We humans love to eat and any festival or holiday is a sure good reason to FEAST! Needless to say, that may not bode well for our waistlines. Also, imagine the amount of work that we will have to do come January to shed those extra kilos! I know how it is and here are my top 5 tips for surviving the Christmas bulge:

1. Never fill your plate till it's full

This is a good trick to prevent yourself from eating. Its the same psychology behind eating with a smaller plate. It's all about portioning. This also prevents you from looking like that kiasu and greedy Singaporean who has a mountain of food on your plate. Besides, if you have to walk or move to get a second helping, you're burning that little more calories than having 2 servings worth already in 1 seating.

2. Eat your veggies first

Someone once told me that eating food in the right order is essential in weight maintenance. Others have also told me that it's all because of nutrition and how fruit and vegetables should be consumed first so that the body will digest it first etc.

I'm not going to tell you too much hog wash. Simple fact - vegetables are FULL of fibre. Eating fibre first ensures that you're a little more filled up so that you don't eat so much fatty foods and even if you do eat a lot of fatty foods, the fibre will soak up some of the fats so that it'll pass out from your gut.

Please lay off the salad dressing. I normally go for half the usual or none. If there are roasted or steamed vegetables, I'd go for those.

3. Choose your proteins next

Ham, turkey, roast beef, chicken, roast pork...I think you guys know what to choose (lean and less processed). Reminder to hold off on the gravy as most contain a lot of animal fat (drippings) or butter or cream.

4. Watch where your sugars are coming from

If you're drinking wine, you may want to eat less carbs as alcohol does contain quite a bit of sugar and therefore, calories. However, the wine is probably a better choice than the soft drink.

I normally will try to avoid the staples totally during all the various Christmas parties because with the wine and cakes that are bountiful, I do not wish to get a sugar high and then a sugar crash where one will start craving more of that delicious chocolate log cake.

5. Plan your exercise

Know that you'll be having a party that evening? Schedule a workout in the morning or afternoon or perhaps the day before. Got a whole week full of parties? Party hard means that you've got to do more high intensity workouts then (saves time!). If its a potluck gathering and you know what's on the menu, you can also gauge how long you have to hit the gym. Simple input output of calories here.

Also, studies have shown that someone who walks about 90min the day before will have about 30% less fats in their blood stream the following day. Also, general exercise will improve blood insulin sensitivity, allowing you to not get a crash but a sugar soft landing. Makes you feel less guilty about eating that extra slice of cake too ;)

Now that you are equipped with the top 5 tips on how NOT to put on too much weight during this Christmas season, go forth and feast!!

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