Coping with Christmas - The Slimmer's Survival Guide

Are you dreading the impact Christmas could have on your weight loss? Are you afraid that you'll slip into old habits, or that you'll use the festive season as an excuse to indulge?

Many people find the Christmas season challenging, but there are things you can do to make the season easier for yourself. Read on to learn more.

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• Have breakfast
• Avoid nibbling
• Cook wisely
• Go easy on the alcohol
• It's okay to say "no"
• Enjoy a treat
• Get moving
• Get back on track

Have breakfast

In the excitement of opening gifts, it's easy to forget about breakfast. Some people intentionally skip breakfast altogether so that they can fit more in during the lunchtime feast.

This year, take a different approach. Have a delicious, healthy breakfast to fill you up and help you avoid snacking throughout the morning. Make breakfast a part of your Christmas traditions, and spoil yourself with a lovely low-fat omelette, a fresh fruit salad, low-fat muffins or smoked salmon and light cream cheese on rye bread.

Avoid nibbling

Nibbles and hors d'oeuvres can quickly add calories and fat to an otherwise healthy meal. If you are dining at home, make sure that any nibbles you serve are low-calorie and low-fat. Try some low-fat dips with vegetable crudités, or bowls of raw nuts and dried fruits.

If you are dining at someone else's house, take along a plate of low-fat nibbles to share.

Cook wisely

If you're the cook this Christmas, you're in an excellent position to make sure that the meal is low in calories and healthy too. If you need inspiration for a healthy feast, check out the link to our Christmas menu suggestion at the end of this article or explore some of the other delicious seasonal recipes on CalorieKing.com.au. 

Here are some tips for keeping your Christmas cooking lean:

• If you're worried about nibbling while you're cooking, cut up some carrot sticks for yourself before you begin. Reach for a carrot stick instead of tasting foods or snacking while you're cooking.
• Serve seafood. It's delicious, low in fat and offers a great alternative for the Australian summer, particularly if you choose to barbecue your food.
• Remove the skin from turkey or chicken before serving, as over one-third of the fat is in the skin.
• Use a non-stick cooking spray to grease the pan when cooking or baking, instead of oil or butter.
• Instead of using the fatty drippings for basting, try using fat-free ingredients such as wine or stock.
• Skim off the fat from meat drippings before making gravy.
• Use equal amounts of apple puree or prune puree to replace oil in cakes.
• Use equal amounts of natural yoghurt to replace sour cream.
• Season vegetables with lemon juice or herbs and spices. They'll taste just as delicious as heavy cream-based sauces.
• If making cream soups or white sauces, use skim milk or skim evaporated milk instead of full cream milk or cream.
• Use salad dressings sparingly. You could try a commercial 'No Oil' variety instead.
• Cranberry sauce, apple sauce, and chutney are great low-fat alternatives to gravy.

If you're not the cook, it's harder to remain in control of the amount of fat used in the cooking. Instead try asking for extra vegetables and a smaller serve of meat. Skip the gravy and have a spoonful of cranberry sauce, apple sauce or chutney instead for a flavour boost.