How Much should I eat over Christmas and New Year?

Christmas and New Year.. lovely holiday period.. but say goodbye to your waist!

Well, no. Not necessarily.

Enjoying the company of friends and family whilst merry making is definitely what we look forward too, but by keeping some simple steps in mind, we don’t need to eat and drink till we explode.

there are two things you need to do before you sit down to your dinner party at night..

1. Eat a Balanced, Protein Rich Breakfast

Many people skip breakfast so that they have ” an extra meal” for later at the party. Well things don’t work that way. In fact, research shows that consuming protein in the morning can significantly impact satiety later in the day and can act on your brain to help decrease the drive for binging on sweets and desserts.

2. Exercise

Go for a hike, a long run, a swim or pump iron —it doesn’t matter what you do, so long as you work up a sweat. Exercising will promote better usage of your Thanksgiving calories, shuttling them toward your muscles cells for muscle recovery, instead of having them being packed away in your fat cells.

Then at the Dinner party, you should …

3. Vege up on the Starter

Begin with a a bowl of green leafy salads with a light dressing. Also opt for the soup without any cream.  These tiny intro courses help people eat fewer total calories at the meal that is about to unfold.

4. Go for Skinless Meat

Who can resist Turkey?! But if you need to have your calorie count under control, stick to skinless breast meat but you can have a helping of brown sauce and cranberry to go with it. Say no to skin but say yes to sauce.. life’s not worth living if you deprive yourself of everything that’s tasty.

5. Reduce Starch

By all means have a small scoop of mashed potatoes, stuffing, or sweet potato casserole. BUT, I suggest that if you’re going to be eating all week, then go for carrots and veges. And if something has marshmallow and brown sugar in it, please pass it along.

6. Keep tabs on the Wine

A glass or two of wine is fine, but if you really want one of these, boost your vegetable serving by 50 percent and skip the starch. Stick to red wine and skip on the sugary cocktails as these have tons of hidden sugars.

7. Have dessert but..

Yes, you can finish the meal with something sweet. Although many desserts are calorie bombs, your best bet here is to stick with the classic—a slice of pumpkin pie—as it has almost 40 percent fewer calories than pecan pie. That’s the calorie equivalent of running two miles! Just be sure to help you host cut a modest piece of pie for you, and please eat yours as it is (that’s right, sans whipped cream or custard!) because we all know how damaging the toppings can be.. they are fat traps to avoid!

8. As with the universe, there should be Order.

Always start with the green vegetables first, then protein-rich dishes, and finally starches. This will allow you to fill up on the fibre and slow down the absorption of carbs and sugars, so that you’ll already feel fairly full and won’t eat three helpings, but instead will have enough room to treat yourself a little again in the coming days, without feeling like a walrus.

Finally, everything in moderation I say, and tomorrow is a new day, for you to wake up early, exercise, so you can party again in the evening. Just make sure it happens in that order;)

And to all our readers and friends.. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!