Charlotte Roycroft-Davis explains why people gain 3-6 lb over Christmas: overeating and less movement, amplified by marketing that treats holiday food as special. Three fixes: resist marketing tactics and eat normally, increase everyday movement like walking instead of formal gym sessions, and add brief activities throughout the day to offset extra calories.
Well, it's that time of year when everywhere you look is wall-to-wall party food, mince pies, chocolates, and booze. It's so easy to overeat, and many people really pile on the pounds. Did you know that a large portion of people's yearly weight gain is caused by overeating and decreasing activity levels at Christmas? And because there's far more pleasure to be had in consuming the seasonal goodies than there is in the effort of losing them later, the few pounds gained are often not lost at all after the holiday period. So each year many people put on 3 to 6 pounds and then after Christmas is over they typically only lose half or two-thirds of that fat. Now, if you have a Slimpod programme, you'll obviously be far more in control of food and drink than you would otherwise be, but it's so easy to get drawn in and not be conscious of what's being consumed. So I thought I'd give you a few tips to help you keep on top of things. You can obviously still have fun, but you'll be doing it without the guilt, and the bonus will be that you can still get into your jeans in January. So tip number 1: Be aware of what the marketers are doing. They're hypnotizing you to eat more. By elevating the importance of food at Christmas, they make you focus on it. So the trick is to avoid thinking of Christmas as a special or important time where food is concerned. It really doesn't need to be an excuse to eat all the mince pies and the chocolates that you can stuff down. Number 2: What do people who don't increase their weight at this time of the year do differently to those who do pile on the pounds? The answer is they're far more aware of the balance between the extra food they're consuming and how much they're burning off. A study conducted a few years ago showed that the people who burned it off naturally increased their activity level, while those who put on the fat didn't. And I don't mean sticking on the Lycra and going to the gym. This is just about extra walking or some other form of movement each day. The thing that happens to so many people at this time of the year is that routine goes out the window and the daily gym visit or the weekly Zumba class just doesn't happen. They don't realise that they can easily burn off the extra calories by doing something that doesn't require going to a class. So the idea is to be mindful and pay attention to this. You can consciously increase your activity level during the holiday season to prevent weight gain. It is not difficult to do if you're aware of it. When you think about it, Christmas involves so much sitting down and relaxing and, you know, eating. So even if you just get up and walked around the house or do some squats for 5 minutes, it's still movement. Or better still, go for a walk, go up and down stairs rather than taking a lift, do a 10-minute YouTube exercise video. Stay active and you'll feel great while you're having fun and celebrating. So all that's left for me to say is is have a fabulous Christmas holiday and a peaceful and healthy 2019.
