Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year! Xxx
Happy Christmas!
Categories: Baby & Me
Tag: Christmas
Don’t Panic – Plan It: Christmas Healthy Eating Tips That Are Easy To Follow
Categories: Weight Loss
There are a few things I’d like you to know before I dive into some top Christmas weight loss tips.
1) I love Christmas and it should be enjoyed to the fullest; this post is by no means trying to dampen your festive spirit, be a buzzkill, or a party pooper.
2) The following tips are healthy strategies you could adopt if you’d like to keep on track with your weight loss goals in the run up to Christmas.
3) I can’t promise you that you won’t gain any weight over Christmas, but these are tips I’ve put into practice over the last few years and they have made a huge difference.
Although Christmas is actually just one day, celebrating Christmas can become a month-long session of pubs, dinner dates, parties, buffets and lots more. Before I was ever aware of what and how often I was eating, the Christmas period was a time when I could easily gain a stone or more. (Quite the skill I know.) However, in recent years I’ve managed to maintain my weight or gain only a few pounds thanks to a few simple strategies. There is no reason why you can’t enjoy your Christmas pudding and keep on track with your health goals, too.
1) Lose, gain or stay the same?
This is a tip I gained from WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers). The idea is that you decide before all the festivities start if you’d be like to lose weight over Christmas, stay the same or if you’d be happy to accept a gain once the festivities are over. This can help with setting realistic goals and help you to be mindful of your food and exercise choices during December. I’ve personally never aimed to lose weight over this time, as for me that’s just not realistic. I range between wanting to stay the same or gain a few pounds; but no gain that would take me too long to shift come January.
2) Make a note of all the events you’ve got coming up
It can be a busy time of year with lots of social occasions full of alcohol and indulgent food. Think ahead to special events you have coming up; are there any events where you can be more mindful of what you eat and drink (while you still enjoy yourself of course); and others where you decide to ‘let your hair down’ and indulge on what’s on offer.
3) Be aware of how many boozy nights you have
Mulled wine, prosecco, festive ales – alcohol is everywhere at this time of year. I love a little drink, but it can increase your appetite and if you suffer with hangovers that last a day or more, then it can lead to more times when you’ll be more than likely overeat and/or not exercise. Try having a few nights where you keep your alcohol content low or at zero.
4) Relax, Christmas dinner is pretty healthy
Turkey, sprouts, potatoes… traditional Christmas dinner is actually pretty healthy, especially if you cook with healthy oils and maybe lay off the goose fat. Fill your plate up with all those Christmas veggies, lean meat, clementines and any other healthy Christmas treats you can find.
5) Embark on a festive walks
Want to catch up with friends and family, while keeping fit? Why not suggest a festive wintery walk!
6) Enjoy yourself!
Most importantly, just enjoy yourself. If you make a mini festive weight loss plan, then good luck and I hope you succeed, but if it doesn’t quite go to plan than don’t stress it. “Life is too short” and it’s more important to enjoy the holiday for what it is and what it means to you.
An active day out at RHS Garden Wisley
Half term just gone me, my daughter and our besties headed off to Wisley Gardens in Surrey. Over the years I’ve heard of it but I hadn’t really thought of it as a place for young children, which I’ve come to learn was very foolish. This gorgeous setting is a great place to take kids and if you’re a Fitbit fan like me, you will definitely earn yourself some steps exploring all that the gardens have to offer. If you’ve not been before and you’re interested in heading somewhere new this weekend over the festive period, here’s a bit about our day out at RHS Garden, Wisley.
The Gardens
You can’t help but be impressed with these grounds and this post probably won’t do it any justice. Just believe me when I say that it is simply stunning and extremely varied. For example, there’s a Glasshouse which is home to tropical plants and a waterfall; a whole garden filled with unusual wood carved seats and statues; a large dinosaur that my daughter was fascinated with; and a kids park.
Park and soft play
The park for little ones is huge and surrounded by picnic benches, which is where we enjoyed our lunch. There’s also an indoor soft play and throughout the year you can find plenty of events on just for children.
Special events
This half term there was pumpkin carving, storytelling, a puppet show and lots of other activities for children to get involved with; and I’ve just seen there’s lots on at RHS Wisley over Christmas too – including stories with Santa!
Food and drink
There are several cafes were you can pick up lunch, cakes, coffees and so on. There are also plenty of places dotted around to sit and enjoy your own food if you fancy taking a picnic with you. That does keep costs down and saves on queuing during busy lunch periods. That said, the coffee and cake I had was delicious!
See you soon Wisley!
www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley
Hello 2017!
Categories: Baby & Me, Weight Watchers
Wow, what a Christmas and New Year! I drank far too much, ate far too much and had a brilliant time doing so! For the first time ever, I actually exercised over the festive period and really enjoyed it.
Today it’s back to normality which includes a return to my Weight Watchers meeting and time to face the scales. Although I felt like I made some healthy choices over Christmas, I also made a lot of unhealthy ones and have genuinely been scared of the first weigh-in. To my surprise and delight, I managed to maintain! Woohoo! I’m so pleased and now feel motivated to get to goal.
I’m not far away from my pre-baby weight and I must drop a dress size to fit into a bridesmaid dress already purchased. So, let’s do this!
I’ve just planned my meals and activity for the week ahead and I hope to focus on being healthy and enjoy a few new gym classes and recipes this week. As always, throw your weight loss tips and plans my way and whether it was a loss, maintain or gain – did you enjoy your Christmas and have you stepped on the scales?!
Here’s to a happy and healthy 2017 xx
Great weightspectations
Categories: Weight Loss, Weight Watchers
With the big day just around the corner I’ve been having a rethink about my weight loss goals. All year I’ve wanted to be at my ‘goal weight’ for Christmas, but I forgot what December can be like when it comes to festive occasions dominated by copious amounts of food and drink. So should I keep aiming to reach my target by Christmas or cut myself some slack and postpone my ‘goal weight’ dreams until the New Year?
Option 1 – Lose weight and get to goal by Christmas
The positive side of me says forget about all the hoo-ha of Christmas piss ups and foodie feasts – enjoy the lot but keep aiming to lose what I can by Christmas – especially as I’m so close to my goal. However, I’m nervous that putting pressure on myself to reach my goal over such a busy foodie time of year will only leave me feeling disappointed if I don’t achieve it. Plus, when I set this goal originally it was on the basis of losing 1-2lbs a week. With a few unplanned blips, I would actually need to lose over 2lbs a week to reach my goal in time for Christmas. So, as much as I would love to reach my goal by December 25th, I feel as though I’m setting myself up to fail. Or am I being pessimistic?
Option 2 – Maintain my current weight until the New Year
I feel like maintaining my current weight is more of a realistic goal for this time of year. I would still aim to lose a few pounds, but having a ‘maintenance’ goal as my aim feels a lot more achievable and something that I would feel happy about once Christmas has passed. I could enjoy all the events I’ve got coming up but I’d try to not go overboard with food and drink like I have done in previous years.
Option 3 – Gain weight
I definitely don’t want to do this. I’ve been known to put on 7lbs+ just over Christmas week! So, I will continue to exercise, plan what I eat, fill up on healthy stuff and attempt to have treats in moderation… until Christmas Day itself that is!
P.S
The mince pies in the photo have been in my house for 3 days now, and I’ve not eaten them – winning!
31 Christmas weight loss tips
Categories: Weight Loss, Weight Watchers
Losing weight over Christmas can be really tricky, and while Christmas shouldn’t be just about food and drink – it does seem to dominate December. With that in mind, here’s a little round up of healthy Christmas weight loss tips I’ve picked up, read or heard over the years and I hope these can help you (and me) stay on track over the festive season.
- Christmas is just one day, don’t eat mince pies for the whole of December!
- If you’re hosting Christmas parties, stock up as near to your event as possible, rather than bulk ordering weeks in advance. This will hopefully prevent pre-event eating and having to re-stock. Unless you have a second freezer that you can stay well away from!
- Plan your meals and activity in advance – there are a lot of days over the festive period you can still be healthy on.
- Practice safe/non-binge drinking. Alternative between alcoholic and soft drinks if you can on a night out and batch cook some healthy meals for the days/hungover that follow.
- Often find yourself right next to the buffet? Move away after you’ve enjoyed your food and get involved with some festive games or dancing!
- Keep your weight loss goals close to mind – write them down and carry them around as a little reminder when you feel like you may be over indulging.
- Eat your greens and lean meat – roast dinner can be pretty healthy if you allow it to be.
- Experiment with new Christmassy recipes to impress friends and family.
- Plan a few active days over the holidays instead of planting yourself in a pub for hours on end – visit Christmas markets and enjoy some Winter walks.
- Feel Christmassy with some lighter treats – mini mini pies, low calorie hot chocolate, roasted chestnuts…
- Sign up to a charity run or event to keep yourself motivated during winter.
- And with that in mind, why not embrace some Winter sports – try indoor skiing, head to a dry slope or go sledging!
- Find yourself constantly grazing? Chew gum!
- Are you a prosecco fiend? Stock up on low calorie options. Or perhaps a skinny lager is more your thing?
- Bake your own, healthy mince pies! Here’s a healthy mince pie recipe to whet your appetite!
- Love a Baileys? Buy the super tiny, bottles so you can enjoy the taste without the abundance of calories (or SmartPoints).
- Replace festive snacking to an indulgence of another kind – enjoy Christmas themed scented candles, bubble bath and take a good soak!
- Fancy a Christmas movie? Thankfully popcorn is quite fashionable these days and there are loads of options on the market to choose from – buy multi-packs of the skinny variety to stay in control of how much you munch during your favourite Santa flick.
- Out and about and fancy a hot chocolate? Why not! Ask for a skinny hot chocolate or feel just as Christmassy with a Chai tea instead.
- Paint your nails… that may keep you off the mince pies for a little bit! (Can you tell I’m craving a mince pie?)
- Make more time for your spuds over Christmas, and put them in the oven for longer to roast, rather than depending on lots of cooking oil or goose fat to crisp them up.
- Transform you everyday porridge, deserts or hot drinks into something festive with a sprinkle of cinnamon – plus, this little spice is really good for you.
- Read my blog for inspiration or to at least feel you are not alone if you’re plans, don’t go to plan!
- To help balance out any extra food or drink you might have, squeeze in a little more activity before or after any festive occasions you have booked.
- Create your own healthy hamper to have around the house for when you fancy a snack. I’m a big fan of Bounce Balls, Naked bars, and protein shakes.
- Buy yourself an early Christmas present – some new workout clothes, walking gear, or a pedometer so that you feel more motivated to keep moving while its cold outside.
- Download a food diary app and track what you eat before munching, you can then make an informed decision as to whether its worth the calories or SmartPoints (if you follow Weight Watchers like I do).
- Serve up some warming one pot meals. They can be super healthy and packed with loads of veggies.
- Decide if you’re happy to lose weight, maintain weight or gain a little weight over Christmas – this may help you navigate certain situations with more control.
- If you have a foodie event coming up it can sometimes be tempting to skip meals beforehand – unfortunately that can lead binge eating and reaching for high sugary and fat options. Eat as you would usually and enjoy a little indulgence if that happens. It’s Christmas after all!
- Most importantly, relax! Whatever happens, enjoy your Christmas and if you’re weight goes in a direction you’re not too happy with, then there’s always January to get back on track!
I hope you found some of these tips useful and please share any advice you may have in the comments box below.
Happy holidays! xx
Photo: This is a pic from an Ocado magazine I received – it contains mouth-watering pages.