Scientific journals are constantly informing us about what is “good” and what is “bad” for our bodies. It’s a merry-go-round of facts and debunking that can become quite overwhelming. But there are some health-related decisions that you can make based solely on instinct. No lab coat necessary, no experimentation needed to back these guys up. Things like “eating an entire box of Oreos won’t help me lose 5 pounds, ” or “chain smoking may eventually make my skin look like the surface of the moon,” or “natural things are good, artificial things are bad.”
I lost 40 pounds on the South Beach Diet about 4 years ago. And that felt great, and at that point in my relationship with my body, I believe it was the right choice. But the diet is sold as a do-it-forever lifestyle change, and there was one big reason that I couldn’t make the shift a permanent one.* I began to believe that ingesting mass quantities of Splenda with my morning coffee was likely to have more adverse effects in the long run than a few packets of Sugar in the Raw. Even though there is scant research to support this belief, it just makes sense to me. Sugar is natural, Splenda is chemical. I don’t care if Splenda is sugar-derived, it’s NOT SUGAR. I would rather work harder at losing or maintaining my weight than lose or maintain weight through the regular use of something so clearly artificial.
I have been on birth control pills several times throughout my life. I’m on them now. And I’m fairly sure that they are monkeying with my hormones in several yucky ways. I will spare you the gory details, but having consulted several women friends, I find that I am not alone in this belief. And there may be some scientific evidence to support me, here, but I don’t need it. I don’t need a 5-year-long medical study to tell me that preventing my body from ovulating is artificial. That shit is irrefutably unnatural, and that makes it unnerving to me. I am looking into my other options.
It’s fall now, and winter will be here in a heartbeat. I live in Minnesota, and yes, it gets just as cold here as the Coen brothers would have you believe. Since it’s impossible to remain as active in the winter as I do in the summer, and since winter foods are heavy and fatty and caloric, it is perfectly NATURAL for me to gain weight between November and March.
But I don’t want to. And last year, I got really, REALLY upset by how much I gained and how awful I looked in my clothes. We had subzero temps for weeks at a time, so since my skirts were right out, I wore a single pair of black Gap pants for the last 6 weeks of winter because they were the only ones I could wedge myself into. And it depressed the f*ck out of me.
But this year will be different. Writing a letter to my body shifted my perspective permanently, and I feel more prepared for the physical change that is about to happen. It will happen slowly, and it will happen naturally, and I am OK with it happening. I finally feel some long-deserved tenderness toward my strong female body, and recognize that it will simply be storing some bonus bulk as a means of keeping me warm and healthy. I have bought new winter pants that were plenty roomy on my summer bod, knowing full well that I’ll be filling them out come January. I’m ready.
And this does not mean that I will eat 6 pepperoni pizzas in a single sitting, or stop going to the gym, or allow myself to enflabinate beyond all recognition. On the contrary, I intend to increase and change my exercise routine to counteract some of the wintry restrictions. I intend to cut my calorie intake, especially on weekends when I generally binge a bit during the summer months. But what I’ve learned is that even if I do all of these things, and diligently, I will STILL pack on about 7 pounds by winter’s end. So I’m mentally preparing for this chain of events. And although I am likely to be a lot less cheerful about it all come spring, at least I’m forewarned and, therefore, forearmed.
Those of you who live in warmer climes may experience this phenomenon to a much lesser extent, but I think it’s real for all of us. The winter holidays bring constant feasting and football game vegging, and even if you live in Sunny California, you’re likely to gain a little.
So here’s what I want you to do: Prepare mentally. Consider writing a letter to YOUR body. Give some real thought to how your body shifts and how your weight cycles, and recognize that this happens every year and it’s not a huge deal. Then, prepare your wardrobe if necessary. Once winter clothing hits the stores, consider buying a size up on a few key garments. Or buy one that fits now, and one that will fit in February. And finally, when you see a little extra chub after Thanksgiving, CUT YOURSELF SOME SLACK. Winter weight is natural and good. Your body is behaving like all mammals’ bodies do when the weather outside is frightful. Keep calm, carry on.
And I’ll do the same. Promise.
Image courtesy EJP Photo.
* OK, two reasons: Life without French fries isn’t worth living. For me. Evidence here.
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
Can you share any natural remedies for Birth control that you may have found? I am thinking of switching to an IUD on my next appointment, but am not sure about it either. I know that my hubby and I do not want kids at this point in our lives, but I don’t want to have to use a condom every time…..
It’s a funny thing – I do live in a warmer climate but I don’t really have the gaining weight in winter problem (I think because I run?) but I invariably gain weight at christmas time which is in the middle of summer here! All that booze and rich food and parties (awesome!)
I definitely cut myself a ton of slack then.
Aw, Beautiful Sal. What would I do without your insightful writing?
And I’m the same way about Splenda so I use Stevia instead!
D’Rae, I’ll drop you a note
I know what you mean about the “natural” development of the body. I’ve had body issues my whole life, but when I couldn’t fit into my jeans, because I happen to be three months pregnant, I nearly cried. I’ve actually taken to wearing some of my maternity pants now, (oh so comfy!), partially so that I can mentally adjust to the inevitable, and healthy, weight gain.
Have you ever seen the show “how to look good naked”? I’d never seen it until last night, and honestly I had no idea what it was about but I was just vegging in front of the TV. It’s Carson from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and he basically took this lady with a horrible body image and did all kinds of stuff with her to show her that she is beautiful as she is. It reminded me of your blog because you’re always so upbeat and encouraging everyone to accept themselves!
Anyway, now on to a comment that’s actually related to your post: I agree. Even if it’s been proven that a certain chemical isn’t going to hurt me, it feels weird eating it. I’m not saying that I dont’ eat crap (I certainly do) but when the option is something that the earth actually made, and then something that was made in a lab, I’ll choose the earth.
And birth control is weird. I’ve been on it for as long as I can remember, and although it’s unnatural I have to stay on it for medical reasons (whether I need it for actually controling birth or not), so I’ll likely be on it until I want to have a baby and/or until I reach menopause. The weird thing is, a couple months ago I tried to switch to the generic brand. I went crazy: I was irritable, moody, and crazy emotional. I got back on my regular brand a couple weeks ago and now I’m fine and back to “normal” but it made me wonder what I would be like if I wasn’t on anything at all, and wonder what my “normal” brand is doing to me. It has me wondering if the changes in my personality over the years have been a result of my growing and changing, or a result of the chemicals coursing through my body day in and day out. It’s weird to think I might be living my whole life as someone that I’m really not.
Does that make sense?
Do I win the award for the longest comment ever?
Hi sal-what a great post!! we do have cold winters, but I don’t think they are as harsh as yours. I’m a guilty one too for wanting good comfort food in the cold weather and putting on some extra weight during winter is just one of those things-you’ve got a great mindset of how to prepare for it, which is logically a fantastic idea, well done you!
I could go on and on about what a nightmare it’s been with birth control… I went off it a year ago and my body’s STILL not over it. I’m going to a hormonal specialist in December (soonest I could get in!) to see what she thinks.
I also do my best to not consume a lot of unnatural crap. No artificial sweeteners, skip High Fructose Corn Syrup (what the hell is that, anyway?? Just use sugar, please), and all sorts of other things. I’m not perfect with it, but I can tell how much better I feel when I don’t ingest it.
I love your attitude, Sal. This is, as always, an insightful, fantastic post. One suggestion – which may or may not forestall the 7 pounds (but it could be a fun experiment). Have you considered eating a higher amount of fat, particularly, and protein for the next 5 months? Not only might it help with the low-light of winter misery, but it may forestall the need for warm and cozy carb comfort foods in January. That’s my tactic. Of course, cozy carbs are tasty.
Great post. I have been struggling with the birth control thing as well. I hate the idea of so many checmicals in my body, especially since I’m on the injection (which gives you a concentrated burst of chemicals every 3 months). I really want to get off it, but because of my body’s strange foibles I don’t have many options. Is a puzzle.
Wow, you guys, the birth control thing really struck a chord! I’ll try to gather some resources for everyone who’s feeling a little worried about hormone-monkeying.
Birth-control hormones did nothing but mess me up for years. I’ve been of them—happily—for a few years now, and things are better for me.
This post is inspiring. It says to me that you’re in acceptance of what IS with your body, not what you WISH was. That letter you wrote to your body did something for you, clearly. It did something for me, too.
Thank you.
I just want to say: you are my hero!
This post really hits the “pre-winter dread” smack in the face. Thanks, girl! 
This seems so sensible.
And gaining 7 pounds really isn’t that much, considering you live somewhere SO cold.
Because the summer is so HOT here (our flat hits around 120F) I tend to want to eat more then, and crave sweet food… strange!
Well said, Sal.
Hated birth control hormones too, but that’s a post for another day.
What a great post, Sal. Having spent 3 winters in Minnesota, I can attest to those inevitable extra pounds. I tried to stay active, but really, when it’s 40 below, being outside sounds a whole lot worse than a few pounds that you can later take off when it’s sunny and pleasant.
You might find this amusing… being a native Californian, I actually didn’t believe it the first time I heard how cold it gets in the winter out there. My response was, “Yeah, right! People can’t SURVIVE when it’s -40 degrees! They’d die!!”
jumping on the birth-control bandwagon (I’m with the rest of you ladies – I’m sure this ain’t healthy!), I was reading on Jezebel (I won’t link the post here because it was all-too-brief and mainly focused on opinions about this woman’s choice rather than the procedure itself…sorry, long parenthetical digression) about a new sterilization technique that involves (from what little I gathered) irritating and scarring the fallopian tubes. For the woman in question, it was a relatively painless procedure done in an office visit (no scalpels required).
As someone who’s on birth control till menopause (no breeding instincts here), I’m fascinated by the potential – for one thing, think how much money I could save by not having to buy birth control for another 15 or 20 years!! But I worry about efficacy. Hmmmmm….
and hey, I usually gain 7lbs over the winter, too! There was one year where I didn’t, but it was a lot of conscious effort both at diet and exercise. It was a good experiment – I was also training myself for my first and only 5K – but I honestly think I’m happier just gaining a few pounds. As much as I loved seeing my ass shrink, the amount of effort it takes to fight nature (and genetics!) is really not worth it.
Thank you so being so honest with us. I’m not on pills but I do have something implanted in my arm. Scary huh? I guess it will be just as bad as anything (but without the worry of skipping accidentally.) That said, it doesn’t seem to do anything to my weight which I feel good about.
I did talk about this in my blog as well. I did lose significant amount weight a few years ago following Atkins. Since then I did change my diet completely. For example, growing up in Korea I ate rice three times a day (in gigantic portions) but we don’t have rice in our household any more. Luckily I don’t have any ‘relationship’ with French fries or sweets. Accepting who I’m and being content has been a very big thing for me for years. It’s very encouraging and comforting to know that I’m not alone in this.
I’m going to treat myself with a toasted sandwich tonight with lots of cheese… my favourite. If I were to stop eating that yummy thing I’ll probably lose a few more pounds but I won’t. I love it too much.
Well said! I went off the Pill, and ended up with a bunch of awful side affects. The worst? I can’t get my period without it, and I may have problems conceiving when I decide to have children. UGH.
Hi Sal, about time I posted here, right?! I’ve always been more of a lurker (on blogs everywhere), but this one did strike a particular chord as I’ve been mess since going off the pill three mos ago to find that I’m pre-meno or perhaps fully in it … hot flashes, uncontrollable teariness (wept this a.m. in my kids’ dr office over the fact that his allergies make him sick all the time and I feel helpless)… no period in site (don’t mind that at all!). I also, after moving to Maine from CA, gained about 6 or 7 lbs each winter – ack! – and only managed to lose 3 or 4 each spring… so I’m now a good deal heavier than when I got here in 2002. Not happy about that…. and worry the meno might make it even harder to lose. I wish I’d gone off the pill years ago… I’m so interested in what Fleur wrote here, about fallopian tube “scarring.” Sounds brutal but interesting! I’m not sure how one knows when they’re actually DONE with the whole egg making routine. I don’t want to find out the hard way.
Lastly, “enflabinate” is quite a creation! I had to look twice at that and then thought, “oh, it’s SO Sally!”
I would actually argue it’s not normal to ovulate as much as we do now. Women used to be pregnant constantly and therefore not ovulating!
I've been there. In 2007 weighing over 225 pounds and in way too tight and too uncomfortable size 18 jeans, I got serious about adopting a healthy lifestyle. I started wearing a pedometer, exercising, tracking my food (and exercise) on Sparkpeople.com (a free website devoted to learning to live a healthy lifestyle).
I'm now at 149 pounds and can wear very comfortable size 8 jeans and even some size 6 jeans that fit just right. I'm still working to get my 56 year old body toned and healthy but I'm moving in the right direction.
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