Winter Doesn’t Have To Stuff Up Your Diet: How To Stick To It When All You Want Is Comfort Food

‘Tis the season for chocolate, mince pies and copious amounts of party food and turkey, right? It can be hard to stick to a particular diet when the normal routine gets thrown out of sync a little. So how can you make sure that you stick with your diet?

Having that dread after eating something is not a good thing. So don’t make yourself feel guilty at all. Balance is, of course, needed. But you can stop yourself from piling on the pounds over the upcoming festive period. Here are some top tips to help:

Don’t go to a party hungry

An environment with lots of food and alcohol choices is very tempting – so be on guard and have a high protein snack before you go. Peanut butter on a slice of wholemeal toast is a great choice – low in calories but full of protein to keep hunger at bay.

Don’t forget alcohol calories

Alcohol is loaded with calories – empty ones at that (no nutritional benefit). And since many holiday celebrations involve drinking, it’s easy to consume a lot of calories without being aware that you are. Drink a glass of water or a diet soda before and after each alcoholic drink to help pace yourself and dilute calories. It will fill you up more and stop you from feeling as thirsty too.

Exercise where you can

It’s hard to drag yourself out in the evening when it’s dark and cold, so try to get your exercise in during the day (and make the most of the weekends). Take a walk in the morning or at lunchtime – just 30 minutes a day at a moderate pace is enough to burn an extra 100 calories.

Comforting food doesn’t have to be calorific

Stews and soups are great warming meal choices when made with chicken and lean beef with plenty of fresh seasonal veggies. These have a high water content and are low in energy density, which means they provide plenty of volume to fill you up, but without the calorie tag.

Hope you have a happy and healthy Christmas!