5 tips to avoid a 10lb Christmas weight gain

The average person puts on between five and ten pounds between
November and January and it’s pretty easy to put on more if you
let yourself feast on all the delights of the season. But who
wants to be miserable and diet through Christmas? Follow these
tips to have fun without piling on the pounds.

1. Have the right attitude

If you go into Christmas with the idea that you’ll just eat
everything you possibly can and worry about it in January then
you will bitterly regret it when Christmas is over. Decide to
enjoy the festive season without going plain silly over all the
goodies on offer. Choose the things you particularly like and
say no to anything which you’re really not bothered about.

2. Eat how much you need

At every meal aim for a comfortable feeling of satisfaction
rather than getting to the stage where you need to loosen your
waistband. Decide to enjoy your meal AND feel great afterwards.
This tip alone will save you hundreds of calories every meal. If
you want to try all the courses, have small portions of
everything you really want.

3. Keep up your exercise

Don’t give up your usual exercise routine over the holidays
because it will be hard to get back into it later. If you really
can’t get to the gym, do a few exercises at home or go out
walking. It will not just use up some calories, it will keep you
in touch with your desire to stay slim and healthy. Also keep as
active as possible as you go about your day – don’t sit about
watching the TV specials, nibbling nuts and chocolate.

4. Put it away

If you have lots of extra treats at home “for guests”, get them
out when people come and put them away when they go home. Out of
sight, out of mind will help a little but if those treats do
start calling out to you from the cupboard, put a few on a plate
and put the rest away so that you are not constantly nibbling
from the packet.

5. Peace and goodwill

Try and keep calm over Christmas. As stress levels rise, so does
our tendency to eat for comfort. Just remember that you don’t
have to make Christmas perfect for everyone else while running
yourself into the ground. Do the best you can with the time
available and then just decide to enjoy it however much you’ve
done. If others have expectations of how Christmas should be
then get them involved in making it so! Have some (non-food)
treats up your sleeve to enjoy when it all gets a bit too much.
It doesn’t cost a lot to tuck away a sachet of perfumed bubble
bath, a glossy magazine or a novel you’ve been dying to read. If
all else fails call an old friend for a chat rather than eating
the fridge empty.

Copyright 2005, Janice Elizabeth Small

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