AVOID OVERINDULGING AT THE XMAS TABLE – AND WHAT TO DO IF IT HAPPENS

‘Tis the season… to let go?

According to studies, the average person consumes an extra 2000 kJ per day over the Festive Season. This causes a weight gain of 2 kg by New Year’s.

Added to that is the fact that many of us consume a whopping 25 000 kJ on Christmas Day – three times the daily guideline amount for women. That’s a lot of extra kilojoules you’re going to have to burn once you’ve come out of your food coma.

Avoid overindulging at the Xmas table:

Tip #1
Learn to listen to your body. Are you feeling “peckish” because you see something tempting, or are you really hungry?

Tip #2
Stop when you’re satisfied. Don’t continue eating just because the food is there. Either take your plate away, or move yourself away.

Tip #3
Eat slowly and savour every bite. Finish your plate, and tell yourself that if you are still hungry in 20 minutes, you can have a little more.

Tip #4
Beware of tempting festive buffets. Choose one or two non-creamy, non-pastry items. If you must stack your plate, make it mostly salads and veggie sticks, and go easy on the sauces and dips.

Tip #5
Beware the booze. Alcohol significantly reduces your ability to make good food choices. Worst of all – while your body is busy processing all the alcohol, it won’t metabolise any fat. And that’s bad news for your waistline.

If you overindulged:

Tip #1
Go for a walk. Not a jog or a run, as this could give you indigestion, but instead of flopping on the couch and reaching for more chocolates, slip into your takkies and take a brisk 15-minute walk round the block.

Tip #2
Don’t starve yourself to compensate for over-eating. Starving confuses your appetite rhythm and you may find yourself trapped in a vicious cycle of starving and binging.

Tip #3
Avoid antacids and acid reducing medication. You need all your gastric juices to break down the food in your stomach.

Tip #4
Don’t drink massive quantities of water. This could also dilute the gastric juices that are trying to do their job.

Tip #5
Drink some tea. Chamomile can relax your digestive tract, while peppermint can soothe an upset stomach.

Tip #6
Go to bed early. Your body has been working in overdrive trying to cope with all the food related stresses. So hit the sack early. Tomorrow is a new healthy eating day.

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