How to avoid weight gain over Christmas

Christmas is only a few days away ecccckkkkk! Which can only mean one thing…CALORIES!!!

Personally, nothing sucks more than additional inches to your waist line after a Christmas binge. I mean, you didn’t work hard all year round, just to have to start all over again in the New Year, did you? Well I know I didn’t, that’s for sure, so I’ve come up with a few things to try and do over the festive period, to avoid unnecessary weight gain.

1. Have a weight maintenance goal

Let’s be honest, trying to lose weight over Christmas is just torture, so why not set your goals over the next 2 weeks to maintain your current weight. That way, you won’t be bothered if you don’t lose any weight and if you do, that will be a bonus.

2. The 80/20 rule

Aim to eat clean 80% of the time. The extra 20% will allow you enough room to enjoy yourself, without there being any harsh consequences.

3. Exercise more

Why not counteract the extra calories with more exercise.

4. Plan your eating habits for the week ahead

This is basically like planning your cheat day or cheat meal. For example, if you know that you are going to have to go out one evening and it’s likely that you are going to misbehave with your eating, plan ahead so you make the right food choices for breakfast and lunch or days leading up to that day

5. Set a date to get back on track

Aim to get back on track with your usual diet and exercise habits by January otherwise, you may find yourself leading up to spring still holding onto the extra Christmas weight.

6. One handful rule

When it comes to snacks, only have one handful.

7. Drink Smart

I think this is the most important one of them all. Christmas time comes with lots of alcohol and we often find that we drink more than we usually would. What people don’t really realise is the amount of calories they are drinking per glass. Alcohol tends to increase your appetite and interrupts your blood sugar levels, which is why people tend to crave sweet things when recovering from a hangover. Personally, I would rather eat my calories than drink them, but if you are going to drink:

- Eat a nutritious meal or snack with some protein before you have a drink as the protein should help stabilize any swings in your blood sugar level and should prevent you from craving sweet things.

-If you’re a wine drinker, opt for red wine over white. Red wine is better because it has higher amounts of the powerful antioxidants resveratrol, which is found in red grape skins.

- Choose sugar free or low calorie mixers for cocktails or stick to spirits.

-Drink water or low calorie soft drinks between alcoholic drinks. This will help reduce your calorie intake and will help reduce the amount of units you’re drinking.

So why not try these over the next two weeks and resume your normal routine in the New Year.

G