How To Avoid The Excesses Of Christmas?
Avoiding the excesses of Christmas can be a tricky task, as this is a time when we celebrate eating and drinking. If we don’t control ourselves, we’ll probably regret those extra pounds later. So, read carefully the recommendations that we will make below.
Recommendations to avoid Christmas excesses
It is estimated that, on average, we can gain around 4 kg with the end-of-the-year festivities. In a Christmas meal, we can easily eat 1,500 calories. If we multiply this over several days, because it’s not just Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve, but also the company dinner, meeting between friends, etc., we can see that the excess is quite large.
A study published in The BMJ compared two groups. One group was instructed to weigh themselves at least twice a week and record their weight. They also received tips for controlling their weight during Christmas and exercise guidelines.
Meanwhile, the other group only received information about how to live a healthy life. Those in the intervention group did not gain weight while the other group did. What can we do to prevent this from happening to us?
plan meals
One piece of advice we give you is that you print out the holiday calendar and mark the days you will have meals and dinners with family or friends. These days are the days when you can overdo it, but the rest of the days should be respected. That is, in them, you must continue to maintain a healthy diet.
Avoid Christmas excesses: buy and cook the right amount
If you want to try some Christmas candy, buy the right amount for the holidays. If you don’t have leftovers at home, you won’t eat them. Also, if you have a lot of sweets left, in January you’ll keep eating until they run out. It is worth remembering that sugar is one of the enemies of weight gain, as stated in an article published in the journal Critical Reviews in Clinical Laboratory Sciences .
On the days when you have Christmas meals at home, it ‘s best to cook a reasonable amount rather than large amounts, as if there are leftovers, you will certainly end up eating the same thing in the following days.
eat normally in the following days
On days not marked on the calendar, continue with your normal eating routine. You don’t need to stop eating or make any detox plans. You should prioritize the consumption of vegetables, lean meats, fish and legumes. Eat fruit for dessert and limit your consumption of soft drinks and alcohol. You can reduce the amounts a bit if you know you exceeded the limit the day before.
Don’t forget vegetables and fruits
On holidays you can also eat vegetables and fruits. You can add various salads, roasted vegetables and crudités to meals. Cook in an attractive way and with a good presentation and you are sure to succeed!
In addition, when you put the heavier foods on the table, also bring a tray with sliced fruits: pineapple, raspberry, kiwi, blueberry, tangerine, mango, etc… If everything is already prepared and cut, everyone will surely eat. In addition, there are many ways to decorate the fruit and give it a Christmas touch. You can assign this task to the children in the house.
Take a plate to avoid the excesses of Christmas
During the meal, if the food is served to share and “snap”, serve on the plate only what you are going to eat so that you pay attention to the quantity. The same should be done at dessert time: grab a small plate, take a look at everything on the table and choose what you like best. Eat slowly to avoid spending the night snacking on the food on the table.
be sure to exercise
Sometimes, on vacation, some people forget what it’s like to go to the gym or play sports. Keep to your routine and if you don’t like to play sports regularly, go for a walk. If you spend a day eating, increase your exercise level the next day.
Remember, high-intensity interval exercise is the most effective to maintain or lose weight. This is stated by research published in the journal Sports Medicine .
At Christmas, exercise and pay attention to what you eat
Finally, enjoy Christmas in moderation and don’t forget to take care of yourself. While it’s easy to fall into dozens of temptations, it ‘s important that you be aware that excess is not good for you.
If you take care of yourself with some flexibility, you’ll not only enjoy the holidays more, but you’ll also feel much better when January comes. So, take advantage of the tips we offer here to apply this winning formula!
