Despite all the difficulties we have faced this year, we are heading towards a long-awaited Christmas. Although, this Christmas won’t look the same as any of our previous winter celebrations, we are still expecting it to be exceptional, merry and memorable. Many of us are now rushing to the shops, trying to find the perfect Christmas gifts for our loved ones. Others are googling Christmas recipes and getting their glamorous dresses ready. Yet, despite the whole world looking entirely different this coming Christmas day, our feelings towards our much-loved and our desires to make them happy won’t be influenced by  these challenging times. And, as we are planning to spend a great deal of time at home, enjoying our extraordinary freshly cooked Christmas dishes, including a countless number of Christmas puddings and drinks, we are likely to put a few extra kilograms on as our daily calorie consumption will probably double or even triple.

So, let’s be proactive and try to follow some simple rules, if we don’t want to darken our post-Christmas time by worrying about our weight gain.

Drink before you eat

Increased water consumption can prevent you from overeating. Simply drink a glass of water 10 minutes before your main meal and it will create an effect of fullness in your stomach. You won’t feel so hungry when you start eating and therefore will eat less and slower, reducing your calorie consumption.

Include proteins, fats and carbs in each meal

You might need some prior thinking about your meals, as it is important to include all macronutrients such as proteins, healthy fats and carbs in each of your meals. A well-balanced dish will help you feel full for longer. Try to add green vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, asparagus, kale, and green peas to each of your meals as they high in protein. Don’t forget about healthy fats such as pumpkin seeds, nuts and avocados.

Be generous –share your dessert

Do you know how many calories and sugar are in one Christmas pudding? Well, it’s a big figure, but we can still enjoy it by sharing our delicious desserts with someone else. That will help us to reduce calorie intake and prevent us from undesirable weight gain.

Don’t overdo do it with the drinks

This is the most dangerous part. When the time comes to drink we should put our alarm on. Alcohol contains a great number of calories and the majority of cocktails are high in sugar. So, it would be a good idea to opt for less harmful drinks such as dry wines and Brut champagne.  

Keep moving or move even more

It’s obvious that during festive weeks we tend to miss our workouts or routine training sessions. Although, active shopping burns hundreds of calories, unfortunately these days this activity is limited. So we need a fresh decision to solve our lack of activity issue. Let’s be creative and combine fun and necessity. Simply dance, dance and dance. Let your body move unconsciously and freely. Involve  all your loved ones in this fun and let it go crazy!