Experts say that on average, they gain between 2 and 5 kilos at Christmas parties. Do you want to know how to avoid it?

The fear of Christmas

Surely you are also thinking “let the Christmas holidays pass quickly, and if possible without getting fat,” and it is that at this time it increases between 2 and 5 kilos on average. Do not worry because today I explain the keys to not gain weight at Christmas.

Keys not to get fat at Christmas

The most important thing is that you are clear that even if we talk about “Christmas” or even if we have a few days (or if you are lucky a few weeks) on vacation, the holidays or the days when we meet with family and friends to celebrate are maximum and only 6. That as long as you celebrate absolutely everything:

• December 24, good night.
• 25th December, Christmas.
• December 26, Saint Stephen.
• December 31, New Years Eve.
• 1 of January New Year.
• January 5 or 6, kings.

So it is on those designated days that we can have an excess of calories , that is, eat more than we are used to (appetizer, first course, second course, dessert and after-dinner), take some sweet and in case it is have the bad habit, drink alcohol. We can, although we shouldn’t, but that’s our culture. However, there are also keys to maintaining an adequate portion, overcoming the temptation of sweets and not overdoing it with alcohol. These are some resources that you can use to control what you eat:

• At the aperitif, select what is best for you to eat and put it on your plate , when you finish what you have chosen, you will know that your aperitif has finished.
• A efore start lunch or dinner, take a salad as a starter , whenever possible, or please propose as part of the menu. If the celebration is at your house, you have no excuse 😉
• Even if you know that on the holiday you are going to do an extra, do not skip the previous intake , whatever it may be: breakfast or mid-morning or snack … remember that this will help you regulate hunger and not arrive with so much anxiety to food .

Of course, you must eat like the rest of the guests , all you have to do is choose well in the appetizer and in the dessert. In the main course, respect your portion , I don’t know what habit we have of eating four times more than our portion these days, when we have also eaten some appetizers before. Many times it is not in our power, since we are a guest, but you know who serves you, be it your mother, grandmother, aunt or mother-in-law. So if you know that it will give you double what you ask for, ask for half, and if you don’t say you don’t want to, it will surely convince you with that “go, even try it” and voilà , there you have the portion that you wanted. It is also important that throughout lunch or dinner, you eat calmly and relaxedIt is a day when there is everything but a rush, so take advantage of the tranquility of the holiday, savor each bite and enjoy that meal with such pleasant company.

And it’s time for dessert. The best and if there is an option is the fruit. Always choose fruit. In the after-dinner, that moment when they put such an assortment of sweets in front of us that you don’t know what to attack, that you would eat them all in the blink of an eye, that you begin to think about what to think so as not to take … it is time to  keep calm and merry christmas. The keys to overcoming temptation are:

• E legir two types of sweets (candies, chocolates, neulas, biscuits, shortcakes …) and put them on your plate . As with the appetizer, when you have finished the sweets on your plate, you will know that you are finished with them. You don’t have to put them on the plate and eat them, you can have them there like the rest of the common assortment. For the rest of the sweets, you have 5 more days of celebration left in which you can try them.
• If possible, or you are the host, ask or put together with sweets, nuts and dried fruits , that there is a healthy option on the table as well.
• Choosing an infusion or tea will help you  entertain yourself  and not peck any more.
• Carry a toothbrush in your bag or pocket if you are a man and wash them secretly, nobody has to know. That  will cleanse your mouth of flavors that encourage you to eat more.
• Get up and go play with the children of the family, distract yourself, remove the sweets from your sight . If there are no children, just sit on the couch or even better, go for a walk.

As for alcohol … try to delay its intake as much as possible. For the aperitif, sparkling water, sugar-free soda … with food, if you drink wine, combine it with water and to toast with a culin of cava is enough. Afterwards, prepare a drink without alcohol or a flavored infusion! Think that the sooner and more you drink, the more uninhibited you become, the more equal it gives you everything and the less importance you give to diet.

Finally, if  you are the host,  you are in luck. I recommend you:

• A smooth first course . A vegetable cream, a fish soup, a salad with a touch of fantasy or a pica pica with light combinations.
• A second course but without abundant sauces and with a low-calorie accompaniment. Cooked vegetables and salads can be good options.
• A first dessert based on citrus or pineapple . Its acidity and diuretic effect can be of great help if you have heavy digestions.
• And finally, the wafers, polvorones and nougat that everyone expects. Present the nougat cut into small strips.
• A crockery with bulky glasses and small plates will help you control the quantities served.

In the end, it is about knowing how to manage our environment so that this does not prevent us from achieving our goal. If you want to know more keys to managing your environment, take a look at the nutritional coaching course. 

Happy and healthy holidays!