It’s the festive season, so take care to not ‘misbehave’ too much

Christmas time is upon us and being a month of festivity, you all know what that means? Adding some unwanted weight to the belly and bums.

We have all been through a lot this year and typically when it comes to holidays, people tend to let go a little more than they should, depending on their stress level.

Adding additional weight is only going to add to your January misery and this is why this article is so important. How you can enjoy the festive season, let loose a little, but at the same time survive the bulge.

See this festive time as a bit of give and take. If you want to devour that chocolate then you need to try balance the calories on the scale and train twice as hard.

It is never one calorie burnt to one calorie consumed as most people think. It is a little more complicated than that and probably enough detail for another article.

Here are five scientific ways to reduce calorie consumption during the festive season based on research. 

Get more Zzzzz

One of the most important things you can do is to get more sleep. Remember my previous article on the relationship between your emotional state and sleep. Well, the less sleep you have, the more emotional you are and the more cravings for caffeine and carbohydrates. As you start consuming your guilty pleasures, you are expected to feel a sense of satisfaction, yet you don’t and thus continue eating. The more you sleep, technically the less time you are awake and thus should by default consume less, provided you are eating a consistent, balanced diet. Aim for at least 7-8 hours of sleep and nine hours if you are training hard.

Less Gym More Outdoor Life

You have read right, you need less gym. The truth is, unless you have a performance coach pushing you, more often than not, you are wasting valuable time. The 30 minutes you are jogging on the treadmill and the 40 minutes you are cycling on the recumbent bike seems like a long time in training and seems productive, based on time. The problem is you are actually working at a rate of an under-achieving employee during a deadline. Train with purpose and train for real goals like, how many calories you can burn in 20 or 25 minutes. Each time don’t increase the time, but rather increase the intensity to try burn more. Go at a pace you are comfortable with at first and build on it with each session.

Use the Christmas side plate

Let’s be honest, it is going to be very hard to say no to someone who just spent hours slaving in the kitchen to make the best meal in the world. Instead of saying no, use this little trick researchers have found reduces food intake. It’s as simple as swapping out your big dinner plate with your side plate. Have a little bit of everything and soon it will look like a lot of food stacked up and people won’t judge you for the size. A smaller plate means you literally are packing less calories on a plate. Often with a bigger plate, the goal is to try fill it as much as possible otherwise your granny will start thinking you are too skinny and on a diet.

Be a Mindful Eater

If you live in a city, you will understand this more, seldom do you have time to sit down and actually enjoy and acknowledge the food and flavours you are eating. Everything is always in a rush and at a fast pace. Being mindful slows down the scoffing of food and allows your belly to process the food better and register that you are full. When you eat too fast, your body won’t register that it is full and more often than not, you consume more. The sum of all the little extras you consume over a week adds to the weight. Slow things down, hide the cellphone and be present with the people around you and spend time trying to figure out what flavours you taste with each bite.

Mind the naughtiest

Here is a quick list of the don’ts.  This will help change behaviour in a positive manner and ultimately prevent you from overeating and consuming unnecessary calories.

• Do not consume more than 3-4 units of alcohol per day if you are a man and 2-3 units if you are a woman and if you are a binger, then aim for no more than 14 units per week (single shot spirits – one unit, bottle of wine, 10 units, can of beer 2 units).
• Dump the high carb snacks at night to fruit and veggies or snacks under 100 calories.
• Replace simple sugary carbs with complex carbs but in moderation.
• Don’t skip breakfast unless you have planned “fasting”. What you think you are saving in the morning, actually makes you more ravenous in the afternoon and you end up devouring everything in sight.
• Avoid take-outs which will reduce irregular size portions and large calorie consumption.
• Avoid sitting for too long, you need to move regularly. Try plan a family walk after each meal.
• Don’t have desert with every meal. On special days you can treat yourself but if you remember the game plan, you will need to survive the Christmas bulge and the only way you can do this is to do your best to limit all the activities that will potentially make you fat.

Sean van Staden

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