Cold Weather Could Actually Help You Achieve Your Weight-Loss Goals, Study Says

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- During the cold winter months, it's tempting to want to spend your time curled up with a warm blanket.

But as CBS2's Vanessa Murdock reports, if you're looking to get healthy and lose some weight, the winter weather might actually give you an advantage.

Snow, biting winds, and bone chilling temperatures are all typical in winter, but for some the cold season brings a little something extra -- those layers of fat.

"I put the extra layer on. I'm a hibernating bear in the winter," Marshall Bernard Woodward, of SoHo, said.

No doubt it happens, but if you're determined to lose the weight, a new study published in Nature's Scientific Reports suggests cold weather can actually help you achieve your goal. Sources close to the study say it's likely because a successful weight loss journey has more to do with your state of mind than your physical exertion.

"One big misconception by the way is that it's physical activity," said Artem Petakov, the President and Co-Founder of noom, an app-based company focused on helping people lead healthier lives through behavior change.

Web Extra: 5 NYC Ways To Stay Healthy This Winter, From Spas To Fitness And More

Scientists used noom's weight loss data to conduct the study and find out whether or not there is a connection between weight loss and weather.

"With this information, we can actually tell people, 'hey you should start the program in the colder months,'" Petakov said.

He believes colder weather means more pounds lost because there's more time to focus on yourself.

"It's about nutrition and psychology, and those things are both done better in the winter," he said.

There's more time to cook and form healthy habits when there are fewer distractions.

"(In the summer), there's always something going on," Lucien Washington said.

"It's a less structured schedule for people in the summer, there's vacations and you know their kids are not in school," Petakov said.

He said all together, it's harder to stay organized, which is a key factor in shedding those unwanted extra pounds.

The study also found dry weather helps with weight loss, and wet weather does not.