I’ve been going really well on my diet and have managed to lose three kilograms. I’m worried I’ll put it on again over Christmas. I really want to participate in the day and enjoy Christmas lunch with the rest of the family, but don’t want to gain any of the weight I’ve worked so hard to lose. Jacqui, Cronulla
It can be difficult to lose weight over Christmas as we seem to always be eating, but with a little bit more awareness you can have your Christmas cake and eat it too!
Being aware of what you’re eating is the most important thing. With a few tweaks and small compromises, you should be able to save a considerable amount of kilojoules.
With so many rich, tempting foods on offer at this time of year, it’s more realistic to pay attention to kilojoules rather than focusing on a specific diet like low fat, low GI, high fibre etc.
(In saying that, wherever you get a chance you should select low GI carbohydrates, like small new potatoes and grain bread, and reduced fat dairy foods.)
There are some simple tricks that can save you a fortune in kilojoules; try removing the skin from the turkey, serving a prawn cocktail with the sauce on the side, and adding sparkling water to white wine to create a lighter spritzer.
Keep an eye on your portion sizes, too. Simply eating the same thing, but less of it, means you don’t have to deny yourself anything.
There are some things, though, which may prove best to skip altogether.
A small slice of white Christmas cake will clock up a hefty 1950kj, whereas a Swiss white chocolate ball is a heavenly treat which costs only 282kj.
The majority of weight diets are calculated on an energy consumption between 5750 and 6500kj, so small compromises like this can make you a saving of almost two thirds of your daily intake in one meal alone.
Merry Christmas!
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