With less than 8 weeks until Christmas and Christmas functions and outings ramping up, a real fear for many people is how to keep off the weight they lost during the year. Who wants to lose flab and then whack it back on again, only to have to lose it again in the New Year?

When the fine weather finally hits there will be more barbecues, more platters of nibbles, more drinks and in general more access to foods that you might not eat during the rest of the year. Let’s face it, Christmas and New Year is a time of excess when it comes to food! The supermarket aisles groan with tempting treats, invitations to ‘call in for a drink’ abound and often we lose all self-restraint when faced with temptation. It happens.

Here are some basic tips to help you get through the upcoming weeks without having to loosen your waistband in the New Year.

• Eat mindfully. Be aware of what you are putting in your mouth, it’s all too easy to graze mindlessly from platters of nibbles and treats.
   
• Say No. The more often you say No, the more often it becomes a habit and the opposite applies too. 
   
• Be prepared. Decide before you leave for the function or outing as to whether or not you will be drinking alcohol and if you are, give yourself a limit. Alcohol will always be metabolised and used for fuel before your fat is.
   
• If you choose not to drink alcohol, be sure to take something non-calorific that you can drink. Sparkling water or soda water with slices of lemon or lime is a refreshing alternative. You aren’t a party pooper if you choose not to drink.
   
• If invited to a friend’s place for a meal, offer to take a healthy platter or a big salad, that way there will at least be something you can load up your plate with.
   
• Keep your hands out of the bowls of salted nuts and chips – once you start, you won’t be able to stop.

Even if you aren’t socialising, you still need to be aware of what might trip you up as far as weight re-gain goes.

• Don’t get complacent with portion sizes. I decided today that I should be a bit more aware of portion sizes and once I started measuring, eek, my plates definitely had less on them! Portion sizes tend to grow over time, so get back into the habit of measuring again.
   
• Grazing is all too easy to do. A pick of this and a piece of that, again being mindful and keeping a diary will help you identify when this happens. You can download a diary from my website.
   
• Remember that liquid calories count. Café coffees, juices, alcohol, smoothies, they all have an impact. Some juice bar juices have the equivalent of 60g (or more) of sugar in them.
   
• Don’t let your exercise habit slacken off over the summer. Now is the time, with the longest daylight hours, to ensure you do get out and exercise each day. Don’t make it a holiday from exercise and good sense.
   

Basically, whatever you did to lose weight, you need to keep doing to keep it off. It’s not rocket science.

If you would like help with your weight goals, please get in touch.