My caloried Christmas fears and the diet tips that will protect me

If you’re like me and I’m ashamed to say…kinda without a lot of discipline, then you know that the festive season is the worst time of the year for those of us who struggle to maintain a certain body weight. There are so many treats and I always feel so deprived if I don’t pinch some…or so much ….to quench my ‘year starved’ cravings.

I looove rich chocolate cake which tastes even better when dipped in ice cream; practically all my meals have to be downed with soda and every movie is accompanied by either popcorn, flour coated peanuts mixed with chin chin, a chilled drink or better still, some Irish cream …ooooh. It is Christmas after all and delicious indulgence is allowed, right?

Wrong! For the past (I can’t even count) several years, I usually emerge from this two week break assuring myself that fat is fab…oh please. Slim is in and we all know it (say the truth now…) and always, the result of my two week over indulgence is massive hips and thighs with well-rounded cheeks and butt. Yep…my body cares not whether it’s that time of the year when I’m allowed to indulge; the darn thing just goes ahead and packs on as many calories as I put into it and it’s never funny when I start the work to work it out.

So, for this year like all the past years (hey…I’m serious this time around), I’m taking my Christmas diet very seriously by using these tips to help me stay in control.

Drink lots of water:  Every day, I fill up on water before eating my meal. This ensures my stomach fills up more on less food.

A maximum of one tiny calorie-filled treat per day: No multiple treats for me so now, I wait until I see something I just have to have before I treat myself. And you know the funny thing? Some days go by and I don’t indulge because I don’t want to waste my ‘permit’ eating one thing only to see something better down the road. Ridiculous right? But it works.

Get far away from the food: At events, I stand as far from the food as I can manage. Also, I never rush to the buffet table, hoping that most fun items would be gone by the time I get there – and they usually are. Slimmer pickings make me eat less.

Hand out leftovers: When I entertain, I happily pack left overs for friends and family to take home. Not having them in the house is a good way to avoid eating them all.

Thin shopping: Very few calorie-filled treats make it onto my personal shopping list. If I don’t see them, I can do without but once they’re there in the house with me, its ‘hello sweets’ 24/7 and I don’t want that.

Keep a busy mouth: Chewing gum can be very effective in keeping the mouth busy. But of course, maintain decorum while chewing…like I do (I am Miss Manners *smile*)

Dance, dance, dance: At parties, I spend more time on the dance floor than on the sides talking with people. Why? I don’t nibble as much when I’m dancing. Plus, it’s so much fun.

Keep striving: I’ve promised myself that I won’t give up no matter how many times I fail my daily diet plan (of which I’ve done once today already). I’ll just keep working at sticking to the plan; partly failing the plan is still better that totally failing it.

Enjoy myself: Lastly, this is the season of fun so like I’ve always done, I won’t fail to enjoy myself, laugh a lot and just be thankful for this time of the year. Besides, fun is a sure fire way of keeping my mind, and hands, out of the refrigerator.

Happy eating, folks!