Do any of you on maintenance have a pattern of gaining up to 10 pounds during the holidays/winter when you're less active and then losing it once spring comes and you're more active again? I'm still in my first year of losing/maintenance and I gained 2 lbs (Thanksgiving) then 4 lbs (Christmas) but have been maintaining otherwise. But I am far less active than I was during the rest of the year, due in part to the cold. My exercise is walking for an hour outside every day, and I cannot do that with the short days and ice and snow. My steps recorded on my pedometer are also less. During the spring/summer/fall almost every day I walked over 5000 steps beyond what I did on my walk, but during the winter, I've been doing good if I hit 2500. I just want to curl up on the couch and stay warm.

I'm just wondering if it is reasonable to think that once it warms up again and I'm back in my groove where I lost 50 lbs if I'll finally lose the last 15 lbs or if this is just the beginning of failure and I'm in some kind of denial. Losing the weight was almost effortless with simply watching what I eat and being active, but now I am just happy to be maintaining because I can't seem to lose.

Do any of you see a cycle where you just are happy to survive the winter and then thrive once it's warms up and you can be active again?

Yep I have been maintaining for the most part for about 5 years and I always gain over the holidays and lose in the Spring. I think our bodies naturally want us to be a little bit fluffier when it's cold out.

Hard for me to say, I'm still a newbie. But I'll say I did not gain over the holidays, then again my exercise routine hasn't changed. I'd say it's probably normal though and to just keep an eye on it, especially when your activity increases again. One thing I wouldn't do is assume you're failing and throw in the towel. Just keep your maintenance plan tight and maybe next year lower your cals a little over the winter.

I was thinking exactly the same the other day. We just have to keep an eye on the scale , and lower our weight back to where it was before the next holliday.
I gain like 3 pounds on chrismas , the pass over ( i think is call) we make to much bread and special food, so let say 2 pound just there, + 3 from chrismas. Then summer yehhh BBQ 3 more pounds (3+2+3=8) hallowen 2 more (now they turn 10) I can bet any money that this was the way i gain all my weight.

So we have to be carefull and be back to our weight maintenance before the next holliday ( still trying to lose the chrismas weight gain) .

Like you I want to lose more , but my body is not copperatin.

I am sorry for my mistakes I am writen from my Iphone.

I think I'm better at dieting in the winter than in the summer. Maybe it's because I'm more interested in spending time in the gym in the winter, because some days the weather just isn't friendly. Maybe it's because pants are less forgiving than shorts, at least for those of us who store fat on the thighs. (I'm disregarding how one *looks* in said shorts, just whether they go on )

But, it makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint that our bodies would gain a bit of extra insulation in the winter and lose it over the summer. And, I think this is a pretty common pattern, even without the cultural bonus of holiday food.

//b. strong,
Kim