Avoiding Christmas weight gain and loss of motivation

Ah, December, the festive season.  Glittering decorations, twinkling lights, festive fun and multiple opportunities for over consumption and sloth behaviour.  The joy!

Firstly, give yourself a break.  Christmas should be a time for relaxation and enjoyment.  A few days of over indulgence will not lead to massive weight gains and setbacks.  However, many of us are tempted by what the season has to offer and we fall into patterns of eating due to tradition or habit, rather than pleasure and enjoyment.  It’s also a busy time of year; the perfect excuse to miss the gym or forgo your lunchtime walk; the “f*ck it, it’s Christmas” mentality.

Top tips:

• Pick your eating opportunities wisely.  Do not feel that you have to eat something or attend an event that does not suit you because of tradition or habit.  Choose foods and events that genuinely fill you with joy and pleasure.  Sally’s soggy mince pies- no thanks, Mam’s corned beef pie – yes please!
• Have one large meal or party meal and watch your intake throughout the rest of the day. Fill up on fruit, vegetables, protein, whole grains and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.  This will keep you nourished and stop you from over eating.
• Tune in to your satiety ques. Stop when you are almost full.  Feeling uncomfortably full is never fun.  Especially not for your gut or sleep.
• Be mindful of foods that don’t love you back, it’s ok to eat these in small amounts but every day for the entire month of December?
• Prioritise your sleep and remember that alcohol and heavy meals can influence the quality of your sleep leading to increased tiredness the following day (subsequently leading to poorer food choices).
• Do not underestimate how dehydrating this time of year can be; alcohol, increased caffeine intake, stress and exertion will lead to an increase in your fluids needs. Keep an eye on your urine colour (it should be pale yellow and plentiful), if it’s a dark dribble it’s time to reach for your Stanley.
• Manage your stress! This is perhaps the most difficult thing to do at this time of year. Say no to events/plans that don’t bring you joy.  Make life easier for yourself and use gift bags instead of miles of wrapping paper and take some time for yourself.
• Plan exercise around your social events and work commitments and stick to the plan. Avoid setting unrealistic goals that you cannot stick to.  It is a busy time of year; factor in some rest.
• Anyone who knows me knows that I love a cocktail; the sweeter, the better! However, these boozey, sugary delights tend to be packed with empty calories.  1 or 2 are fine, but be mindful of what you consume.  Whilst we are discussing calorific drinks, watch out for hot chocolates and those gorgeous creamy coffees the coffee shops offer at this time of year – partake mindfully; it does not need to become a daily December ritual.
• Consider strategies to protect your health such as taking a multivitamin. We consume a lot of food at this time of year but these foods are sometimes not particularly nutrient dense.
• Look after your gut health. Consider utilising probiotic products and prioritise fibre in your diet.

Overall, there are a few tweaks that you can make to avoid excessive weight gain and loss of motivation.  However, it’s few weeks of the year, relax and have fun!

Merry Christmas and Namaste.