Burn the holiday bulge

CHRISTMAS is a season of excess – excessive spending, excessive decorating, excessive partying, and of course, excessive eating.

But once the plates are cleared and the leftovers are finished, the only things left stuffed are our stomachs.

Belts have to be loosened, food sweats are inevitable and you may find yourself wishing you didn’t feel quite so heavy.

Here are six simple ways of avoiding another repeat of the festive season bulge.

Keep a food diary

Writing down how much you’ve eaten will help practice portion control.

Keeping a food diary helps in two ways – it’s a reminder of how much time has passed since you ate, and you become more aware of what you’re consuming.

Drink more

Water, not alcohol.

Most dieticians recommend drinking a glass of water when you feel hungry – often, people mistake thirst for hunger.

Replacing calorie-heavy drinks with water also helps.

Make it your goal to drink at least six glasses of water a day.

Cut down on sugar

Cutting down on sugar has an overall positive effect on the body.

Eliminating refined sugar from your diet not only helps you lose weight, but also improves skin, stabilises moods and decreases joint pain.

Avoid fizzy drinks and sweet treats at all cost – you can dive in to the sweet things next December.

Stay active

A minimum of 30 minutes of brisk walking is recommended daily.

If you’re not one for exercise, simply doing things the ‘old fashioned way’, such as walking to the shop or taking the stairs instead of the elevator, can be just as effective.

Cut down on carbs

Cutting back on carbohydrates doesn’t have to be painful, and the change will make a noticeable difference.

‘Bad’ carbs include white flour, refined sugar and white rice.

Why are refined carbs a problem? They are digested so quickly that they cause blood sugar surges, leading to weight gain and other health troubles.

 

 

 

 

 

Less alcohol

This may be harder for some than it is for others.

Although alcohol itself does not add to our weight gain significantly, if taken in small doses, however it does affect the digestive process.

Since alcohol is recognised as a toxin, our body immediately stops processing nutrients from foods we have eaten and targets the ‘bad guys’ first.

By the time your body gets around to burning food calories, it might not need the energy and end up storing the extra calories you’ve eaten as fat cells.