Tips to avoid weight gain over the Christmas holidays

There are some easy, stress-free things you can do to avoid massive weight gain without missing out on enjoying the holiday season, health expert Adam MacDougall reveals.

Here’s a piece of advice I don’t often give out when it comes to having a healthier holiday season — I want you to relax, treat yourself, and not take your weight or fitness goals too seriously.

I know, I know, it’s not the health and fitness advice you were probably expecting. But come on, it’s been a tough year for all of us, no matter where you are of what you do.

Maybe your work slowed during lockdowns. Or maybe you have loved ones across the country, or across the world, you haven’t been able to see as much as you’d have like to. Or maybe you just exhausted all your binge-worthy TV shows too early in lockdown.

Whatever the reason, it’s been a tough 12 months, and the last thing you need is to open your favourite Sunday paper and find me yelling at you to drop the croissant, right?

You can enjoy Christmas foods and avoid gaining weight. Picture: iStock

But (there’s always but…), we do know from research in The New England Journal of Medicine that Australians will put on a combined 35 million kilograms of extra weight over this holiday season — which is more than a kilogram each.

And there are some really easy, stress-free things you can do to make sure it’s not you doing the heavy-lifting, so to speak, when it comes to this collective weight gain, without missing out on any of the festive season cheer.

But don’t worry, you can still treat yourself. It’s Christmas, after all.

Do your party prep

When was the last time you went to a party and saw plate after plate of healthy dishes? Never? Me too.

Christmas lunch (or NYE, for that matter) is all about the glazed ham and the deep-fried everything, and that’s totally fine.

But if you walk in starving then you’re going to rush the table like an NFL linebacker and start devouring everything in reach.

My hack is to put protein foods into your mouth first. Yes pre loading up on proteins like prawns or turkey will limit the urge to over eat all those fattening finger foods and sweets.

My other tip is to also make sure you have hydrated your body like an athlete. As making sure that you have had enough water before you dig into the Christmas feast will see you consume much less food without feeling like you’re missing out.

Watch what types of food you are eating and don’t go overboard. Picture: iStock

Serving size matters

You know how our eyes can be bigger than our stomachs? For some reason, Christmas is the time that our stomachs try their absolute hardest square the ledger, no matter how high our plates are piled.

But research has shown that people who use a smaller plate finish a meal feeling just a full, despite having eaten 30 per cent less.

Bringing your own plate to a party might be a bit much, so instead try eating slowly and purposefully, give your stomach time to tell you you’re full, and you might be surprised at just how much ham is left over.

Don’t covet the couch

Long year over, work’s finished, cricket on the telly. It’s pretty tempting just to give up moving until sometime in 2022, isn’t it?

But one of the absolute easiest things you can do to stay fit this Christmas is get up and walk.

Research has shown that simple getting up and walking for as little as 10 minutes within an hour of a big meal not only helps your waistline but will also help with digestion and energy.

GET FIT AND HEALTHY WITH ADAM MACDOUGALL

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Adam MacDougall is the creator of The Man Shake. A new, healthy, weight loss shake that is low in sugar, full of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals that you can have on the run and leaves you feeling full.

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