How to maintain your diet through Christmas

Dec 1 2009 by Katherine Neal, The Journal

Christmas is a time to eat drink and be merry, but it can also be a stressful time for people who are trying to lose weight. All the good work for months beforehand can be lost as we are tempted with daily offers of mince pies, chocolate and alcohol.

Believe it or not, with a small amount of planning, you can still eat drink and be merry without piling the pounds back on. Here are my tips...

Christmas drinks
One of the big weight-gain culprits over the festive season is alcohol. Try and think of a party as a chance to catch up with friends as opposed to a chance to scoff party food and get stuck into the wine. Remember measures poured at home are usually much larger than those you would get in a pub, the result being you end up with twice the calories. Steer clear of alcopops. These sugar laden drinks are very easy to drink and will end up piling the pounds on. Stick to the old trick of drinking a glass of water in between drinks or adding soda water to wine to make it last longer.

Christmas dinners
Most Christmas day lunches are packed full of healthy nutrients, it’s the little extras that pile on the pounds. Aim to pile half of your plate with seasonal vegetables, red cabbage, carrots, sprouts, parsnips, the more colours the better. Choosing a variety of colours will help to provide a broad array of vitamins and minerals.

Festive food
Buffets are a dieter’s nightmare, an abundance of little tasty morsels usually high in calories. Whilst it would be sensible to choose only the lower fat options, if there are any, the temptation is to sample a little of everything on offer. The best advice is do not go to a party hungry, have a small, healthy snack before you leave the house. Sit as far away from the food as possible and become engrossed in conversation to take your mind off eating.

Staying active
One of the biggest mistakes people make over the Christmas period is to stop their exercise regime. Whilst it can be very tempting to become a couch potato, keeping active will allow you to maintain your waistline.

For help and practical advice to achieve your ideal weight contact Katherine Neal for a nutritional consultation. (0191) 215-9292 www.nutritionalknowhow.com