Is it worth putting on 10 lb over Christmas?

please contact me on ann@annparker.co.uk

So people seem to throw caution to the wind and eat what they like from November!  When I had a beauty/toning table salon I couldnt believe that people left mid November and didnt come back until end of January - I thought people would be exercising up until Christmas and then immediately getting back to it afterwards but how wrong could I be!

What with all the party food, mince pies, drink, chocolate and nuts, Christmas Parties and then eating and drinking for a least 4 days over Christmas the weight (and water retention) can pile on.  I know if I did this I would put on at least 14 lb (a UK stone) which would then take me a good three months to get off - and is it worth it?  Certainly not to me!

Also it means that it will increase your stomach size and your appetite which means it will be harder to get it under control when you go back to dieting.  And it means you will eat more over the Christmas period!

If you are eating like this it also means that you havent got to the bottom of your eating problems.  Do you think it gives you a licence to eat?  Do you feel deprived if you dont eat what other people are eating? Do you have cravings or are you emotionally eating over this period because of spending time with families, or grief or another reason?

I knew somebody who had lost a lot of weight and went on a cruise where she preceded to eat everything every day, including afternoon tea.  This shows that she hasnt healed her problems and it took her over 4 months to get the weight off from one weeks eating!  I am not saying that she couldnt have one afternoon tea, but why every day?

So you need to understand why you suddenly drop the exercise and healthy eating routine that you have worked hard on all year?  Clear what comes up using Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT or tapping).

If you are going to over do it, cut down the day before and the day after because excess calories store as water for 48 hours so you could lose it before it turns to fat.  This also means that your stomach wont stretch.

Go back to healthy eating the day after Boxing Day (26th in the UK) and throw out or freeze anything that might tempt you - dont let that old excuse of having to eat all the left overs up!

Watch the alcohol as this will put on excess water and make you eat!

Drink a glass of water reasonably slowly 30 minutes before a meal which will fill you up

Ask for treats rather than food for presents - vouchers for treatments, body lotions for pampering, manicures etc

Put a little bit of everything on your plate and always leave something - you dont have to eat everything!

If you are going to a party eat before you go so you are not tempted to pick on sausage rolls!

Remember with peanuts that people may not have washed their hands so this should stop you digging in!  And that they may have sneezed all over the party food!

If you feel you are going to eat more, then do some tapping before you eat.  Change your beliefs from I need to eat as it is Christmas to I eat to satisfy me and I stop when I am full

Set yourself a target that you will actually lose weight over Christmas rather than put it on and buy yourself something nice in the sales to wear!

Imagine how great you will feel on January 1st being able to get into your clothes easily and with a clear, sparkling complexion!  This is so much more important than food which you will have totally forgotten by now!