WARNING: This article will make you hungry.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Christmas lights are shining, decorations are glistening, mince pies have taken over and mulled wine is being enjoyed. Don’t you just love it? We’re all enjoying the merriment that goes with Christmas, and we should do, it’s once a year and we should celebrate and enjoy ourselves.
Christmas should be enjoyed guilt-free, but for many people it’s not—the thought of all that indulgence fills some with trepidation—so I have put this Christmas survival guide together help you stay in shape while still enjoying the festive period.
I think we must accept that weight gain is more than likely going to happen over Christmas. However, it doesn’t have to be dramatic. There are some clever choices to help us stay on track. I think it’s a time for acceptance, a time to accept a bit of weight gain, accept that were going to have an extra few drinks and that we are going to indulge.
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
I always feel like Christmas and the end of the year is a time for reflection and a time to look forward to the next year. It’s a time to ask yourself how you want to start the New Year. If you want to start it feeling great, albeit with a little bit of weight gain, I have a few tips for you.
Let’s be honest with ourselves, it takes little persuasion to get in to the, “Oh, go on then, it is Christmas!” mood when offered a glass of something. While it’s fine to have some drinks during the party season—life is about balance—too much alcohol too often will have a hugely negative impact on how you look and feel. Downing too many drinks also tempts you to make bad food choices—“I can’t be bothered to cook; shall we get a takeaway?”—and hangovers make us crave fatty and salty foods, like a huge fry-up. Suddenly a few too many drinks has turned into 24 hours of high-calorie eating and drinking! The good news is you don’t need to abstain from alcohol
Before we move on to the swaps, I’m going to drop a truth bomb on you: Did you know that one pint of Peroni is almost the exact equivalent of a Krispy Crème chocolate donut? Scary.
Try these Christmas-saver swaps:
Swap 1 – Pints for bottles
Swapping pints for bottles is one of the easiest ways to avoid a beer belly. A pint of 5% lager, like Peroni, has 235 calories—the same as a large slice of pepperoni pizza—and 2.8 units, whereas a 330ml bottle has just 139 calories and 1.7 units. A night out drinking five bottles instead of five pints will save you over 500 calories, or more if you drink a lighter lager (a 4% beer has only 99 calories). This’ll keep that beer belly at bay.
Swap 2 – Champagne for red wine
A flute of champagne contains 95 calories, about the same as a chocolate digestive biscuit, and a large glass of white wine has 215 calories, the same as a large glass of red. So, if they have the same calorie count, why should you favour red wine over all others? It’s a “healthier” powerful antioxidant. But too much vino outweighs these and other health benefits, so do your brain, liver and waistline a big favour by sticking to small glasses: a 125ml serving contains just 100 calories.
Swap 3 – Diet mixer instead of full fat
Spirits are the smart choice to keep your calorie and unit intake low; choosing the right drinks is key to success. A single gin with slimline tonic is only one unit of alcohol and just 60 calories, but a double whisky with cola has a whopping 180 calories, as well as 25g of sugar. On a night out, four G&Ts equal 240 calories and no sugar. My drink of choice is a rum and diet coke. I love Kraken rum, 70 calories for a single and 0 calories for a dash of diet coke – well worth the 70 calories.
That’s the alcohol covered, now its time for the food. Sweet treats, savouries, biscuits, cheese and nuts—they’re going to be everywhere, tempting us with their deliciousness. These foods are very moreish and can easily be eaten mindlessly—a handful of nuts here and there, a bit of cheese – you get the picture. Again, it’s easy to get in to the, “Go on then, it’s Christmas,” mindset. With all these temptations around. But don’t fret I have you covered with a few more food swaps.
Swap 4 – Crisps for nuts
Nuts are packed with protein and contain healthy fats, vitamins and minerals. Do try and stay away from ready salted, honey roasted, or chocolate covered. Nuts can stave off hunger pangs for hours. Crisps, in comparison, are very high in calories, low in essential nutrients, and very easy to overeat.
Swap 5 – Milk chocolate for dark chocolate
It’s Christmas, so of course you’re going to have some chocolate, it’s almost impossible to avoid. Chocolate with cocoa content greater than 70% has far more health-boosting antioxidants than other flavours. Dark chocolate also contains far less sugar.
Swap 6 – Stay hydrated
This last one is not so much a swap but more of a general set of rules. We all know we will be drinking more alcohol, so keeping hydrated is essential. Drinking water works wonders for our body and also helps keep us fuller for longer. And have a healthy but filling breakfast—this will help you avoid the ‘naughty’ stuff. Get enough sleep—7-8 hours; the more refreshed you are the more likely you are to make healthier choices. Watch out for the festive lattes, they are high in fat and sugar. Get out and go for a walk—keep that step-count high.
It’s so easy to overeat at this time of year. Normally it’s mindless eating, grabbing a handful of nuts or crisps when we walk round the house, a chocolate Rudolph here and there, the advent calendar chocolate—all food we consume and barely bat an eyelid to. It’s very important if you want to stay in shape over Christmas to be mindful of what you’re eating.
Slow down and really enjoy your food. But if you do find yourself picking, go for the healthier options and drink plenty of water.
Most importantly—have a merry Christmas!