So really the festive season is more about Christmas Calories then it is Christmas carols these days. Its all about that obligatory supermarket sweep style Christmas shop & the food that's so cleverly thought about, with their eye catching packaging and mouth watering descriptions guaranteed to have you salivating in the aisles of Asda - "Clean up on aisle 3 please Karen".
Not once did the thought of the tradition keeping Carolers who bare their souls to the elements in order to shed a little of the gospel and some Christmas cheer to your house (for a small donation) enter your mind. Nope. Those days have faded into the abyss.
In some ways they are akin to each other i suppose. They both sound so nice and make you feel all festive - but in reality your inner guidance tells you that you should have kept the door shut and watched from the window instead, still marginally taking it in whilst allowing someone else to pay the price.
FOOD FACTS
So what kind of damage are we looking at here. Well here's some food for thought - pun totally intended.
Mince Pie lover? At around 245 calories per pie, it would take roughly a 20 minute jog to burn off - if that thought alone is enough to make you feel sick, than you could always take the alternate route of burn off, which would be a 30 minute walk - Oh, and that's not including putting half a can of squirty cream on top of the pie, and, some in your mouth for good measure (which i almost always do) guilty.
Gravy? If your'e a fan of making your Christmas dinner float on a lake of gravy, or like me, enjoy filling up the cavity in your Yorkshire Puddings with this liquid version of sodium then you may want to think twice - it would take approximately eight minutes of walking or four minutes of running to burn off the calories in just 5 tablespoons of gravy.
Jam Tart fan? We all love a jam tart, especially when we are fully aware that the contents still resemble molten lava, and we attempt to scoff it anyway. Scald the roof of your mouth the shreds, and come back 2 minutes later for another go. Well, just remember that each one of these gem looking treats require 10 minutes of swimming to burn off, (if only they were as easy to burn off as they are to burn your palate with).
Like an Eggnog or two? It can be quite easy to let the festive plonk get out of hand, but before you let one eggnog snowball into another (yes, another intended pun), be mindful that 1 of these bad boys requires you to do around 40 minutes of walking to rid itself from your body.
WHAT YOU CAME FOR - THE TOP SECRET TIPS.
Tip number 1:
Walk, walk, walk. Set a step target like 10,000 and make sure you hit it. Generally its a very busy time of year, and its hard to find time to exercise when you are tied up with parties and shopping trips and hosting. So, when you need essentials from the shop, walk instead of drive. Walking is a brilliant way to burn a lot of calories with little effort required. If you know you will be over indulging at some point in the day then my advice - load the kids into the car and tell them your going on a bear hunt, or to look for shells at the beach - everyone is happy and you can spend a good hour or more walking whilst maintaining the lie that it was for the benefit of everyone else. Just don't head to Mcdonald's on the way home.
Tip number 2:
Leave the Hot Chocolates alone. I know its soooo tempting. Its frosty and your hands are chilly and everywhere you look you see adornments of festive decorations, you see a Greggs or Starbucks or Costa just a sashay away from you with a poster in the window showing the deepest, thickest, richest, most decadent hot chocolate capped with a bouffant of the softest whipped cream imaginable - even better to your now over producing taste buds is that it comes in festive aromatic flavors such as cinnamon, or mint, or chocolate orange. Resist the urge. Calories can range anywhere between 280 to 450 depending on size of drink and extras. Most of these calories are from sugar - and we know how harmful sugar is. Instead, opt for Cinnamon tea - or make a turmeric latte and take it out with you.
Tip number 3:
Be label savvy. Check the labels on the front of the food items you are buying to snack on. If the sugar and fat are highlighted with a red background then stay away, or if you really must, have a couple and leave the rest to everyone else. Amber isn't an ideal colour either, but it is the festive season, so naturally, you do have to have some treats. Just be mindful. Think high suagr NO & secondly, high sat fats NO. Everything in moderation.
Tip number 4:
Do not be fooled by LOW FAT or LOW SUGAR slogans. Reduced and low fat are not the same thing. Low fat means a product has 3g or less fat per 100g, while reduced fat means a product is 25 per cent lower in fat than the standard product. Often these foods were very high in fat to start with, for example mayonnaise, crisps and cheese. You still need to limit how much you eat as the reduced fat version is likely to still be high in fat.
Sugar is not always listed in the ingredients as ‘sugar'. Look out for the following terms; sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, honey, palm sugar, hydrolysed starch, and syrup. Remember, the higher up on the ingredients list sugar is, the more added sugar is in the product.
Tip number 5:
Think about your drink. Get yourself a 1 litre sized drinks bottle, keep it with you and be consciously aware to drink it and fill it back up a good 3-4 times per day. Staying hydrated is so important. Hardly anyone intakes an adequate amount of water. It flushes out toxins from your body, improves skin complexion, reduces fatigue, improves sleep quality, increases energy levels and brain function - and it keeps you having that feeling of being 'full' which decreases the chances of you wanting to graze on nibbles all day. You might be peeing like a racehorse until your body regulates the intake, but it will be worth the benefits.
Tip number 6:
Bulk your meals up with veggies. No matter which meal - incorporate veggies. Poached eggs - add in a load of boiled asparagus. Chicken wrap - throw is some spinach and kale. Hell, you can even just eat a bowl full of garlic roasted broccoli with a grilled chicken breast. It adds volume to meals, you stay fuller for longer, they are mineral dense, contain dietary fiber to keep you regular and are pretty much guilt free. Don't turn away from the idea of lots of veg. Season it up, chop it up small and do not boil the living daylights out of it and you may just change your mind. Just be mindful of the after effects . . . . . . you wouldn't want a group of unsuspecting ramblers to get caught down wind from you. Not nice.
Tip number 7:
Eat everything and anything you want on Christmas Eve & Christmas Day. Yes i did really just say that. The cheeses. The Quality Street. The Celebrations. The Jam Tarts. Extra helpings of roast Potatoes. All the stuff that is on offer - take it. Knowing that you can just let go for a couple of days sometimes just allows you to strike that balance between actually enjoying yourself & crashing completely for the whole holidays. Remember Christmas food is just food. Don't go out & start buying all the nibbles and bits in November because, if they are sitting in the cupboard, you will end up like a couch potato that's lost in a sea of empty wrappers and guilt by the time the season is done with.
Tip number 8:
Cut back completely in November and get active. This will prepare you for any extra damage you may do with the calories over Christmas and you wont have to start the new year feeling crappy about yourself. There is nothing worse than starting a new year and realising that your clothes no longer fit, you feel lethargic, have no motivation and will be more inclined to punish yourself with extreme diet in the new year. No amount of Lettuce and Green Tea will undo the damage - Neither will buying into the latest bullshit juice fad! Just 4 weeks of a Pre Christmas diet and exercise can change the game. Its likely that at least half of the weight you lose in that time period will stay off, even if you do allow yourself to over indulge throughout December. So its a win win situation really.
CONCLUSION
The bare facts are that weight tends to creep on steadily in the weeks leading up to Christmas & in the 10 days after Christmas it continues to pile on.
The conclusion of recent studies into holiday weight gain found, it takes about five months for the average person's weight to go back to what it was before the big festive season.
Meaning those giant meals, second helpings of dessert, bottomless glasses of beer, Prosecco, Gin and champagne you indulged in over Christmas could hang around your waistline until June!.
Stay active, stay conscious, stay hydrated, avoid sugar, eat veggies, stay accountable, pull back the month before - diet & exercise.
Comments