If there is one thing that is for certain at Christmas, it is that there is going to be so much amazing food put out in front of you, that you won’t know where to start! We all deserve to treat ourselves a little bit during the holidays, but there has to be a limit somewhere to ensure that you don’t go over the top and end up making detrimental decisions for your body. Here are ten ways to avoid piling on the pounds at Christmas.
Try to keep to your usual routine in terms of when you eat your three main meals. Getting out of sync can lead to overindulgence and overeating.
When possible, choose to buy products and foods that are labelled as being reduced in fat. Doing this whenever you can, can help to balance out the foods that are going to be more fatty and calorific than you would usually eat.
Make sure to hit that 10,000 steps per day target, even on those days when all you want to do is lay down on the couch in front of the TV!
Christmas is all about snacking, so make sure that you fill your home with healthy snacks so it doesn’t have too much of an impact when you reach for them.
When you do your big Christmas food shop, make sure to check the labels of everything before throwing them in the cart. Some foods are much worse nutritionally than you might think.
By all means, treat yourself to rich foods, but balance that out by making sure that your portion sizes are appropriate for the food in question.
Don’t become a couch potato just because it is Christmas. Get up and on your feet as much as you can, go out for festive walks with friends and family, walk the dog, that kind of thing.
Be mindful about what kinds of drinks you have over Christmas. There are so many hidden calories in many of the festive favourites that it can undo a lot of the hard work you are putting in with your food choices.
Whenever you do have a meal, make the effort to sit down and have it a table, away from the TV so that you can concentrate on your consumption and chew more slowly.
Whilst getting in all of your other festive foods, make sure that you still get in your five a day!