Health x Wellness
Avoid Gaining Holiday Weight Over Christmas
Over-indulging during the festive period may be a common affair, but you can always keep your weight in check with some simple tricks.
If you’ve been working hard all year to keep your weight in check, the last thing you’d want is to see your efforts go down the drain over the festive holidays. With lots of expected feasting, desserts, and alcohol amidst the celebrations, it is still possible to avoid gaining some extra weight over the holidays.
Here are some ways you can keep the holiday weight under control:
- Portion control
While this may not sound like anything new, the “everything in moderation” mantra has never been more apt at this point. With a tantalising spread of canapes, pies and log cakes, it’s almost difficult to resist piling up your plate with all your favourite festive dishes. However, the trick is to control your portions – pick smaller plates and avoid stacking your food. You can still sample every dish on display but take small portions of each.
- Load up on proteins
Fill your plate up with all your favourite proteins first, followed by carbs. With great protein options such as turkey and roasted chicken going around, there’s no reason to keep your protein intake on the low this holiday. Though hard to resist, avoid piling up on too much shepherd’s pie or mashed potatoes, and leave them for the last. Given that proteins are great for maintaining healthy weight and muscle growth, picking proteins over carbs can keep you full longer and help prevent you from over-eating.
Be picky about your booze
In light of the holiday spirit, everyone wants to celebrate and be merry over drinks. However, alcoholic beverages are only going to add some extra calories to your already sinful festive meals. Good news is, you can still join in the merriment and keep you weight in check by being more mindful about your choice of alcohol. Diet-friendly options include wines, and hard liquors such as whiskeys, gin or rum. Pair your alcohol with low-calorie mixers such as diet soda or tonic water, and drop the sugared mixers and fruity cocktails to avoid loading up on additional calories.
- Slow down when feasting
Various scientific studies have suggested that eating slowly can help increase satiety and lower food intake during meals. With that in mind, it definitely pays off to pace yourself while tucking into your favourite festive food. Take some time to slowly savour each appetiser and think twice before wolfing everything down on your plate (even though they’re all so delicious). Once your body tells you you’re full, it’s always wise not to reach out for those additional cookies.
- Walk it off
Get off the couch and get moving! After indulging in a huge meal, why not get everyone to take a nice ‘festive’ walk together? If you’ve no time to slip in a workout over the holidays, a little goes a long way when you make a conscious effort to get more steps over the day.
With all these simple tricks in mind, you can safely enjoy the festive holidays without worrying too much about holiday weight gain. That said, have a very jolly Christmas this year!
