Foodie Friday - 3 reasons to avoid snacking over Christmas

And did you know that we put on more weight over the month of December than over the rest of the year? We are offered an endless choice of sweet goodies that we only get to eat once a year and there is an atmosphere of fun, like a month long party.

For some of us we decide that we will make the most of this month and start to take action about weight loss in the New Year. For others we decide that at Christmas all rules around weight loss and maintenance don't apply and that we can eat all these treats because it is the festive season. Finally there are those who decide that they will be careful over Christmas but don't realise how much extra they have consumed.

Most parties offer lots of snacks and nibbles. There are plates and plates of little treats, each tempting and appetising. We often go to parties already hungry and one or two little snacks do not make a dint in our hunger. We are also chatting and having fun and this can distract us from correctly assessing how much we have eaten. And besides, who wants to be a 'party pooper'?

STOP! Before your eyes glaze over with anticipation at all those goodies, there are three very good reasons why we should avoid diving head first into the snacks and nibbles.

1. We have no 'off' switch for sugar (one particular sugar which is in everything contain any type of sugar) and because we have no 'off' switch we will continue to consume sweet yummy goodies until we realise that we might throw up.

2. Snacking and grazing for several hours at a party means that we don't feel full enough to stop so we continue to eat for most of the party, or entire day if we are with friends and family over the holidays. Most of these snacks contain high amounts of sugar and saturated fat, which is why we are attracted to them in the first place. When we stop eating them we may experience a 'low' as the sugar high drops off, and eating more sugar will cheer us up again so we head for the sweet stuff.

3. All that sugar and over-eating makes us feel tired and sluggish so in addition to regaining all of our victorious weight loss we now don't feel like exercising, or even moving very much. The couch becomes much more inviting that a walk outside. This lack of exercise leads to constipation, feeling low and this causes us to eat again.

The golden rules are:

• Have one treat from a plate and DO NOT go back for another
• Eat a healthy small meal before going to a party so that you aren't tempted to fill up on sugary snacks and fatty treats
• Go for a walk or do some form of exercise every day. Getting everyone out of the house for a walk lifts the mood of the whole group
• Savour and enjoy one small portion of each of your favourite Christmas foods because it is important that you don't feel deprived (there are good scientific reasons for this which I will discuss in another blog)
• HAVE FUN! There are lots of ways to have fun over Christmas that don't involve eating several kilos of sugar. Some of the old games are great for children such as 'hide the thimble', board games for older children and adults, doing a jigsaw puzzle, back yard/beach cricket and other ball games and many many more. If you get stuck there is always 'google' for even more ideas

Merry Christmas
Sarah