People watching their waist lines will be terrified with the next week of Christmas foods ahead. Throughout the years many well known newspapers and websites have informed us how devastating four weeks of Christmas celebrations could be for our fat stores.
Just to remind you the average weight gain over the month December is 5lb. This weight gain can easily add up with about 500kcal or more a day over the whole month. Professor Gately from Leeds Metropolitan University warns that a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, plus treats and other meals of the day can easily add up to 6000kcal. Considering the recommended daily energy intake for women is 2000kcal per day and an example of a Christmas indulgence is the triple load. No wonder that the pounds stack up!

Furthermore busy Christmas preparations potentially also decrease physical activity levels below recommendations of 30 minutes daily. And then there are the Christmas holidays TV marathons. While TV viewing has been shown to have lower energy demands than many other seated activities TV advertisement will potentially also remind you of all the tasty things you have bought in for the festive days. Hence it is quite likely that your energy needs will drop and you snacking will increase.

Even zero size celebrities like Victoria Beckham are worried about the masses of calories traditionally loaded on our plates and according to online magazines she will be sticking to the ‘three bites rule’. So instead of skipping any of the most loved foods she will only have 3 bites of each food to avoid over eating. While this approach might work for her it wouldn’t work for myself as I enjoy being with friends and family and counting bites just as calories on these days would really spoil mine and their Christmas cheer. So what to do?

Well I will not only watch my diet the days directly before and after Christmas and make them lighter days; I will also avoid heavy breakfasts and other energy rich meals wherever possible to allow for one larger meal on Christmas day. I naturally also avoid large amounts of alcohol on these days, as they would decrease my taste and smell to appreciate the great dinner. Personally, water would be the best option for such opulent menus as it will cleanse my palate and won’t add any further calories. Finally, keeping the portions sizes on my plate to regular ones and sticking to a plate ½ full of vegetables, ¼ full of starches and only ¼ full of meat assures I get the right nutrient mixture.

Not being a fan of long TV sessions, I will also try to get friends and family to play party games together which may not be real physical activity but will be surely more demanding than watching television. Getting a 30 to 60 minutes walk over these days will not only help to increase my energy levels but will also be a good escape from all the family tales heard year in and year out and will give me a chance to enjoy the silence on the streets around this time.

I am sure my approach will not make me lose weight in the next 2 weeks but it should at least prevent any major weight gains, allow me to enjoy everything about Christmas and avoid long discussions about changing traditional Christmas recipes and foods. However people who would like to avoid even more calorie counts might want to chose skimmed milk for custard to swap for brandy butter, cut off visible fat of ham or don’t eat the turkey skin and skip the chipolatas. I believe there must be a balance between enjoyment of food and sense of healthy eating which can easily be achieved for the Christmas period with the nutrition advice given for any other days of the year. So go and enjoy your Christmas dinner but be aware of the calories so you will not be frustrated stepping on the scale on New Year’s Day.

Andrea Zick, Esteem Fitness Nutritionist London

Esteem Fitness – Personal Training London and the South East