Christmas is upon us. It’s the time of the year that we all start attending social functions, barbecues, enjoying the warm weather, taking holidays and everything else that comes along with this time of year. Whether it is at home or you are out, there are plenty of options for you to fall off the nutritional bandwagon. But it doesn’t need to be so even if you have lots of temptations.
I have seen a statistic that says that most people put on 3 kg from the start of December through the new year, many are able to lose this throughout the year but many are not. Let’s make sure that with all the fun of family and friends, that this year is not one of poor health and weight gain.
Here are my 6 tips to ensure that you live a healthy Christmas:
1. Do the shopping every week. Even though you may be busy take the time to do the shopping. Having good food in the house will stop you from making spur of the moment decisions and allow you to plan your eating for the week.
2. Learn about food. You eat food up to 6 times a day, it is something you interact with every day. Gaining some simple knowledge about food composition can assist you in taking control of your energy intake. By understanding food it will help with your decision making processes through all the great food and not so great food around at Christmas.
3. Start the day off right. While having breakfast isn’t essential for weight loss it does support you in making good decisions throughout the day. By having a good breakfast you are less likely to get cravings later in the day and are more likely to say no to the temptations put in front of you. You have to eat to loose weight. Put lightly if you don’t, hormones could take control of your decision making. The results probably wont be in line with your weight loss goals. Remember this throughout this time of year.
4. Have a plan when you attend Christmas functions. Know what types of food and how much you are going to eat. One of my favourite tips is to make sure that you drink water in between alcoholic drinks. This ensures your total calorie count is lowered for the night.
5. Vegetables are your best friend. There are so many ways to increase your vegetable intake. It’s so easy to go straight to the Christmas favourites, but if you fill the plate with salad first, then you are less likely to over eat .
6. Be aware. Ask yourself this question, Why are you eating? Is the answer hunger? Eat it, if not put it back.
We interact with food throughout everyday but at this time of year the temptations are even greater. Remember these 6 simple tips and really make an effort to make this Christmas a healthy one. By keeping your goals through the whole Christmas period it will be a stepping stone to a healthy 2015.