cold weather appetite

[huskyguy]

When it is cold outside I have a voracious appetite for food and once it starts warming up my appetitie seems supressed. Does anyone know if there is any legitimate scientific reason for this? I find it easy to bulk in the winter and cutting seems to come naturally in the summer.

 

[epzin]

thats so true, i notice the same for myself. its even more evident when you look at the diets of south american and african cultures. both of these continents, especially those with hotter climates generally have fruit and water as staples in their diets, along with various uncooked beans, lentils and such.

not sure about scientific evidence but could be due to the fact that when temperatures are warmer, our bodies want to conserve energy as much as possible because its been trained to live for survival. hotter climates generally mean we are in some sort of famine-based environment, therefore conserving energy and burning less food, which means burning more muscle (after fat stores are depleted)because its the most condensed and longest lasting energy source. our bodies were not built to have much muscle thats why its easier, for most, to get fatter then more muscular.
thats why diet is even more crucial in summer, you dont want to lose hard earned muscle.

also the cold brings about seasonal affective disorder, mild depression that leads to eating more.

i dunno, just some hunches. hope it helps!

 

[huskyguy]

I've done a bit a research and you seem to be on track. We have long cold winters where I live so it has been easy to keep my appetite up. Only one more month of bulking to go then it's time to cut.

 

[epzin]

best of luck!

 

[SydBarrett]

Heh, it's kind of funny that you thought to look at it from a warm weather viewpoint and I from the cold weather side. But I think you are sort of right.

My thoughts are simply: I don't know how much time you spend outside in the winter, but our bodies use alot of energy just keeping us warm in the cold weather not to mention the energy we use during our daily routines. I have no scientific evidence, but my sense of logic tells me that this is one of several possible reasons for a heftier appetite in winter months. And obviously in the cold, just like wild animals, our bodies are inclined to bulk up a bit more to stay warm than vs. the summer months when our bodies might need to shed some excess fat to prevent overheating.