Christmas top 20 weight loss tips…

How can we keep up with a healthy diet and fitness program at Christmas time let alone lose weight? What with all of the usual Christmas and New Year celebrations going on around us, day after day, it just can`t be done can it?

 That answer is simple: Stick with your plan. You’ve overcome temptations and slip-ups before. Every day poses challenges, yet you remain strong and continue to make progress toward your goals. Why should the holidays be any different?

If you want to lose weight this month, you can. You just have to be realistic and organised and take each day one day at a time.

Here are 20 tips that will help you keep Christmas weight gain at bay and maybe lose a few pounds by new year.

1. Keep up your food diary. That means all of your food and drink, from the spoonful of cookie dough you ate while baking to the free sample of ham at the grocery store. These “hidden” calories are easy to gloss over but can really add up. Plus you know from experience how it helps you to lose weight and eat better. If you do nothing else during the holidays, track your food sensibly every day.

2. Plan your meals. A continuation of tip #1, plan your meals and snacks in advance so you can enjoy your favorites and still stay on track. Before you head to another party or sit down for a holiday dinner, pre-plan your food for the day.

3. Look up foods before you bite. You could use calorie count on my site to calculate the nutrition information in your favorite foods so you can add them to your diary. Look up your favourites like “mince pies” and see what is actually in them before you help yourself. Remember it is not about denying yourself… just being aware and then making a choice.

 

4. Make fitness a priority. I like to remind people that food is only one part of the equation that determines whether you’ll lose or gain weight. Fitness is just as important. Don’t let your workouts go by the wayside. You will probably need an excuse to get out the house right?  

5. Schedule your workout like an appointment. You wouldn’t miss work, a doctor’s appointment or an important meeting to bake cookies or do some  Christmas shopping, would you? Add your workouts to your calendar so that other obligations don’t get in the way of your gym time.

6. Bring your own food. This is a great tip if you’re heading to a party and don’t know what’s in the food (or how it was prepared). Pick a healthy, lower cal recipe that you can bring. No matter what kind of food is there, you’ll have at least one dish you can eat with confidence.

7. Limit alcohol. It lowers inhibitions, making it more likely that you’ll forget about your nutrition plan and over indulge. Plus, alcohol alone is pretty high in calories. If you can party hop without drinking at all, you’ll be better off. If you must drink, nurse your glass slowly, choose diet-friendly drinks, and limit the number of servings.

8. Re-gift treats and food. Of course, your loved ones mean well when they give you delicious food but just because they give them does not mean you have to eat all of them! There are plenty of opportunities to re-gift food gifts over Christmas: bring them to parties, and other get-togethers. Or, donate  shop bought foods to a local homeless kitchen or hospital.

9. Bring your food to work. This time of year share it in a communal space like the office staff room for others to partake of as they choose.

10. Don’t make mountains out of mole hills. It’s easy to go over your calories one day and feel like a failure. But remember that it takes much more than one day of overeating to thwart your progress. Accept your slip-ups, learn from them and move on.

11. Add 10 extra minutes of cardio to your days. Some experts say that adding just 10 minutes of vigorous exercise to your usual workout routine can counter the effects of a little extra Christmas eating. You can spare an extra 10 minutes, right? Even if you can’t fit it in all at once, try to do small amounts throughout the day. High-intensity moves like jumping jacks, high-knee running in place, or jumping rope all work. Or you can try our 10-mintue cardio videos to torch those extra calories in one shot.

12. Maintain your active lifestyle. Remember that “running” errands isn’t the same as running—or exercising. But the more activity you can add to your days (in addition to planned fitness) the better off you’ll be.

13. Keep an emergency snack on hand. Stashing some healthy and portable foods in your car, purse, and desk drawer can help satisfy your cravings and prevent you from going overboard on all the wrong foods. This is a good idea when you’re hungry at work and mince pies sound tempting, or when you’re shopping late  and hear the food aisle calling.

14. Watch your portions. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying some once-a-year favorites if you keep your portions in check. Sometimes just a little taste is all you need.

15. Focus on people. Isn’t that what Christmas is all about? At parties and gatherings, enjoy the good conversation and activities instead of hovering around the food table. Create lasting memories that don’t revolve around eating, and you won’t feel like you’re missing out.

16. Drink your water. Recent studies found that when people drink more water throughout the day, they end up eating fewer total calories. Water and water-rich foods can help fill you up longer. Keep a cup of water in hand at parties, sip water between bites, and meet your daily quota to help prevent overeating.

17. Wake up with exercise. People who exercise first thing in the morning are more likely to exercise regularly than those who exercise later in the day. Even if you’re not a morning exerciser now, a.m. workouts might be the best way to squeeze fitness into your days before other things come up. Plus, when you exercise first, you’re less likely to over indulge with food later.

18. Don’t act as if it’s your only chance to eat. With every food that crosses your path, remind yourself that you’ll have plenty of chances later to eat. Forgo the “last supper” mentality and if you are not hungry or in the mood for a certain food, don’t feel obligated to eat it. 

19. Slow down. Savor your food and the experience of eating. You’ll eat less, feel more satisfied, and recognise feelings of hunger before it’s too late.

20. Keep your eye on the prize. Before you take a bite or hit snooze instead of hitting the gym, remember your goals. It’s going to take work to get there and survive the holiday season. Before you act, ask yourself, “Will this help me get where I want to go?” If not, make another decision. 

Remember that YOU are in control during Christmas and New Year , not the other way around. Here’s to staying fit, looking great, and reaching your goals all month long!

Eat well, Train hard, stay warm.

Rachel Benton

Personal Training

Bedford, UK

info@rachelbenton.co.uk

http://www.rachelbenton.co.uk

Christmas drinks…?

The average person will gain between 3-7lbs over the Christmas period…and alcohol often has a big part to play in this.

I have so often re started training again with clients in January to find them disappointed and frustrated at their Christmas weight gain. This can be a big de motivator and feel like a real set back after so much hard work. So to avoid this potential pit fall progress…read on.  

Frankly, you can eat a perfect diet and work out until you’re blue in the face and still have a difficult time losing weight and changing your body shape,  if you’re not careful with alcohol consumption.

Looking at the facts, alcohol has 7 calories per gram, almost as much as fat (9 calories per gram) and nearly twice as many calories as a gram of carbohydrate or protein (4 calories per gram). So even just a couple of drinks can set you back as much as 300-400 calories, which will make creating a calorie deficit very challenging.

In addition, when you consume alcohol at the same time as food, your body tends to burn the alcohol first, sparing the fat. The more alcohol you consume, the more likely some of your food will be stored as fat. And studies show that alcohol not only makes people hungrier but at the same time, it lowers their inhibitions, so they are more likely to make unwise food choices.

Alcohol can often really put the boot into a steady weight loss trend that you may have worked hard for.

This is not to say you have to cut out alcohol altogether. Alcohol, just like fat and sugar, can be consumed in moderation and enjoyed with little damage . If you drink regularly, we suggest cutting back to a glass every other night, or a glass or two on the weekends, or only when you go out to eat.

There are ways to minimise the impact alcohol has on your diet. If you’re going to indulge, please consider these suggestions: –

Choose a light beer over some of the heavy microbrews. Several lite beers now have as few as 64 calories in a 12-oz. bottle, whereas some microbrews have more than 200 calories!

Use diet mixers, diet tonic or soda water. This can save you 200 to 300 calories or more per drink or cocktail.

Do you enjoy wine? It can be a good choice, as it has fewer calories than many cocktails and most microbrews. However, consuming 2 or 3 glasses means a lot of additional calories, so watch your intake.

Don’t forget the water. For every alcoholic drink you have, drink at least one extra glass of water. This will help your body metabolise the alcohol and may counteract some of the dehydrating effects of the alcohol on the body, such as next-day hangovers. It takes your liver 1 hour to process and metabolise 1 ounce of alcohol, so space your drinks out accordingly. The less you overload the liver, the better it will be able to process the alcohol and work on any fats waiting to be broken down.

As you well know by now, it’s critical that you burn more calories than you consume to lose fat. So, if you plan on going out with friends for a drink or two, plan accordingly and eat fewer calories throughout the day and try to be a more active as well to help maintain a calorie deficit. One last word about alcohol. In general, alcohol has few, if any, nutrients; that’s why they’re called “empty calories.” If you’re getting 500 calories from a few beers, for example, it means that you’ll be missing that same amount in beneficial nutrients that support fat loss, muscle-building or preservation, and good health in general, such as fiber, protein, and vitamins and minerals.

So if you have worked really hard this year and you are worried about it all going to the wall this Christmas time…keep your drinking to a minimum and only indulge once in a while.

Key points to remember:

1. Limit alcoholic beverages, as they are very calorie-dense and often lead to overeating or making unwise food choices.

2. When you do drink alcohol, choose wine or lite beers instead of microbrews, and choose cocktails mixed with sugar-free juices or mixers.

3. Also, when you know you’ll be drinking, plan accordingly. Balance your calorie consumption throughout the day and be more active to account for the extra calories that you will be consuming in the alcoholic beverages.

Be drink aware, have fun, get outside and move about a bit.

Rachel Benton

Personal Training

Bedford, UK

info@rachelbenton.co.uk

http://www.rachelbenton.co.uk

 

Burn Off Christmas Calories…

Christmas is fast approaching!

Don`t panic! I have compiled a list of calorie burning activities that might help you stay on track this Christmas.

As much as we look forward to this time of year, and all that comes with it (the friends, the family, and of course, the food!) it’s hard to escape the stress that it can often bring.

“Exercise routine? Heh.

Healthy eating? Forget about it.”

Sound like you? Between the cooking, cleaning, traveling, decorating, shopping, and entertaining, how can you fit in your normal exercise routine? Or even a shorter exercise routine? Well, if you’re like most “normal” Brits, you’ve probably bitten off more than you can chew when it comes to responsibilities. So, here’s a list of common Christmas activities and the number of calories they burn.

The best advice I can offer to anyone on a long term weight loss and body shape journey is to be realistic, plan meals ahead if you can and relax if you fall of the wagon every now and then…it is normal. You can keep your caloric intake in check (by keeping portions small and making healthier recipe substitutions), and by adding up these common activities—like cooking and cleaning—you can still burn a hefty sum of calories without setting foot in the gym.

Bathing dog (to look and smell pretty for guests!): 15 minutes = 56 calories

Wrapping gifts or making gifts : 30 minutes = 48

Bagging grass & leaves: 30 minutes = 127 calories

Light baking (of all your favorite treats): 1 hour = 159 calories

Tending bar for guests (not drinking it yourself! Ah go on then!): 1 hour = 146 calories

Changing bed linens (for the out-of-towners): 15 minutes = 40 calories

Loading & Unloading the car (suitcases, shopping, kids): 10 minutes = 32 calories

Carrying shopping (er…an excuse for more sale shopping perhaps?): 5 minutes = 13 calories

Taking out rubbish: 2 minutes = 5 calories

Carrying wood or lumber (Marshmallows not included): 5 minutes = 26 calories

General to heavy house cleaning: 1 hour = 191 calories

Clearing dishes from the table: 5 minutes = 13 calories

Washing dishes by hand: 15 minutes = 37 calories Dusting: 15 minutes = 40 calories

Family reunion (includes sitting, talking and eating…not fighting): 1 hour = 95 calories

Food preparation: 1 hour = 195 calories

Putting away groceries: 5 minutes = 13 calories

Quick walk after dinner: 15 minutes = 95 calories

Light jogging (to get away from scary relatives): 15 minutes = 127 calories

Mowing lawn (pushing power mower): 20 minutes = 95 calories Mopping floors: 15 minutes = 56 calories

Playing catch (baseball or football): 30 minutes = 79 calories

Raking lawn: 30 minutes = 137 calories

Grocery shopping (with cart): 30 minutes = 73 calories

Grocery shopping (with basket): 30 minutes = 79 calories

Socialising while standing: 1 hour = 127 calories

So, if you’re finding it impossible to get to the gym, try something new this year…like NOT avoiding the extra holiday chores. Your partner and/or host will be happy, and so will you for keeping your waistline in check.

Keep active, have fun and enjoy your Christmas time.

Rachel Benton

Personal Training

Bedford, UK

info@rachelbenton.co.uk

http://www.rachelbenton.co.uk

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