For most of us, the festive season means one thing; a free pass to eat what we want without the guilt. But what about the brides-to-be on their wedding diet?
Wedding Diet: Top Tips for Slimming Brides This Christmas
For those who are concerned about weight gain over Christmas, you can stop fretting. Ramsay Health Care UK, experts in weight loss surgery and their team of nutritional experts provide their top tips on how to maintain a trim waistline this party season.
Be wise with alcohol
We all know alcohol can be a real barrier when it comes to shifting those unwanted pounds. If you enjoy a tipple or five, you’ll know the cravings are the aftermath- as much as the hangover. If you find it easy to stay on track throughout the week but enjoy a tipple at the weekend then no doubt you’re concerned about all the boozing over Christmas.
The biggest downfall of binge drinking is the hidden calories. The average women needs 1,500 calories per day to lose one pound per week, according to Authority Nutrition. With that said, a glass of wine alone can contain up to 160 calories and 600 per bottle. If you’re a lover of white wine, consider soda spritzers. If you like a mixer, opt for sugar-free mixers with your spirit of choice. This will drastically save you calories.
Another tip is to drink a glass of water between each beverage to help prevent you from feeling too dehydrated.
Don’t Over Spend
Don’t be tempted to over buy. When shopping, be realistic about the amount of food you will actually consume. There’s no harm in being safe, but the chances are if it’s leftover and in the cupboard, it’s probably going to get eaten.
More than one in ten of us (11%) believe that fatty foods are much cheaper than fruit and vegetables, which isn’t always the case. The average cost of getting five portions of fruit or vegetables per day is £2.50, making the holidays a great time to introduce more fresh produce into your diet.
Be your own host
There’s no doubt that you’ll be invited to a wealth of parties throughout December and New Year, but you won’t know what’s going to be served up. Consider hosting your own event, where you won’t feel pressured to polish of what’s on your plate and be tempted to indulge. Perhaps serve your dinner on a smaller plate to manage your portions better.
Make small change on Christmas day, such as serving a vegetable-based soup to start. Have turkey as your main meat and grill the rest to ensure as much fat as possible is drained. Opt for a homemade fruit pudding for dessert too.
Remind yourself
In a recent survey of 1,200 UK adults, 29% of us blamed ‘lack of willpower’ for not eating well, so it’s important to keep your main aim at the front of your mind. Try to set yourself smaller goals this Christmas, and remember that any progress is good progress.
If you have previously lowered your caloric intake, perhaps up this a little once or twice per week to avoid the urge to overindulge. If you do happen to go over, make up for this by upping your activity level (a crisp winter walk can be just as relaxing as sitting on the sofa).
Enjoy it
Lastly, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Remember it’s Christmas and you should be having fun. People are most likely to overeat when they are bored (40%), so just make sure you keep busy and active to ensure you burn more calories than you consume, to avoid the Christmas pounds.
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