With Christmas just around the corner, all our attention is focused on festivities: gifts, toasts, and food, lots of food. Clearly, the main objective of the holidays is not to forget about your healthy eating habits or to gain weight. December holidays must be a cause for celebration, a tradition that reminds us the importance of family and friends. However, it can become a real torment for those who have been fighting overweight throughout the year.
Thinking about the pounds you might gain during the holidays terrifies you?
According to data from Treated.com, an average American eats about 3,300 calories on Christmas day, which makes almost 7,000 calories during all the festivity; that is, more than three times the daily intake recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture!
Without a doubt, that overindulgence of food and drink has a negative impact on our body weight. A survey from the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that we gain between 7 and 10 pounds during this holiday season, which can ruin all our past year’s efforts and even take away our desire to try to lose weight again.
Christmas time survival guide
The good news is that following these simple tricks you can avoid regaining weight but will still be able to enjoy the delicious Xmas recipes.
1.Use smaller plates
Big plates are in style today; they’re pretty “chic”, but they can make us overeat. According to Brian Wansink, specialist in psychology of eating from Cornell, using smaller plates also decreases the amount of food we eat and reduces in 60% our calorie intake. The same happens with tumblers, so you’d better chose tall skinny tumblers instead of small ones.
2.Don’t skip meals waiting for the “great feast”
Skipping breakfast, and even supper to “make room” for Christmas dinner, it’s a really bad idea. When we arrive with an empty stomach we run the risk of overindulging. It’s best not to leave without having breakfast; take a light, though substantial, meal. If you’re going to a dinner, don’t forget to eat something healthy to curb your cravings.
3.Continue with your workout routine
During this season, full of reunions and dinners, we usually forget to do exercise. Remember that physical activity boosts your metabolism and whets your appetite in the morning, which keeps you from skipping breakfast. Believe it or not, that will prevent you from overeating and will make you enjoy food more.
4.Eat strategically
The utmost objective of Christmas is neither try EVERY dish, nor eat them in large amounts, so you’ve got no excuse to leave your healthy eating habits behind. If you have the chance, choose eating more vegetables and low-fat food instead of meals rich in sugar and/or fat.
5.Be aware with desserts
We know it’s almost impossible saying “no” to a delicious Christmas dessert, but you may choose desserts with less sugar and more cinnamon, or pick up an apple strudel and not a chocolate cake. Your dessert will be as delicious, but you won’t gain weight.
6.Look out for yourself
Pre-Christmas toasts and dinners are the first of a long series of festivities; Christmas and New Year’s dinners, Three King’s Day, and their corresponding after-parties, to say nothing about reunions with friends and colleagues. That’s why you should look out for yourself daily. If possible, do a detox (here we tell you how) a few days before special feasts; don’t stop your workout routine; and, mostly, don’t abuse your body overeating.
Christmas season is the best time to celebrate our achievements and reward ourselves. However, #DecideItNow; don’t lose sight of your objectives. You can share this season’s delicious meals in moderation. Remember that, even if making a pause during Christmas is up for grabs, it’s not worthy to throw all your past efforts for achieving your ideal weight down the drain.