How to stay on track with the temptations of Christmas and make ‘less sugar’ a lifestyle choice for good!

Christmas holidays are wonderful! We get together with family and friends and spend some much needed time relaxing and recuperating from a busy year. We tend to think of Christmas as being only two days, but in reality the holiday season generally lasts two to three weeks; a long period of time when it’s full of temptations!

Unfortunately, by the time the holidays are over it’s not surprising that so​me of us find we have gained a bit of weight, which is confirmed by the fact that one of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions is… you guessed it… 'to lose weight'. Wouldn’t it be great to start the New Year feeling fit and fabulous, instead of heavy, lazy and filled with regret about all those bad decisions?

This year, why not challenge yourself? Instead of entering the Christmas holidays with the mindset that you can just lose all that excess weight in the New Year, why not stay on track and start the New Year feeling great; with a different New Year’s Resolution.  You can still enjoy the festive season, satisfy your cravings and stay on track, all at the same time.

Strategies to help you stay on track and outsmart those holiday temptations:

1. Nourishing your body with protein, fat, and carbohydrates. The most important thing is to keep your blood sugars stable and fuel your body with the right foods; this way you’re more likely to make better decisions because your blood sugar levels will be balanced. This will help prevent a ‘blood sugar rollercoaster’ and therefore reduce those sugar cravings. If you don’t eat consistently, blood sugar levels drop, which leads us to give in to temptations more easily.
   
   
2. Host your own party and create a delicious selection of healthy foods. Check out a few of the great websites we found, which have a wonderful selection of healthy recipes, such as Healthy Food, Eating Well and Heart Foundation.
   
   
3. Hate to say it, but alcohol is a killer. Not only is alcohol full of sugar, it contains no nutrition, is full of empty calories with seven calories per gram and can often enhance those food cravings.  Pre-mixers or RTDs are often worse because they are full of sugar to make them taste nice and sweet. Alcohol with the least calories and sugar tend to be dry wines and spirits. The body also metabolises alcohol before any food is digested – which is another reason why alcohol contributes to weight gain. Remember our tips from our earlier blog on reading packaging labels so you are aware of how much ‘hidden sugar’ you are putting in your body.
   
   
4. Portion control! Even though it’s summer Christmas food can be rich and heavy with a lot of meat and creamy desserts. Depriving yourself is not good either because it makes us more likely to relent and then binge. So it’s best to be selective and choose carefully. Instead of taking a bit of everything choose the foods first that will fill you up the most such as vegetables and salad with some protein lean meat or seafood. Then treat yourself to a small portion of something you fancy and this will help to satisfy your cravings.
   
   
5. Avoid temptation and don't keep bad temptations around the house. Ever heard the phrase ‘out of sight, out of mind?’ If you don’t have the treats at home, you can’t eat them! You can make your own healthy treats and get the kids involved in making them.
   
   
6. Plenty of exercise helps. Make the most of the holidays and keep up the exercise. It doesn’t have to be scheduled like you would during a normal working week, but while on holiday exercise can involve incidental exercises; walks along the beach, playing games with the kids, walk to get your morning coffee or newspaper, bike rides.  Don’t forget from the last blog that exercise can help reduce spikes in your blood sugar levels, improve energy levels and mood. So instead of sitting on the couch after a big meal with the family, you could all go for a walk or play an outdoor game, something that gets everyone involved.
   
   
7. Learn to Say No. It’s difficult! Especially if you feel you’re offending someone but you can do it nicely. Learn how to say “I’ll pass, thanks” or “I’m full at the moment, maybe later” or perhaps “Can I take a piece home with me?”  Just because you are offered something doesn’t mean you have to eat it.
   
   
8. Believe in yourself. Begin the festive season with a positive attitude and start thinking, “This year will be different because I have the information I need to be successful!” If you think, “I don’t think I can say no!” then you probably won’t have the willpower. Stay strong and ​believe in yourself – you’re worth it!

Thank you for joining us on our journey to better understand sugar, its addictive nature and the impact it can have on us and how we help to manage this impact.

We’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences on reducing sugar from your diet. Let us know what recommendations have helped you along the way. We would also love to hear any of your hot tips as well. Feel free to share with the Good Health community on Facebook.

Whether you’re continuing your ‘less sugar’ journey, or just starting out, we wish you all the best! Please drop back in and tell us how it went when you’re done.

Good luck, especially for the festive season - it’s definitely worth the effort!