As much as we all love the festive period, one thing that we can’t stand about Christmas is the amount of weight that we tend to put on. We have been focused on healthy eating at Christmas recently and with very good reason – it has been well documented that people get fat over Christmas!
We’ve already taken a closer look at some of the clever ways that you can be healthier at Christmas from swapping certain foods to incorporating well known “super foods” into your Christmas day dinner. All of this information can be found at the links at the bottom of this page…. We promise they are well worth reading!
There are some very smart tips that you should know about when it comes to trying to avoid weight gain at Christmas. We won’t keep you waiting any longer. Are you sitting comfortably?
Thinkin’ Ahead
Right girls, if you know you are going to go out later on tonight for dinner, don’t starve yourself today otherwise you will OVEREAT later. If you want to avoid putting on too much Christmas weight, you’ll need to start thinking ahead. Rather than starving yourself for the entire day and then pigging out later on in the luxurious restaurant, have a few smaller meals set out. Eat a good breakfast to get you started for the day, have a healthy yet small salad for lunch and remember to enjoy a couple of pieces of fruit or rice cakes as your hunger-avoiding snacks throughout the day. Starving yourself will only make you overweight and retain calories in the body anyway. It’s not worth it.
Christmas Candy!
We know that the best thing about Christmas is all the candy and chocolate you have access too… and it’s perfectly okay to eat them in abundance! To prevent overeating on the sugary delights, make sure that you only have one box of chocolate open at once and make sure that you put the unopened ones away somewhere so that they are out of sight and out of mind. If they are right there in front of you, there is a good chance that you are going to want to eat them. If they aren’t there, you won’t be thinking about them. It makes sense, right?
Take Treats to Work Day!
It’s great to be able to enjoy tasty treats such as mince pies and chocolate in the office during the festive period but when it comes to bringing in YOUR tasty treats, try to make them healthy ones. Take in some tasty oranges or christmas (healthy) themed snacks – we will look at these later. You made them so it makes sense that you will eat them… if they are healthier for you, you are just doing yourself a favour. The other guys and girls in the office will love you for it. Just because those mince pies are on the table in front of you doesn’t mean that you need to eat them. Sometimes you just need to have some will power. We actually talk about making healthier mince pies in Top 10 Tips to Make it Through Christmas without Getting Fat! (Part B) – why not take a closer look?
Christmas Buffet-Bonkers!
Just because there is a buffet doesn’t mean that you need to eat EVERYTHING in it! DOn’t hover by the buffet table because you are going to reach out, grab something that you probably shouldn’t grab and pop it in your mouth. If you’re on the other side of the room, or in another room entirely, you are less likely to munch out. It just makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? Grab one plate, fill it and eat it. Try to avoid going back for more and if you do, make the second plate a healthier one.
Christmas Day Portions!
The vegetables should take up a third of your plate when it comes to the big day dinner. If there is more meat than vegetables, you’re doing it wrong. The easiest way to keep track of your Christmas weight gain is to maintain proper portion control. You could be eating the healthiest thing in the world but when you have a portion designed for five grown men, you’ll still get fat.
Change your Fat!
Rather than spreading goose fat on the spuds this year, spray them with a low-calorie vegetable oil. Use a non-stick baking sheet rather than oil to cook the roast potatoes. Avoid using butter on your vegetables, or at least try to cut down. You don’t need to smother everything in the unhealthiest stuff around in order to make it taste good. If you use the water that you cooked the vegetables in with the gravy, you will get just as much flavour as you would from using the fat that you cooked the bird in. Sometimes it’s the smallest things that will end up making the biggest difference.
Skin the Turkey!
We know the skin is the best bit but it’s going to add a whole heap of calories to your Christmas day dinner. Why not leave the skin out, or just have a mouthful and let someone else have the rest. We know it’s tasty but is it really worth all those extra calories? Just think – if you cut cut out the turkey skin, you could have a mince pie or a glass of wine guilt-free later!
For more information on keeping your calorie count down this Christmas, why not check out some of the other articles on the site:
- Top 10 Tips to Make it through Christmas Without Getting Fat! (Part B)
- Top 10 Tips to Make it through Christmas Without Getting Fat! (Part A)
- We Love Turkey, Don’t You?
- Easy Christmas Food Swaps for a Healthier Christmas
**Photos of the beautiful food found on Pinterest.com!
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