We all know that Christmas is traditionally a time for calorific over-indulgence. Mince pies, roast potatoes, chocolates, Christmas pudding, wine, cake……..the list goes on. And whilst you’re keen to celebrate the festive season with friend and family, you may also be worried about piling on excessive weight unnecessarily and having a huge amount to lose in the New Year. So, is there a happy compromise between Christmas feasting and famine? Of course!
Firstly, work out how you’re going to track your calories. Decide on a daily goal and stick to it. Apps like My Fitness Pal can really help to keep you on the straight and narrow.
Be prepared. Use your calendar to identify the days when realistically you’re likely to consume more than average calories (Christmas parties, Christmas Day, etc.). Be realistic about how many calories you’re going to consume so you can balance out those days with days when you can eat a little less to compromise. You know the wave of rich food is coming so get ready to surf it.
It’s an old trick by now, but a good way to keep your weight stable more easily is to avoid carbs where you can. Obviously, you can’t go without potatoes that have been roasted in goose fat but looking elsewhere to swap carbs for protein is definitely going to keep you leaner. Don’t deprive yourself. A little bit of what you fancy will do you no harm, and if you tell
yourself that you won’t be eating any naughty treats then you won’t have boundaries in place if you do decide to eat those chocolates and you’ll be more at risk of over-eating. Likewise, if you ration yourself to one glass of festive mulled wine, then you’ve got nothing in place to stop you drinking litres of the stuff (BAD idea. Your head won’t feel normal for days).
Keep drinking water. Drinking plenty of fluids will help you to feel fuller and ease the pain of Christmas-induced hangovers. So get into the habit of having a glass of water at regular intervals, or keeping a bottle of water on you if that’s a better option for you.
Choose low cal alcoholic drinks. Out with the Baileys and in with the Prosecco. Out with the wine and in with the gin and tonics (low cal tonic water, of course). These are simple switches you can make to drastically reduce the amount of empty calories that you’re taking on board just through alcohol.
Make smart eating choices so that you aren’t raiding the fridge an hour after a festive meal. Up the protein and lower the carbs – more turkey, less toast. Eat more slowly, your brain doesn’t recognise that your stomach is full until around 20 minutes after you’ve eaten.
These are just some of the tips that can see you through the festive period wearing the same clothes at the end as you did at the beginning. There’s no need for deprivation, just a little more forward planning!