Resist the Christmas binge –eat，drink but be wary

　　Festive weight gain isn’t just an urban myth. Research has shown that most of us could gain around half a kilo during the festive months – such as Christmas. That may not sound like much， but over the course of a decade， it can add up

　　There is good evidence that people put on weight over the festive season. The more overweight you are，the more you tend to put on. And the most worrying aspect of this seasonal weight gain is that the kilos tend tostay on. People don’t seem to lose the extra weight.

　　Christmas is a time traditionally given to over indulgenceas Christmas drinks， office parties， end-of-year farewells and family get-togethers fill our December calendar. It’s atime to connect with family and friends and there’s food in a bundance whether it is finger foods， buffets or those deadlyChristmas food gifts like chocolate and rich fruit cakes.

　　Christmas is hardly a time to be trying to shed excess kilos. Be realistic – a more achievable goal is to keep your weight stable over the festive season and simply not put on any. While no-one can eat healthily 100% of the time， here are a few tips to help you not end up looking like Santa bythe end of the year：

　　1. Limit the pig outs！

　　Keep those wildly-overindulgent days to a minimum –Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. One or two day’s realovereating (when your stomach feels as if it will burst)won’t be bad but a month of festive feeding will pile onthe kilos. Excess weight is gained slowly， not just from one over indulgence. Just eat sparingly the next day.

　　These days Christmas seems to start in Novemberwith Santa appearing in the shopping malls and food tasting samples everywhere. Stay focussed and limit your foodsampling.

　　2. Be selective

　　Eat， drink and be wary at those Christmas feasts.Surveythe starters， breads， side dishes， hams， turkeys， and Christmas puddings and decide what you absolutely ‘musthave’ and what you can skip. Don’t use these feasts as anexcuse to eat as much as you can.

　　3. Avoid too much alcohol

　　Alcohol is packed with calories and loosens your inhibitions so you eat things you normally wouldn’t like party pies orfried onion rings. Dilute spirits with ice and mineral water，ask for light beer instead of full-strength or intersperse ajuice or sparkling mineral water between regular drinks.

　　Don’t forget the non-alcoholic options like iced tea， lime and soda， and non-alcoholic wine. And have something toeat before you drink to slow the absorption of alcohol intoyour system.

　　4. Keep moving

　　Don’t skip your usual exercise routine. Swim， go for abrisk walk after dinner， walk your dog or play with your grandchildren – anything that keeps you moving.

　　5. Serve the healthier option

　　When it comes to snacks and treats， temptation is allaround us at Christmas. If you’re hosting your own party，make the traditional favourites less calorie heavy. Here aresome simple ways：

　　Make open-top mince pies. Using less pastry cuts downon calories and fat. Alternatively， use filo pastry， whichis thinner and lower in calories than traditional pastry.One sheet of puff pastry has 620kcal， and two sheets offilo (similar to spring roll wraps) have 80kcal. Add finelychopped apple to the mincemeat to make it fluffier andslightly lower in calories.

　　Don’t wrap sausages in bacon or pastry. Grill， dry fry or bake them on a wire rack so that the fat drains off.

　　Don’t have dips made with cream orcream cheese. Choose tomato-baseddips， such as salsa， or mix some chopped herbs intolow-fat yoghurt.

　　Serve rice cakes，oatcakes or plainpopcorn with drinks，instead of crisps andsalted nuts.