How To Avoid Weight Gain During Christmas?

Christmas brings joy to us, but for some it can also bring unwanted extra kilograms to their hips and waistlines. Evidence shows that keeping basic lifestyle during the holidays is likely to prevent extra weight gain. Here are some of the common party season habits that can cause weight gain.

Going to parties hungry
The common mistake during the festive season is eating dips, pastries and chips while waiting for the “real” food to come. Avoid overeating by making sure you won’t arrive at an event starving. Try to have an apple, wholegrain crackers or a handful of nuts before around 60 to 90 minutes from going to the party.

Ditching the exercise
Make it a priority to maintain gym seriousness and walks to make up for the extra food you will be eating.

Overindulging too early in the season
Don’t allow yourself to have too much of something you enjoy, especially drinks or food early in the season because this will end up with an extra weight gain which will continue with you till the end of the month.

Buying too much food
During the festive season, we tend to buy more food than usual, specially with the offers being done. Closets having excessive amounts of chocolates, snack foods and candies are a recipe for disaster. Buy only what you need and try avoiding large boxes of candies and chocolates.

Eating everything they offer you
During Christmas, you visit friends, relatives and neighbors, so you are most likely to be offered food.
Usually, slim individuals are pickier when it comes to food choices. Keep in your mind to stay in control and each time food is around ask yourself: “Should I really eat this?”

Christmas Eve Dinner
When you want to begin with the dinner, start with a salad, rely on protein from turkey, and eat small quantity of carbohydrates like rice, pasta or bread … and a small piece of Christmas cake or “Buche De Noel” is fine.

Letting Christmas run until January
Get back on track with your usual exercise and diet habits by January 2 or before. February is getting near and the extra Christmas weight will continue with you for the rest of the year.

As a sum up, losing the Christmas weight isn’t easy, try eating delicious-tasty foods in controlled amounts and balance them with nutritious foods including seafood, salads, and fresh fruits.

Christelle Bedrossian
Dietitian-Nutritionist
Beirut, Lebanon