The festive season is synonymous with tons of mouth-watering food and even booze. A lot of these foods are hard to resist and one just can’t help but eat. Excessive indulgence brings with it tons of guilt and to pacify the guilt, you tell yourself it’s the festive season after all and everyone indulges. This makes you indulge even more and you postpone eating healthfully to the first of January. As a result of this, the pounds just pile on and bring with it more guilt. So how do you get out of this vicious circle of guilt and weight gain? The solution lies not in giving up food totally, but in changing the way you eat during this season. Read on for some guilt-free and slimming tips through the festive season…
1. Take off your chefs hat - Give up your culinary skills – fancy cuisine especially the fat and sweet-laden one is usually calorie-laden and every time you cook, you taste and every bite adds on calories. There is also always a tendency to make a little extra for the family to enjoy, after giving something to someone, or after a party. But you know what? - the cook usually eats the most, so as to prove how well a dish was made and it’s all gone.
2. Be generous – It’s the season for giving – so be generous. Its not money I’m talking about - gift away every fat and sweet-laden stuff that enters your house. The minute you receive a food gift, think of who would appreciate it or who you need to send something to – a relative, friend or neighbour perhaps. Whilst giving, don’t think about how expensive it is and what a cheapskate your relative, friend or neighbour is, think about how you’ll be saving yourself from calories, weight gain and poor health by getting rid of temptation. Who knows your way to their heart may lie through his / her stomach?
3. Build in some discipline – A little discipline in the way you eat can go a long way towards helping you indulge in moderation and enjoy every moment of the indulgence without that awful guilt or girth. Firstly, eat a little something, for example, a bowl of soup, a sandwich or even a big bowl of low fat yoghurt with fruit before you leave home for a party. This helps curb hunger pangs which drive you towards eating every appetizer in sight and you’ll probably eat only what appeals to you and eat less of the main course too. If you do happen to overindulge in food however, all is not lost. Just double your exercise time and intensity and follow a low-fat diet through the next day – burning more through exercise and eating less creates a calorie deficit that can balance out the previous days excesses and prevent fat accumulation. Secondly, watch how much soft drink or alcohol you consume, as each sip is calorie-laden. If you must have a soft drink, opt for “low-calorie diet” options or drink water or soda instead. As for alcohol, red wine or beer are healthy options and health experts recommend 1 drink for women and 2 drinks daily for men.
4. Keep Exercising – Festive time usually upsets exercise routines. Skipping an early morning routine is understandable, if you can’t get out of bed due to a late night the previous evening. But don’t sit back and use this as an excuse for not exercising – you could always exercise before you go out, as no dinner party starts really early. Exercise not only helps you burn calories, but psychologically motivates you to stay on the healthy eating track too.
Staying on guilt-free, slim and healthy track through the festive season is not really difficult. All you need to do is to avoid cooking exotic food, distribute generously, build in disciplined eating and keep exercising. That way you won’t have to wait to make a New Year resolution for a healthy lifestyle, you’ll already be on your way to a healthier you by the 1st of January.
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—About our writer:
Renuka says:
"I’m a consultant nutritionist / dietitian in private practice. I’m married, with 2 kids - a daughter aged 12 and a son aged 10.I work primarily with the food industry andlove writing nutrition-related articles, cooking up healthy foods and I believe that no food is unhealthy - there is a place for every food on my menu, but it should be eaten in moderation".
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