Avoiding the Festive Bulge

Today, a somewhat sensitive (and dreaded) but timely topic - what with all the parties and work shouts and fabulous treats floating around at this time of year it can be pretty hard to avoid piling on the kilos. I am terrible at this and usually start eating non-stop around the beginning of December and don't stop until every last morsel of festive food is consumed.

The last couple of years I've realised that this is what I do - somehow I overlooked this behaviour for a long time (funny how we can blind ourselves to these things!) - and while I certainly don't believe in avoiding the good stuff altogether, I now try to find a balance between enjoying the treats I want to and still being able to squeeze into my suit when I get back to work after the break.  ;-)

I wrote a bit about this stuff back in May but when you're being sociable and relaxing, thinking about moderation is the last thing on your mind, so I thought it might be a good time to dredge up some ideas on keeping things in balance.

So herein lie a few of my tricks - and please realise that the only reason I have 'tricks' is that really I'm lousy at eating healthily if I leave it to chance, so it's definitely not with judgement I offer these ideas to you. ;-) And I'd love to hear your ways of dealing with festive goodies too!

Sharing - it is the festive season, after all! If you get a box of choccies share them around - you might feel a bit begrudging at the time but you know when you scoff them yourself it's the first couple you enjoy the most anyway - so share the love. I am terrible at this, I will freely admit, but I am learning, and the gratitude from others when you offer them a piece of cake or a truffle is almost as good as eating it yourself. ;-)

A common ploy in my book is making deals with myself - for example, if I know that I've got a big three-course meal the next day I go really light on dinner and maybe forego dessert (dessert is pretty much essential for me, so that's not a sacrifice I take lightly!). Or maybe I can have dessert, but only if I work out for longer than usual or something. Trade the calories. Just thinking about this kind of stuff in advance helps me, too - makes it harder for me to pretend that six trips to the buffet really isn't all that harmful. ;-)

Though Christmas parties galore can make it hard to keep up your normal habits, don't skimp on exercise - the weather is glorious, the days are longer, and you're undoubtedly full of energy from all those candy canes so get out there. Or, if you're a gym rat like me, hide away in the dark corners of the cardio room where no-one can see you sweating off the Christmas pudding. ;-) 

Rationing treats is nigh on impossible for me - if I'm given a box of chocolates I just want to rip it open and shove as many in my mouth as I can - delightful, huh? But I try (and often fail - but you know the adage "do as I say, not as I do," right?) to eke them out for as long as I can - then you can enjoy them a little every day for much longer.

Of course, the best way of all is not to eat too much to begin with, but I think that's a pretty tall order and I like my way better. ;-) Having my cake and eating it too?

So how do you deal with the holidays? Do you embrace the gluttony and pay for it later or are you disciplined like I wish I was and just don't overdo it to begin with?

How to eat lots and not be the size of a house

I guess that title is a bit misleading - I'll explain why - but now that I have your attention... ;-)

People comment to me reasonably often (usually when I'm offering them cupcakes or other sugary treats, which I guess I do pretty frequently) on how I bake so much and not be overweight. Now, I've never been a waif, and I'm not now - and I'm no expert in these things (I think this stuff is all pretty straightforward), but these are my strategies.

1. Make sure it's worth it
I try to avoid calorific things if they're not worth the calories to me. Think of your calorie budget like you think of money - and save it for things that you really enjoy.

Like raspberry and white chocolate opera cake, for example.

I also find that if I trade say, Tip-Top ice-cream from the supermarket for homemade ice-cream with lots of real cream and egg yolks, or regular chocolate from the supermarket for fancy, richly flavoured truffles, I eat far less - so I tend to opt for the rich, self-limiting option.

Homemade brandy snap ice-cream - mmm!

2. If you want to eat unhealthy stuff, you have to do something to counteract it! 
I go to the gym - 4-5 times a week. That affords me a few extra desserts. ;-) But unfortunately it really is all about making sure the calories you eat don't exceed the calories you burn - so the gym extends my allowance, as it were.

 Yup, that's me. Doing a half marathon earns a lot of extra cupcakes. ;-)

3. Eat things from tiny bowls
Especially if you are a Mrs or Miss or Ms, and have a Mr, it can be really easy to eat a little too much every day - which can make a big difference over time. Studies have shown women tend to put on weight when they move in with menfolk - the sad truth is that men get to eat more, and it's very easy to think you can have just as much - especially when it's a tasty corn-chip casserole or potato bake.


My solution: I serve my dinner in tiny bowls. If it's not enough, that's fine; I'm allowed more. But actually, most of the time it is enough - but I know if I had given myself a big bowl full I still would have eaten it all!

 Yes, I know it looks ridiculous - but it's effective!

This logic also extends to making things in miniature - mini cupcakes, tiny squares of brownie, you get the idea. That's why the title of this post is misleading - I don't necessarily eat all that much. ;-)

All this is not to say that I always do it right, or that I'm as healthy as I should be - but I feel good, fit and healthy, and at the same time enjoy lots of tasty treats.

Beats eating bran cake...