Weight Watchers want you to share your autumn and winter healthy living triumphs and/or pitfalls - £300 voucher to be won! NOW CLOSED

[EllieMumsnet]

For many, Autumn often symbolises a time to be with family, wrapping up, staying indoors with a good movie and indulging in our favourite comfort foods. The healthy living habits from summer can often take a backseat and, as a result, these cooler months can often put our health goals and weight loss journeys on pause. With that being said, Weight Watchers want you to share any funny autumn and winter healthy living pitfalls or triumphs you have gone through.

Zoe Griffiths, Head of Programme and Public Health at Weight Watchers, adds: “For many, the shift in season will bring with it a change in outlook. It’s a time when we start to notice that maintaining a healthy lifestyle is becoming be more difficult. In fact, working with psychologist Professor Geoff Beattie, we have identified that 18th September is the date when the seasonal shift begins to impact Brits’ lives. But just because the seasons have changed, doesn’t mean your outlook has to too. You are very much still in control of your own healthy lifestyle!”

"Weight Watchers has a plan to help avoid those pesky pitfalls all autumn long! Introducing… The Weight Watchers Guide to Owning Autumn. The Guide will be updated each week throughout the season to help counteract the seasonal shift and make it easier for people to take control of their weight loss journey and overcome the lifestyle challenges posed during the cooler season."

Zoe continues: “At Weight Watchers, we believe that you can say ‘yes’ to the things that you love and still enjoy a healthy lifestyle – any time of the year! That’s why with food, activity and wellbeing deeply engrained in our philosophy, we have designed the new Guide to Owning Autumn, which provides motivation, support and tips and tricks, so that you can enjoy the cooler seasons while showing autumn who is boss!”

Watch this video to find out more!

Have you ever convinced yourself that colder weather calls for an extra glass of wine? Perhaps you’ve managed to fool everyone that you went to the gym by wandering around all day in your gym clothes, when actually they’re just so comfy? Or maybe you successfully managed to dodge all the chocolate that your kids collected at Halloween?

Whatever your healthy living pitfall or triumph, post them on the thread below. All MNers who comment will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky person will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

It is for comfort food, red wine etc & then on to Christmas & the party season & party food. It is a hard time of year. Be strong is my only advice

Healthy living triumph = Autumnal soups! Delicious, cheap, full of seasonal veggie goodness and low calorie, even if you swirl a bit of cream in ;)

Pitfall all the delicious autumnal lattes that the coffee chains release at this time of year, full of cream and syrup. Just too good to resist :(

Soup is a quick, warm, healthy meal, plus a nice bake it your self style crusty roll is the perfect accompaniment.

I love the Jaffa cake style weight watchers instant hot chocolate too. Really yummy, I make it with hot water but add a small dash of milk for a little creaminess.

I actually loose weight over the winter because I switch from sandwiches to soup for my lunches and it is less calories.

I do love a crisp, clear and bright autumn/winter day and it really does inspire me to get out walking. Unfortunately, it then also makes me feel quite chilly and I'll come home and make hot chocolate...
My eating does tend to go awry in the colder months - salad's just don't cut it! But don't we need a bit more comfort food and a few extra calories to keep us warm!
Note to self - must make sure I go to the gym on the cross trainer to keep weight under control this autumn/winter...

I lost 5 stone with Weight Watchers & put it all back on again near enough faster than I lost it as soon as I stopped going. I plan to lose it again on my own with no diet clubs but going to wait til autumn/winter has been and gone which I assoisciate with comfort food

avoid bread and chips

Well. Christmas is an obvious winter pitfall as far as healthy eating is concerned- I do love a mince pie. And an advent calendar (because for 25 days chocolate for breakfast becomes acceptable somehow).

Autumn is my favourite season, though it tends to trigger something of a hibernation mode in me: nothing better than getting all snuggled in a big jumper and fluffy socks with a comforting hot chocolate or 6, all piled high with cream and marshmallows and flakes....ok, looks like another pitfall there, let me think....

it's not ALL bad though, because this truly is the season for hearty soups and stews- loaded with root veg, beans and pulses it's comfort food at it's finest and gloriously healthy too.

To burn calories, a brisk walk in the crisp autumn sunshine is great and bonus points for throwing in some puddle-jumping or leaf-crunching along the way :D

Perfect weather for chucking everything in the slow cooker, and then you have a hot meal ready whenever you get back from crunching in leaves or building a snowman!

It's the perfect time for soups! Healthy, warming and delicious! Great for using up leftovers and perfect with buttery crusty bread! My favourite time of year, really gets me in the cooking mood!

We all seem to be trying to fight off colds and coughs here, so we're trying our best to get fresh air and not stay cooped up inside. Autumn is my favourite time for getting 'out and about' as I love the colours on the trees and the slight 'nip in the air'. We love taking the kids out to find leaves and conkers then have a lovely hot chocolate. We're lucky enough to live near lots of parks and have easy access to the countryside.

i struggle in winter as i have 3 of my kids birthdays and all the festivities!! luckily ive already lost 2 1/2 stone in the past few months so i can afford to gain a few pound haha

I find it so much harder to be healthy in autumn/winter. I crave stodgy food and also find the miserable weather makes it harder to exercise!
Agree home made soup is a good solution though, I haven’t started yet this year but this thread has inspired me!

IN the autumn/winter we cook lovely healthy Stews etc but then have it with have a loaf of crusty bread and butter as the carbs feel comforting.

Also, mulled wine on a cold dark night and you cant just have one glass each you need to drink the bottle!!

All that combined with not doing as much exercise because your skin is definitely not waterproof!!

Harder to drag myself out to the gym.

Always thought of myself as a "tough northerner" - moved south and always seem to be catching colds

I am still struggling with the extra weight I got from the Summer. I feel demotivated and it is hard to plan on a diet again.

I always eat more comfort food when it's colder. A salad does not make you feel all cozy at lunchtime!

I find exercise harder as i dont like running in the dark, so that only leaves weekends. Also stodgy carb heavy foods are very tempting in cold weather....

If I can just stop eating pasta for dinner after a cold wet day I'd be thin

I honestly just eat more in winter, I think it's comforting as you can't get out as much with the weather! Doesn't help that my daughter gets so much chocolate for Christmas either!
I could do with trying to follow an easy regime this year

My healthy living triumphs in the Autumn is my continuing with my year round walking regime because the season is so beautiful. However at this time of year something is triggered inside your body which tells you that now it is time to have hot chocolate, pies and crumbles! So there is a struggle with maintaining a healthy weight, despite the walking!

Autumn means porridge in our household! Which in theory is a great healthy start to the day. If only it didn't taste so much better with blue milk, a bit of cream and lashing of sugar....

Autumnal triumph - slow cooking low fat and low cal stews, pulled pork, woke chickens, hot pots, casseroles etc.

Downfall - hot chocolate. In fact just chocolate anything.

Autumn is a nightmare for us health-wise, my son gets sick at the drop of a hat this time of year and his school attendance always suffers. I try to make sure we keep the house nice and warm and we have plenty of fresh soups and warming foods.