Surviving Christmas

Christmas comes every year, and every year we hear the panic in our client’s voices about how they are going to survive without gaining lots of weight.  We thought we could offer some easy ideas to allow you to enjoy Christmas and all the fabulous foods and drinks associated with it.

 

1. Put weight loss on hold. 

Kick back and enjoy Christmas.  Instead of focusing on weight loss, turn it around to being a weight maintance phase, this will allow you to get involved with your friends and whanau and relish the fabulous foods that are available.  It only happens once a year so be gentle on yourself and accept that this is not the time to be focusing on losing weight.

 

2.  Take the foods you love to barbeques or dinners.

If you know that desserts are your area of trouble then take a dessert that you adore and is lighter in kilojoules and saturated fats.  Maybe you could take fruit and marshmallow kebabs with a mango drizzle, a huge fresh fruit salad, or cappuccino pancetta.   Be inventive there are plenty of fabulous low kilojoule recipes out there that taste great.

 

For a main, consider taking things like fresh veges with a honey and herb dressing that can be cooked on the barbeque.  Thai flavours can be introduced to veges to give them a kick.  Consider ginger, fresh coriander, lime (include the lime rind) and honey to pour over vegetable kebabs or stirfries on the barbeque.  Or take your favourite salad.

 

By taking foods that you love and are healthy and lower in kilojoules you know that you can load your plate up with these and enjoy the party without having to eat like a rabbit.

 

3.  Always have a look at all the foods before you begin filling your plate.

This is a great tip for any buffet, barbeque or pot luck dinner.  Check out all the foods first.  We have all experienced just taking a little of everything as you walk around and then finding you have a huge plateful before you reach the foods that you want.  By having a look at the foods first you will be able to identify the foods you want without having to wade your way through all the others that you are less interested in.

 

4.  Choose fewer selections.

We all know that if we go to buffet and have a little of everything that we could just eat more and more.  However if we just have the one food on our  plate we get a bit bored and are happy to leave some.  So that chocolate cake that just tasted so fabulous on the first bite is often just a bit sickly by the last.  This works due to our taste bubs getting desensitised to the one flavour.  If we put less food options on our plate we are more likely to loose interest in the taste and not have to eat it all, and better yet, then can forgo seconds.

 

5.  Know your serving sizes

Identifying your serving sizes will prevent you from overeating.

 

If you know that you are going somewhere where seconds are mandatory, save some of your serving size for the second lap around.

 

6.  Use a smaller plate.

We all know this tip.  A smaller plate makes your brain think it has had more to eat.  Frequently when you go to a barbeque there is an assortment of plates to cater for everyone, use this opportunity to grab the smaller one.

 

7.  Use a tall glass.

Again this tricks the brain into thinking it has had more.  Use this for your alcoholic drinks.  Also add some ice – perfect on a summer day, but also provides less room in the glass for the drink.

 

8.  Have a water for every alcoholic drink – or be the driver.

Alcohol is very high in kilojoules.  By having a water in between each drink this will keep you hydrated and cut down on your energy intake.

 

Offer to be the driver, at this time of year with so much alcohol being consumed drivers are needed!  You will find you are supported as soon as you say that you are driving and the pressure for another drink will come off.

 

9.  Accept that there will be great foods in huge quantities everywhere you go.

Make a decision before the silly season starts that you will limit yourself to say two chocolates, or one Christmas tart a day.  Do this for whatever your favourite foods are.  This way you still get the great foods but have some control on how much you are consuming.

 

10.  Say no to the foods you don’t love.

If there is nothing on the nibble platter that you absolutely have to have, say no.  Then, allow yourself a moment to bask in how fabulous you feel after saying no.  Give yourself a pat on the back.  Save it for something later that you truly don’t want to miss out on. 

 

11.  Trade food for exercise.

Allow yourself to have that piece of Pav that you have been hanging out for but trade it for taking the dog for a good long walk the next day. 

 

Step up your exercise plan.  This time of year the weather is warm and it is great to get outside and feel alive.

 

 

Above all remember summer and Christmas is a great time to spend quality time with friends and family.  Enjoy their company and our fabulous summer.  You may well find with being busy and warm that your appetite reduces naturally.  So kick back and enjoy.