   
      
   The way we did this was as natural as changes in the weather. We made sure   
   that our clients were eating a prescribed amount of carbohydrates as snacks   
   in the late afternoon and eating dinners of complex carbohydrates and   
   vegetables. Our recommendations were based on MIT research that showed many   
   years ago that serotonin in the brain is made after carbohydrates are eaten   
   but, as this is important, not after protein is eaten. Since more serotonin   
   leads to a better mood, a quiet, controlled appetite and increased energy,   
   we knew that just by increasing this essential brain chemical, our clients   
   would continue to lose weight.   
      
   And our clients loved our program. They ate the protein that their bodies   
   required for breakfast and lunch along with vitamin containing fruits and   
   vegetables. But just around the time the sun was going down, they could eat   
   the carbohydrates they craved and which made them feel so much better. A   
   typical day's meal might include fat free cottage cheese, fruit and a bran   
   muffin for breakfast, grilled chicken and steamed vegetables for lunch, an   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)