With christmas fast approaching it is the time of year when it becomes really hard to keep control of your eating, or stick to a diet. Temptation is around every corner. So if you are on, or wanting to start a weight loss journey here are some tips you can apply to keep things from spiraling too out of hand!
It’s important, if you want to continue to maintain that weight loss journey or keep a healthy lifestyle over the Christmas period to ensure that you have the right mindset.
Almost everything is ok in moderation! It’s so easy to be tempted by a mince pie, chocolates, christmas cake, or just overindulging in too much turkey. And I think that it is really ok to allow yourself some treats over this time of year. Particularly if not doing so leaves you feeling deprived or miserable. What is important is to allow yourself a few things in moderation, and not to go on an all out binge.
That also extends to liquid treats. Try to keep alcohol consumption to reasonable limits and have a couple of days where you drink rather than drinking daily throughout the festive season because sadly there are calories in alcohol too, something that is overlooked by many people dieting.
So I would recommend that you plan for what you are going to eat and drink. Think about what events you are planning to attend, whether with friends or family, and decide what you will eat and drink before you go. That way you have already made a decision as to how much and what sort of things you will eat and drink. Stick to the plan as much as you can.
Register that you have treated yourself when you do. Tell yourself that you have had that piece of cake, or that you can have those couple of glasses of wine. By doing so and acknowledging that, you are making a mental note that you have treated yourself. This makes it easier then to forgo further temptations because you haven’t lost out entirely.
Chew the food thoroughly and really savour it, enjoy it and eat slowly. This means that the treat lasts longer, and by really focussing on the food, you feel more satisfied because you have concentrated on it.
If going to the buffet, take a smaller plate if different sizes are available, and put a reasonable amount of food on the plate. Make a promise to yourself not to go back for seconds. Try to leave something on the plate too.
Consider drinking low or no alcohol beer and wine. Or drink fizzy wine, this tends to have less calories per glass than still wine. If drinking spirits use mixers with a lower calorie count, so for instance water, or low calories drinks such as diet cola, diet lemonade or diet tonic water.
By getting into the right mindset, that of allowing yourself some treats but remaining in control of your intake, really enjoying the treats you have, and looking for lower calorie options where possible, you should be able to thoroughly enjoy the festive season, feel as though you have indulged, and come out the other end of it without having blown the diet. It’s about making sure everything is in balance. Merry Christmas!
If you would like to know more about some of the techniques mentioned above, and the use of hypnotherapy to help in achieving the right mindset for healthy eating and losing weight please call me on 07577202702. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have or to discuss booking a free, no obligation consultation.