Holiday In-Betweeners

It is that time of year when our refrigerators are stuffed-solid with leftover Thanksgiving remnants and we are still reeling from the carbohydrate overload. Even if you didn't completely go on a Thanksgiving food-bender, you may still feel the effects of the holiday catching up with you. So many friends and family of mine have recently converted to an all Vegan diet, and yet I hear the same moans from them: "I am still stuffed from Thanksgiving!"

It seems as though the food itself is not the culprit in our seasonal "bloating." Rather, the weather and our social habits at this time of the year play a larger role in our weight gain and moods. These trends harken back to ancient times, and can be difficult to avoid, as they are laws of nature.

Our bodies know that the year is coming to an end, and that winter weather is creeping in on us. The body's natural defense against this weather is to put on a little extra fat in order to insulate our sensitive bodies to the impending cold. So even if we managed to refrain from extreme overeating on Thanksgiving, our bodies took every little bit of that sustenance and held onto it with a fierce grip.

This natural nutrient-hoarding will continue through the rest of the winter as well; that means that we have several months of dealing with our bodies' desire to plump us up to a healthy winter weight. This is not as devastating as it sounds though. We should not allow ourselves to be driven crazy by what is our bodies' natural responses to perennial changes in climate. We should instead feel grateful that our bodies are working properly, as this weight-gain is a sign that no diseases such as diabetes are present.

So this year, instead of worrying the season away about a few pesky pounds, let's instead be grateful for our health, and power-through this Christmas season while simply continuing to eat healthy and modestly.