Why We Feel Heavier in Fall and Winter

Every year, right around October, I start to hear the same complaints… Why do I feel a little puffier? Why are my cravings stronger and why am I holding weight in places that usually feel easy to maintain?! Why does my body feel slower even when I am eating clean? 

It used to be framed as a discipline problem. That old narrative that holiday foods and cold weather simply make us weak. But seasonal shifts run much deeper than willpower — they touch biology, circadian rhythm, emotional processing, the microbiome, mitochondrial function, hormones, and nervous system regulation. This is why fall and winter carry a very specific energetic signature. One that can make us feel heavier, softer, or more stagnant if we do not understand what the body is trying to do.

Here is what is really happening when the seasons turn and why this is not a failure of discipline. It is a natural response to a profound shift in environment, energy, and physiology.

Shorter days slow the metabolic rhythm

The circadian rhythm directs everything: appetite, digestion, cortisol, thyroid function, blood sugar, sleep quality, and the timing of melatonin. During fall and winter, sunlight decreases, mornings feel darker, evenings arrive earlier, and melatonin begins to rise sooner. This influences cortisol, which becomes flatter and less dynamic. When cortisol is less responsive, metabolism naturally slows. The body starts to conserve energy rather than burn it freely. This is why people often feel hungrier in the evenings, crave heavier foods, and feel sleepy earlier in the night. It is the body adjusting to a new light environment. Not a loss of discipline or a loss of motivation, but a natural circadian recalibration.

We move less without realizing it

Movement is more than your step count. It includes all the small, unconscious forms of activity that happen throughout the day, like your morning sunlight walks, errands on foot, spontaneous outdoor moments, and even just breaks outside. As the weather cools, even in Los Angeles, these micro movements naturally decline. When that happens, glucose management becomes less efficient because your muscles are not pulling in sugar the way they do when you are naturally active throughout the day. Blood sugar rises more easily, insulin works harder, and the body gradually shifts toward storing energy rather than using it. The solution is not more intense workouts. It is simply weaving more natural movement back into your daily rhythm.

Holiday stress interferes with hunger hormones

Cortisol rises when we are overwhelmed, and with it comes adrenaline and a heavier emotional load that disrupts the hormones responsible for appetite control. Leptin signaling weakens, making it harder to feel full, while ghrelin increases and intensifies cravings for sugar, salt, and quick energy because the body believes it needs fuel to manage the emotional stressor. The holiday season amplifies this response, bringing an influx of family dynamics, travel, social pressure, financial concerns, loneliness, excitement, grief, memories, and anticipation, all of which place a significant burden on the nervous system. When cortisol remains elevated, the body shifts into energy conservation mode, digestion slows, sleep becomes lighter, blood sugar becomes more unstable, and inflammation rises, creating the perfect internal environment for weight gain or stubborn weight that refuses to budge.

Fall/winter is the body’s “season of release”

Many people never consider the seasonal perspective held by traditional medicine systems like Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, which view the colder months as a natural period of release. Fall strips away what is no longer needed, and winter pulls energy inward, encouraging rest and reflection, which means the body often feels heavier because it is processing what the mind does not have space to address during the busier, brighter months. In my practice, this is when emotional weight rises, old patterns surface, memories return, and relationships are reassessed, and the body holds this emotional load until it feels safe enough to let it go. When we do not recognize this process, we confuse emotional heaviness with physical failure, which is why I always remind people that fall and winter are not seasons for harsh regimes but for gentler nourishment, deeper rest, and steady nervous system support so the body can finally exhale.

How to navigate this change in season: 

When you understand why your body feels heavier in fall and winter, you can finally stop fighting it and start working with it. This season is not asking you to be stricter. It is asking you to be more attuned. Begin by rebuilding your light cues each morning, even if it’s just a few minutes of stepping outside to remind your circadian rhythm that the day has begun. Add in gentle, natural movement throughout the day because it is the small moments of activity that stabilize blood sugar far more than any intense workout. Lean into grounding meals that keep your energy steady, like warm soups, roasted vegetables, protein, healthy fats, and plenty of fiber. These foods calm cravings and support the slower metabolic rhythm your body naturally shifts into this time of year.

At the same time, give the nervous system structure so it can handle the emotional and hormonal changes the season brings. A few minutes of breathwork before meals, boundaries around social commitments, and a nighttime ritual that signals safety all make a difference. And because fall and winter naturally stir up old emotions, find a weekly practice that helps you release what your body is holding, whether that’s journaling, therapy, breathwork, or simply letting yourself feel what you need to feel. Choose warmth and ease over intensity, support your mitochondria with minerals, and let this season be about nourishment rather than self-criticism. When you honor the rhythm of this time of year, everything starts to feel lighter, including you.