The party season is now getting into full swing with Christmas parties offering 3 course meals, the alcohol flowing, mince pies in abundance and the big Christmas dinner to contend with it’s no surprise that people put weight on over Christmas. Even if you do try to watch what you eat or ignore the temptations you may still find yourself putting on weight, with a lot of people not realising other things in their life have an effect on your weight, like not getting enough sleep, which over the festive season can happen quite frequently with everything that goes on, some studies have shown people who get less than seven hours’ sleep a night are more likely to put weight on than those who do. If you decide that you are going to be good this season by completely cutting out alcohol to lose weight, you might want to think again because studies have found that if you completely cut out alcohol you are more likely to put on more weight than when you have a single drink a couple of times a week, however over drinking does increase your chances of becoming obese by 46%.
If you are struggling to manage your weight there are options out there to give you a helping hand:

• Exercising – Even if you’re not overeating it recommended as part of a healthy life style to try and include exercise in your daily routine, 30 minutes of brisk walking a day can help keep a health heart, however you need to make sure just because you are exercising not to overeat more than normal as weight loss does require most things in moderation.

• Healthier Options – Look at what you eat, can you make it healthier? For example cut out frying foods and opt for grilling or steaming, if you taking the healthy option of a salad don’t go and ruin it by adding an dressing instead opt for it on the side so you don’t have to put too much on and also remember to try and avoid creamy and cheesy foods.

• Weight loss aides – On top of the tips above there are also treatments available to aide in weight loss if you fall under the category of obese, such as Xenical which blocks the absorption of fat and controls the intake into your system, it is recommended with all weight loss aides to also stick to a healthy diet and avoid fatty foods eat sensibly and as with any health lifestyle exercise.

mince pies

Picture courtsey of KaiChanVong