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How to lose weight at Christmas (And still enjoy yourself!)

We are fast approaching the most exciting time of the year (for me anyway), but when you are trying to lose weight or stay in shape, it can seem like an uphill struggle.

I speak to clients every year on this subject – Why should we bother worrying about losing weight/staying in shape over the festive period.

“Ah well, it’s Christmas, I’ll start in January”

“There’s no point watching what I eat now, as we are coming up to Christmas”

“I’ve got so many social events coming up, there’s no point even trying”

These are all common phrases that I’ve come across in my time as a personal trainer.

I love Christmas like the next guy; and yes I will indulge, drink some alcohol (I don’t usually drink much during the year), will have some nice food, chocolate, etc., but I will be mindful that I want to keep within my limits.

Christmas Day is one day out of 365, where if you did over-indulge, it’s not the end of the world. Just get back on track the next day.

Here’s a fun fact for you:

The average person in the UK consumes around 7,000 calories on Christmas day (Usually recommended 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men, but does fluctuate depending on different factors, and these recommendations are usually hit by 2pm!)

So, how do you lose weight or stay lean over Christmas and still enjoy yourself?

 

Here are my top 5 tips:

1. Prepare, prepare, prepare!

You can either make excuses (“…because it’s Christmas…”) We ALL do this easily enough, especially this time of year, or you can take positive action. Prepare your social diary during December: When you are going out to parties, when you know you’re going to be eating food and drinking more than usual. Try to plan what you are going to be eating during the rest of the week, and make better, healthier choices, so you’re not binging all through December.

2. Workout at least 20 minutes

If you know you are going out that evening, make it a priority that you smash out a 20 –minute HIIT workout (High Intensity Interval Workout) that will get your heart pumping and muscles working. It doesn’t have to be complicated, just make sure you move and sweat! A 20-minute brisk walk outdoors will be enough for some, so whatever you can do – Just make sure you do it!

In my experience, you also tend to make more sensible eating decisions after working out because you don’t want to destroy all your efforts in the gym by going nuts at the Christmas party

3. Eat before you party

If you know you are going out for a heavy night, make sure you eat before you go. Research suggests that drinking on an empty stomach will make you more likely to eat more unhealthy foods at the end of the night (Plus you will more likely to be ill if you drink on an empty stomach – Trust me, I’ve been there!)

4. Don’t feel guilty

This is important.

Feeling guilty about what you ate and punishing yourself, either by starving yourself or working for hours on end in the gym, is not good for you.

Making minor adjustments in your activity level (by increasing it), to account for the excess calories you are likely to consume is totally fine. But don’t use it as a punishment. If you are careful about your food choices, you won’t be damaging your body too much in the long run.

However, if it didn’t go the way you planned it and you over-consumed on the calories (alcohol, food or both), don’t feel guilty about it. Admit you enjoyed it and move on.

One night out on the tiles won’t make you scupper your weight-loss journey.

Just like joining the gym in January and not going will make you fitter and healthier.

5. Don’t make a promise to yourself to ‘be good’ after Christmas

We all do it. We all say “I’m going to be good in the New Year” or “New Year, New Me”.

Telling yourself you’re going to do something later makes you more likely to mess things up now.

Get into good habits now and you will be set for a much better New Year.

By following my top 5 tips, you will have a great Christmas, enjoy yourself and still be lean and even lose weight before it all kicks off in January.

But overall, ENJOY YOURSELF. Don’t feel guilty. Christmas is one day and if you did really go for it with the food and alcohol, it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.

MY PLAN:

I have one Christmas ‘party’ at the beginning of December, so I know I will get a bit boozy that night. Thereafter, I have a couple of meals out, which I will account for with my nutrition and training during those weeks.

Those days will be high-calorie, so I am prepared for that.

I usually work with my clients until Christmas Eve (if they want to workout), then I usually hit the gym myself to make me feel good (not to punish myself for eating out of the norm), then usually go to the local pub with family and friends for a few beers.

Christmas morning I usually go for an early morning run to clear the head and then relax and spend the day with my family enjoying good food and good TV!

I have Boxing Day off training, preparing my body to hit the gym again the day after.

As I’ve already said at the beginning of this article, I really love Christmas; especially now I have a new baby and it’s worth mentioning again that if you do go overboard, it’s not the be all and end all.

Just don’t throw in the towel on your fat-loss efforts during the rest of the year.

We are all allowed to have a few days off. It’s good for the mind and body.

Enjoy yourself; spend time with your friends and family.

MB

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