Don’t be a festive fatty!
WARNING: This is a bit ranty at times; if you are bit sensitive I would probably give it a miss.
Throughout December we are constantly tempted to eat way too much and being permanently drunk is no longer socially unacceptable. With lots on our minds like Christmas presents, office parties and more chocolate than I can fit in my mouth, the last thing on our minds is keeping fit. Don’t be a festive fatty and follow these simple rules.
For anyone looking at losing a few pounds or even maintaining a weight over December, the odds are definitely stacked against you. It doesn’t need to be this way, and I’m going to show you how. In this blog/Christmas bashing rant, I will explain the pointlessness of stuffing your face for 1 month of the year.
It’s only another month
I’m fully aware that we get a few days off at the end of the month to celebrate whichever religious holiday you believe in/get pissed and eat lots, but this is not an excuse to start eating chocolate for breakfast from December the 1st. When would it normally be acceptable to get pissed 4 nights of the week, eat gingerbread men, and woke up with chocolate in my mouth every day at work? Imagine if I did that in August. I would be a hung-over mess at work with chocolaty ginger bread crumbs in the corner of my mouth. So why is it acceptable in December?
“Relax its Christmas”
This is the most used quote from the day after Halloween until the first day back in January. It seems you can get away with almost anything as long as you use this quote. If I ran over my neighbour’s cat as long as I said “relax, it’s Christmas” I would still be invited in for some baileys and homemade sausage rolls. Remember Christmas is over 2-3 days, not from the beginning on December. There is no excuse for stuffing your face for a month or more.
“I’ll start in January”
The “I’ll start in January” attitude is the equivalent of the “I’ll get back on the diet on Monday” one. Calories and training still count at the weekends and throughout December. There isn’t some kind of magical metabolic pathway that prevents your body storing fat based on the day of the week/month. All that ‘Christmas cheer’ isn’t going to burn all those calories.
Let me give you an example and see if this rings any bells. Start the ‘diet’ on Monday. You throw away all the ‘junk’ food; eat nothing but chicken and broccoli until around Thursday. By that point you have had enough, you try a cookie at work because it’s Barbara’s birthday, you taste the wonderful chocolaty goodness and fall off the wagon. Next thing you know you wake up on Sunday surrounded by empty KFC buckets and Wotsit dust around your mouth. A slight slip up resulted in a major binge. Sound familiar?
Instead of using a flexible approach to dieting and training, making changes where necessary, it is this all or nothing approach that has got you to this point (if this applies to you). By including foods you wouldn’t typically see in your ‘diet’ (within calories), you will prevent binges.
Don’t throw it all away
The chances are you have been on a diet over the summer to look good in your bikini/swim shorts (me included; the swim shorts not the bikini). You may have made some really good progress to getting your body weight under control and heading towards a healthy weight. There is no need to throw it all away in 1 month and spend the next 11 trying to lose it again. Remember how hard it was to lose a bit of weight? Well don’t forget that the next time you say “I’ll start again in January” on December the 2nd. If you don’t pile it all back on and more, you won’t need to go through the usual diet in January.
Take home
I know if I told you not to eat chocolate or sweets throughout December you will have a few words for me (and I’m sure it would start with an F). I’m not asking you to smash the gym and eat clean, I’m asking you to be sensible. Be flexible; eat foods you enjoy from time to time. Believe it or not the gym is still open throughout December; you could even have a few gym sessions. You don’t NEED to go mad, it will only come around to bite you in the arse later. There is an option to be somewhere in the middle. It doesn’t go from clean eating to chocolate coma on December the 1st.
I’ve banged on enough about christmas, I hope you get the point. Have a merry Christmas and a happy new year. If you are looking at starting your fat loss journey in the new year then be sure not to miss out on my FREE ONLINE PERSONAL TRAINING offer. Fill in this form to apply.
The brains, brawn and beauty of Dackattack (basically it’s just me). A personal trainer with a private gym in Norwich, dedicated to giving out simple, actionable advice that will give you outstanding results.
