Get ready for the Christmas party season

Get ready for the Christmas party season

Christmas parties can be a bane for slimmer’s trying to lose weight. Not only do they offer the temptations of excessive alcohol consumption and fatty buffets, but for many slimmer’s the idea of dressing up in front of their work colleagues can be intimidating.

Yet Christmas does not have to embody weight gain. By incorporating the following tips into your weight management programme, it is possible to maintain your existing weight loss and continue losing weight into the New Year.

Below are a range of weight loss tips that can help you to lose weight fast before the Christmas Party Season as well as maintain your diet plans even when you attend these parties:

1. Go for a walk – use your lunch break to go for a walk every day. Research has found increasing your walking time from 30 minutes a day to 45 minutes can increase fat loss by 60 calories a day
2. Eat only when you are genuinely hungry – often what we think are hunger pangs is our bodies way of telling us that we are thirsty. So next time you feel hungry drink half a glass of water and wait 15 minutes. If after 15 minutes you still feel hungry eat a piece of fruit or a cracker
3. Eat 5-6 small meals a day – split your meals into 5 equally sized meals of 300 calories. This will help to boost your metabolism, and prevent sudden drops in sugar levels which trigger hunger signals. NOTE: make sure you balance these 5 meals with foods from all nutrient groups
4. Try slimming pills – designed to help suppress your appetite, cut your fat intake, boost your metabolism and reduce your meal size, diet pills can help you to experience quick weight loss. NOTE: research all weight loss pills before trying them. Check for clinical trials, side effects and consult a physician

Celebrate the Christmas season in style

1. Alcohol is filled with hundreds of hidden calories that can cause you to gain weight without even realising it. The average pint contains over 250 calories, whilst spirit shots such as vodka contain up to 50 calories.

The trick is to be careful about which drinks you choose and to only drink in moderation.

- For every glass/shot/pint drink 1 glass of water. This will fulfil your need to keep your hands busy without accidentally causing you to get drunk. Similarly drinking water will reduce the feeling of bloating
- Replace alcohol with fruit juices or non alcohol drinks
- Bring just enough money to buy a couple of drinks, but no more. This will stop you from over drinking, but will still allow you to have fun

2. If your Christmas Party is offering a buffet then there are number of tricks you can use to stop you snacking on all night long and breaking your diet plan.

- Eat before you go. Eat a healthy and fulfilling meal before you go that you know will keep you full all night
- Go up to the buffet table once and fill your plate. The problem with buffets is because you know you can go up several times, you don’t fill your plates and end up eating 3 times more than you normally would. However fill your plate with everything you like the first time and you’ll feel satisfied and less inclined to go up again

3. Control where you are standing. If you are positioned close to the buffet table, you will subconsciously begin snacking on the foods close to you. However, position yourself on the other side of the room, and your mind will take on the motif – out of sight, out of mind.

4. Dance the night away! Enjoy yourself, get on the dance floor and use this opportunity to burn those excess calories.