Banish the fear of gaining weight this Christmas with my proven tactics to win the Christmas weight gain battle!

Here are some practical tips to avoid gaining the dreaded Christmas & holiday kilos.

TIP 1: Watch your alcohol intake! There are lots of hidden kjs in alcolhol & its not great for our liver too (leads to more hormonal imbalance symptoms, particularly hot flushes etc. & distrubed sleep).

If you know you are going to a social occasion and want to have a drink for two (try to stop at 2) always start the night with a handful of almonds. This helps to trick the body into thinking it’s going to have a protein meal not alcohol. Have a glass of mineral water instead of a glass of wine in a champagne glass so it still looks special like your having an alcoholic drink & no one else will be none the wiser! Or have a mineral water to space your alcoholic drinks.

TIP 2:

STAY HYDRATED! Drink at least 2 Litres of water every day. Especially if having alcohol which can dehydrate you even more on hot days.

TIP 3:
If you have a function where you are to eat a meal: Decide you are going to have one plate of food and pick the food you will most enjoy and nourish you! Don’t be tempted by snacking on the plates of food that are being handed around. Don’t graze the whole time at the event either.  If you know that the foods won’t be healthy plan to have your meal before going to the event and don’t eat anything at the event. Or take a plate of healthy food to share with others.

TIP 4:
When you feel like some ice cream try blending in a nutribullet (or a blender) some frozen fruit on your food list in place of your fruit for that meal! Yum it’s like a gelato but low glycaemic load.

TIP 5:

CHRISTMAS WEEK: Focus more on weight maintenance than weight loss. For Christmas day lunch – This will be your treat meal for the week of course. Fill your plate with the foods you really want and make sure it includes a good proportion of protein to carbs. Try and forgo bread and extra fruit the rest of the day for your other meals. Try and stick to 1-2 glasses of alcohol with plenty of glasses of water in between. It will be so worth it when you find out you didn’t gain any and maybe even lost a little too!

TIP 6:

Make sure you remain active over the Christmas period by doing something active every day! Get your dancing shoes on and burn some Kjs while having fun. Nice long walks on the beach are especially relaxing and beneficial. Swimming is easy in the warm weather and a game of cricket with the family is a winner. Go for a long bike ride with your family.

TIP 7:

Go to a drinks & nibbles event having eaten your meal beforehand. Say no to all the snacks! You really don’t need to eat all the cheese/dips/crackers & sweet treats! It’s amazing how quickly the kilojoules add up and can blow out your weight for the week.

TIP 8:

Mindful eating: Eat slowly and be mindful of all you are eating. Chew it well and savour the tastes. Stop when you are full.

TIP 9:

If you do overindulge. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Let it go. We all slip up once in a while as we are only human. Focus on the next day and getting back on track.

TIP 10:

Don’t eat when your stressed as its harder for your body to digest the food. Take 5 mins and go away from the stress and do some nice long slow deep breaths and centre yourself.

TIP 11:

Christmas can be a very stressful time for some. All the rushing to complete shopping, finish off at work and get the house ready for guests to stay or just come over for Christmas day is very stressful. Spending time with family members who you may not get along with or remembering family members or are not present on the day or recently past on. Take some magnesium and B vitamins if stress really gets to you and go and have a few quiet minutes of deep slow breathing to get you through. Don’t reach for extra alcohol and your body will thank you later.

TIP 12:

Remember to always have that visual image of yourself at goal weight that you are striving for then your mindset will be focusing & striving for that.  If you feel that you need help with the right mindset  I offer personalised hypnosis sessions which really get your mindeset on board to help you succeed with your health goals. It might just help you to keep focussed.

Have an amazing Christmas and Happy New year!