“Smart food choices can help you avoid adding an extra seven or ten pounds to your waistline this year”, says Top Personal Trainer, Nutritionist and iMama.tv Expert Vicky Warr.
“On a typical Christmas Day, the average Brit consumes a staggering 7,000 calories,” says Vicky Warr, director of West London-based ‘TheBeezKneez’ fitness consultancy for Mums and Mums to be. “A normal daily intake should be about 1,800 for women and 2,200 for men. But Christmas pudding and brandy butter alone can add up to 1,200 calories. To burn off just the pudding you’d need to run a half marathon. It’s no wonder there are so many people rushing to join a gym in January or detox dieting.”
But the really scary facts are that over the Christmas season, the ‘average’ person puts on between 7-9lb of fat (half a stone) and loses 3-5 lbs of muscle just by vegging out on the sofa. The more fat your body has, the fewer calories you need, even when you are resting. So, by increasing the fat in your body, the slower your resting metabolic rate becomes, making it even easier to pile on the pounds.
So whilst the goose may be getting fat as we navigate the rounds of Christmas parties and lunches you don’t need to!
Here are Vicky’s tips to eat, drink and still be merry so you don’t need to sob into a diet shake come January.
* Be a nutcracker: You can get through a load of calories by delving into the salted nut mix. Instead grab your nutcracker and shell a few walnuts and almonds.
* Skip the sausages in blankets and mini quiches and opt for stuffed mushrooms and mini chicken or spinach pies. Fine pastry is lower in calories and fat than thicker quiche crusts. Chicken is leaner and less processed or fatty than sausages.
* Have some chocolate - moderation not deprivation! Instead of hitting the dessert tray, pick a chocolate truffle (approx 40 calories) to savour some taste (and pass the box onto to someone else) – much wiser than the cakes and biscuits as it’s often hard to stop at just one!
* Water up – no doubt you’ll be drinking alcohol so avoid getting dehydrated. Water is key to sustaining energy levels; if you don’t drink enough water you’ll feel lethargic.
* Veg out – Hunt out the veggies on Christmas day or at the party – these will power you up with antioxidants and nutrients to help boost your immune system after the partying has finished! Add some dip for more taste (just go easy, a little rather than lashings).
* Breakfast – avoid the trap of skipping this just because you think you’re having a big lunch. A light breakfast – grapefruit and some eggs will stop you reaching for the biscuits and chocolate mid morning.
* Cosy and warm with a hot drink – hot mulled wine is a delicious seasonal treat and as we tend to drink hot, spiced drinks slower than cold beverages, we drink less (drinking more slowly means drinking less, and taking on board less alcoholic calories).
* Smart mixing - mix spirits with slim-line tonic or fresh orange juice and sparkling water. Red wine contains about 85 calories per glass compared with 110 calories for sweet white wine or cider. A less calorific cocktail would be a vodka or gin single measure, mixed with some pomegranate juice, sparkling water and slices of fruit. Plus you’ll be ingesting some vitamin C. Alternatively, try tomato juice with vodka or white wine mixed with sparkling water, to make your drink last longer.
* Protein power – if turkey, fish, sliced beef is on the menu opt for these – Lean protein makes you feel fuller for longer and curbs the apetite so you won’t get cravings later.
* Move the body – best cure for a hangover is some fresh, crisp winter air and some quick steps. A power walk for 30 minutes mid-morning will clear the head, ready for your festive lunch.
CHRISTMAS - A HEALTHY FEAST
A boost for Breakfast
Make up a delicious fruit platter the day before and put it in the fridge. Go for the citrus fruits that are in season - grapefruit, oranges, kiwis and red apples. Add figs and pomegranate (you can blend up the seeds to make a juice and pour it over the grapefruit) add taste and variety. Serve up with natural yoghurt, some chopped nuts and a drizzle of honey.
Serving up Lunch
* Turkey is one of the leanest meats around and a great source of protein. Roast the turkey on a rack so the fat can drip into a tray below and peel off the skin. Add fresh herbs – thyme or rosemary and some olive oil and pepper.
* Try sweet potatoes and new potatoes to make you feel fuller for longer and increase your fibre intake. Roast the sweet potatoes in small amount of oil and steam the new pots.
* Wrap ready-to-eat prunes in small strips of back bacon, stretching the strips so they go twice as far.
* If you’re having sausages, buy organic ones and grill them, don’t roast them.
* Get stuffed: Use brown breadcrumbs, finely chopped onion and fresh herbs, bind together with egg and cook in the oven.
* Gravy: Use a few tablespoons of red wine and add to the meat juices, then mix in a tbsp of flour. Add stock (made with a cube) and some lemon juice, stir until thick.
* Veg: Steam these just before you are about to serve up. Add a small knob of butter and some fresh parsley or other herbs to Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. Steamed parsnips are great with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese; you can just grill them for a couple of minutes to make them go brown.
* Pudding: Try making up some Christmas Knickerbocker Glories with jelly and berries and crème fraiche. Grate dark chocolate over the top.
* Make mince pies without the pastry lid or cut off the lid if you have brought them. Add a dollop of natural yoghurt or teaspoon of crème fraiche.
Scrumptious Supper
Serve up cold meats with loads of colourful salads, peppers, avocado, tomato salsa, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil. Wholemeal pitta bread with hummus is light and tasty.
Chomping on chocolate
It’s tricky to not eat chocolate at Christmas – so treat yourself to dark chocolate or a small bar of chocolate that contains a high percentage of cocoa solids, like Green & Blacks. The less room there is for sugar and fat and the greater the chocolate taste to get your chocolate fix.
Nice but not as naughty nibbles
Yes to: pistachios, mixed nuts and raisins, mini oatcakes, mini wholemeal pittas with pesto, pretzels and plain popcorn; soft cheese wrapped in salmon, salsa dips with carrots and crudités or sushi.
No to: fatty crisps, salted peanuts and all pre-prepared dishes like mini samosas, prawn toasts and cocktail sausages.
Fit Fun
In the afternoon, get outdoors for a burst of fresh air, even if it’s just a bracing walk or a bike ride.
Lastly, Christmas is supposed to be fun! If you do overdo it and feel guilty afterwards, just look forward to the New Year, get back on track with your eating and take some exercise!
TheBeezKneez are holding Post Christmas Fat Blaster one week special fitness classes (no gym required) guaranteed to tone you up and lose 2-3 lbs in a week. With five one hour sessions of different workouts to target different body parts, all to pumping dance music, they are designed to motivate and kick start your new year’s resolutions. For Mums (no matter when you had the baby), held in dance studios in West London.
To view Vicky's expert footage on iMama.tv, click here.
For sample workouts and more information visit www.beez-kneez.co.uk.
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