The Christmas party food plan
The Christmas party season is upon us and despite wanting to look fabulous for the festivities, you've decided to put your diet on hold. After all, who could actually lose weight in the run up to Christmas?
Over the next four weeks, we're going to help you get gorgeous. Don't panic, we won't make you eat beans and drink nettle tea all day. This is about getting smart with what you already eat. You can still have mince pies, wine and chocolate - just slightly healthier versions. So, pick out your Christmas party dress and throw away those big pants. It's time to sparkle like a Christmas fairy...
The rules
Most portion sizes in the diet are given. Some are more general - a handful here and a portion there. These are mostly used for fruit and veg where portion size isn't very important. A fruit portion would be a medium-sized piece of fruit such as an apple, pear or orange, a small banana, two small fruits such as plums or mandarins, a big slice of melon, half a mango, a teacup full of berries, cherries or grapes, or a small tin of fruit such as Frutini.
You should add enough vegetables to fill you up - for example, half a pepper plus half an onion plus five florets of broccoli. Veggies are filling, have next to no calories and are good for you - so eat lots. Salads and green veggies are free - the more the merrier.
It's fine to have tea and coffee (with skimmed milk and sweeteners if you want) on this plan but stop at four or five per day. Limit diet fizzy drinks to an absolute max of two cans or 500ml per day and try to cut these out completely if possible. With water, on the other hand, more is best - drink one to two litres per day, every day.
How to make smart choices when...
Restaurant portions are often huge and the options are frequently unhealthy, so it's down to you to make choices that will keep you on the straight and narrow.
- Portion size
Just because you're in a restaurant doesn't mean you have to eat everything on the menu or everything you're given. Remember the portion sizes on this plan and eat just until you're satisfied. Why not get a starter and then share a main course? Or order two starters if the restaurant serves huge portions. - Healthy choices
You know that a salad with dressing on the side is healthier than a plate of chips, so be strong and make that choice. Go for lean protein (chicken or fish over lamb, for example), healthy cooking methods (grilled instead of fried, stir-fried instead of deep-fried) and beware of ingredients with incredible calories - creamy sauces like korma or carbonara can happily be replaced with Tandoori dishes and tomato-based sauces. - Don't go out hungry
Have a snack (fruit, yoghurt and so on) before going out so you're not starving and tempted to eat anything and everything.
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