Finally, the holidays have arrived and the countdown to Christmas has begun! What this also means is a plentiful supply of delicious food and drinks that is just oh so difficult to resist! It is best not to be too serious with your intake over the Christmas break and instead be realistic in your goals to ensure you enjoy yourself with family and friends.
Stability is Key:
Christmas is most certainly not the time to try and reduce your weight or substantially change body composition. Instead, goals are still important, but should be relaxed and adapted to the season. Rather than putting yourself under pressure to lose weight or continue weight loss over Christmas, aim instead to keep weight stable. A stable weight over the Christmas/New Year period is absolutely a win in my book!
Don’t Say No, But Control It:
There is nothing like saying no to something to make you want it even more. Take a different view going into Christmas this year and instead of saying ‘I will not eat any of the cheese and biscuits’, put limits in place that allow you to enjoy it but not over indulge. This may mean not saying ‘no’ to any foods but instead monitoring portions. For example, place your favourite nibbles on a separate smaller plate and then step away from the table! This means you can still eat all your favourites, but you now have an ‘end-point’ when you have had enough.
Eating treats and your favourite foods when you really want them is ok. HOWEVER, if you are eating a food ‘just because it is there’, then that is when you are over eating and not being mindful with intake. Instead consider: ‘I could absolutely have that piece of extra pudding if I want, however do I really feel like it and do I need it?’
Be Careful with the Drink:
Weight gain over the holiday period is not just because of the Christmas nibbles and pudding. Drinking alcohol over the Christmas break can also add to the bulge! Alcohol changes how we metabolise our food around a drinking session. As the body prioritises getting through the alcohol, food that you consume during and after you drink is more likely to be stored as fat. So by all means have a drink over Christmas, but prioritise your drinking occasions and don’t make it a daily occurrence.
With these few easy goals, you can ease your anxiety or concern about your intake over Christmas and instead just concentrate on enjoying yourself. No need to have a big list of goals or tasks over the holidays, just choose two main goals from the following that you feel are achievable and will help you come out of December a happier and healthier athlete:
- Portion out nibbles on a separate small plate to avoid overeating.
- Have a glass of water/soda water between alcoholic drinks to reduce overall intake;
- Keep meals to one plate and try and resist going back for seconds;
- Stop eating when you get to 8 out of 10 fullness (rather than 11 out of 10!)
- Don’t deny any foods over the holiday period, but instead first consider if you really will enjoy it and need it.
- Aim to maintain weight over Christmas/New Year.
Wishing everyone a very merry and safe Christmas and a prosperous New Year!
By Liam Bromilow.
