Surviving the party season
Christmas is a lovely time of the year to meet up with friends and family, and enjoy the office party with work colleagues. It is also a time when most people are tempted to over indulge. With the New Year’s Eve celebrations a week after Christmas who wants to struggle to get into their outfit?
If you are tracking your calories then save some for the party days and cut back on the days you are not seeing friends and family.
Our clients are able to have cheat meals and alcohol all through the year but we ask them to limit this to once per week so Christmas blows this out of the window but there are still ways to limit the damage whilst having a good time and not feeling like you are missing out. Its only a couple of days so please do enjoy it and don’t feel guilty about it. You can easily get back on track afterwards.
If you feel that you need some extra help then here are a few suggestions for you
Food
As well as the extra calories, a lot of processed party food contain a high level of saturated fats. Look at the food labels before you buy. Look out for ‘saturates’ or ‘sat fat’ on the label: this tells you how much saturated fat is in the food. High: more than 5g saturates per 100g. May be colour-coded red.
- Make a shopping list and don’t be tempted by all the puddings, chocolates and party food, they are full of empty calories with little or no nutritional value.
- Choose good quality chocolate 80% cocoa. It is nutritious and also an antioxidant
- Try to have good quality protein with every meal
- Stick to portion sizes
- Stick to the 80/20 rule 80% good quality and nutritious 20% eat what you want
- If you think you are unlikely to stick to the 80% rule have a green detox shake each day during this period
- As soon as the meal is finished clear the excess food to avoid over eating.
- Eat before you go to a party will prevent you from snacking on unhealthy party food.
- Don’t feel guilty about having treats
- Have fun – the week of Christmas if just that it’s a week it shouldn’t make that much difference
Traditional Christmas dinner is a healthy meal – lean turkey breast and lots of fresh vegetables
Christmas Pudding –limit your portion size.
Water
Drink plenty of water to keep you hydrated. If you do drink alcohol, remember to alternate every alcoholic drink with a glass of water and please don’t drink on an empty stomach. Drink green tea for its antioxidants throughout the days when you know you’re going to be out and about, partying and drinking alcohol at night.
Exercise
Keeping up with your exercise routine during the party season is imperative if you want to avoid putting on those extra pounds. Make use of time off work to build in some exercise to sweat out the toxins and burn some calories. Get the family out for a post dinner walk.
Try to exercise before you go out so that you can enjoy your evening knowing your metabolism is high and burning the calories.
Sleep
Try to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night and rest during the day if you can. If you are one of those people who has time off work over Christmas and New Year make the most of it. Get an early night on the nights that you are not going out. As much as Christmas is a lovely time to catch up with all your friends and family, remember to take some time to relax.
Relaxation
Plan your shopping in advance, write a list of all the presents you need to buy and avoid the frenzied crowds. This way you can enjoy the festivities knowing that you are organised. Don’t overspend, only buy the food you need and don’t be too extravagant on presents. Starting the new year in debt will be very stressful. Some of the best presents are the homemade ones!
I hope these tips will help you to feel relaxed, energised and ready to enjoy the festivities looking your best!
Have a very Happy Christmas and a very Healthy New Year!
Anita Bond
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