It’s
Christmas week, and the alluring rustle of Quality Street can be heard up and
down the length of the UK. Packets of mince pies proudly adorn desks, and touts
are selling Heston Blumenthal’s orange-filled Christmas puddings on eBay for
£250. Seriously. Our collective sweet tooth would appear to be on full alert
for the onslaught of confectionary-based temptation to follow.
Yes, it’s
Christmas, and a time of the year to be enjoyed, but your weight loss goals
won’t go away, and succumbing to temptation will make them all the harder in
the New Year. So think about it now. How are you going to maintain your shape
over the next 2 weeks. Here are 3 handy weapons to keep in your weight loss
arsenal. Give them a bit of thought now- you’ll thank yourself later.
1- Be prepared
It’s
essential that you are mentally and physically prepared. Ask yourself the
following;
- Do I
seriously want to eat healthily and feel healthy over the Christmas season?
- Am I resigned to the fact that I will gain weight over Christmas?
- Do I want to face the task of losing the same weight a second time around?
- Am I resigned to the fact that I will gain weight over Christmas?
- Do I want to face the task of losing the same weight a second time around?
If after
serious consideration your answers are “YES, I am serious; NO, I am not going
to gain weight and NO, I don’t want to lose weight a second time”, then we’re
in business. Your attitude is the most important factor towards staying healthy
and staying slim over Christmas. Don’t underestimate the power of the mind.
Thoughts
like “Oh, I’m sure to gain weight at this time of the year, I always have”, or
“I’ll get seriously down to losing weight again after Christmas” are all
negative input. Ensure that your thoughts are positive. Replace,
“This year I want to stay slim during Christmas”, with “This year I will stay
slim during Christmas”.
Develop
this positive attitude, and stay in control of what you eat this Christmas
season. Then you can survive the temptations that will present themselves to
you.
2- Breakfast like a King (or Queen!)
You’ve
heard it a hundred times before, but skipping breakfast (or any other meal)
will give you hunger pangs that quickly leave you reaching for chocolate,
crisps and fizzy drinks to boost flagging energy levels.
Studies
at the University of Leeds found that eating earlier in the day helps prevent
people from getting hungry, losing control and overeating in the evening. But
what if you never feel hungry in the morning? Chances are, if you can last
until mid-morning or lunchtime before eating, you’re having too much to eat in
the evening. If you have a smaller dinner, earlier in the evening, you’ll wake
up with a ravenous appetite! Bottom line: by spreading meals evenly throughout
the day – and always eating breakfast – you’ll feel satisfied for longer and be
less likely to give in to snack attacks.
3- Eat slowly
The brain
requires around 20 minutes to receive the signal you are full, so no matter how
much you eat during this time, your satiety signal won’t come any sooner.
That’s why it’s a good idea to eat slowly, and also why it’s a good idea
to wait a while before deciding whether you really want a pudding or a fifth
helping of turkey!
- Consciously chew each mouthful slowly – if you find this difficult, set yourself a target of 10 bites per mouthful before swallowing
- Put your knife and fork down between mouthfuls. The oldest trick in the book, but it works.
- Chat a bit- it’s Christmas after all!
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