When you think of Christmas, there’s a pretty good chance that one of the first things that’ll come into your head is food - lots of it. Pigs in blankets, Christmas dinners, huge desserts, plenty of booze. Whether you like it or not, the Festive period is synonymous with weight gain.
But does that need to be the case?
As your friendly neighbourhood Personal Trainer, I’m bringing good news. The answer is no, it doesn’t have to be like that. You don’t have to gain 10lbs over Christmas if you know what you’re doing. It’s a bit like a holiday - you only gain weight if you let yourself do so!
With a little bit of pre-planning, the excess calories around Christmas time can be used to work for you, not against you.
Let me tell you how…
Essentially, food is fuel. Of course it’s more than that to us, it’s pleasurable, it’s sociable, it can be a comforter and a whole load of other things. Fundamentally though, it’s fuel. It provides our body with the energy to perform all of the essential tasks it needs to in order to keep you alive.
You can make use of this extra fuel by increasing your training - both the volume of it and the intensity. The extra food you’ll have on board is the perfect excuse to try a high volume training plan, or to add in an extra session to your week. Our Group Exercise Classes at AdMac Fitness are the perfect way to put those extra calories to use!
An increase in calories will allow you to work harder and recover quicker than normal, so you’ve got the green light to push harder in your workouts. Join our group exercise classes and we’ll make sure you work harder - bye bye, Christmas food guilt!
Whether you decide to put your extra calories to good use with hard cardio work, high volume strength work or a mixture of the above, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are consistent. Remember calories in/calories out. If you don’t use the extra energy, you’ll gain weight.
Avoiding Weight Gain When You Can’t Increase Exercise Volume
Not everyone will have the spare time to increase the amount of exercise they do over Christmas, so we have to have another strategy. Worry not - I’ve got two for you!
Generally speaking, at AdMac Fitness I teach two types of dieting, Counting Your Macros (Calorie Counting) and Intermittent Fasting (IF). Both are really effective and I’m going to show you how to use either one in the context of Christmas parties, so you’ll know what you need to do in order to enjoy yourself at parties without suffering unwanted weight gain.
The example…
You’ve got a Christmas party tomorrow evening. It’s a meal out, followed by drinks. You’ve already paid for it, so you don’t want to miss it. You know there’s going to be a lot of calories consumed, but you’ve done so well recently and don’t want to lose your progress now!
Here’s how to avoid the weight gain by using one of the two methods I teach…
Calorie Counting
This approach involves eating a specific number of calories to ensure steady weight gain. It’s more involved than other forms of dieting, but it’s very accurate and some people like the control element of it. It’s usually supported via apps such as My Fitness Pal.
Step 1: Plan ahead. The party is tomorrow evening, so you’ve got time on your hands. Prepare your meals ahead and do it like this. Aim to keep the vast bulk of your calories free for the evening. For example, if you’re allowed 1800, try to have a 300 calorie breakfast, a 400 calorie lunch and save the 1100 for the evening.
Step 2: Exercise - buy the extra calories. If you can, exercise the night before the party AND the day of the party. Aim for higher calorie-burning sessions such as cardio or HIIT workouts. Not only will you burn calories, you’ll elevate your metabolism for a few hours afterwards, meaning you’ll burn more calories post-workout.
Step 3: Choose wisely. The lowest calorie drinks tend to be clear sprits with a diet mixer. Think gin and slimline tonic, or vodka with a diet mixer. You can save literally hundreds of calories drinking these all night.
Step 4: Recover. Get back on plan the following day. Don’t fuel a hangover with KFC or McDonalds. Get up, move your body, eat healthy foods to replenish nutrients.
Intermittent Fasting
This approach involves going for extended periods without eating - usually between 16-18 hours, then you consume calories in a smaller ‘eating window’. Research shows lots of health benefits to fasting including reduced digestive stress, improved hormonal regulation and better appetite control.
Step 1: Plan your eating window. If you know the party starts at 7, make adjustments the day before so you know when you’ll be eating. Some people skip one meal and exercise, others skip two and only eat once per day. Whichever you do, plan your window in line with when you’ll be eating.
Step 2: Exercise. Just like the example before, make sure you raise your metabolism with exercise beforehand - ideally the night before the party and the day of the party. Just don’t go too crazy - fasted training is a lot harder than training when you’re fed!
Step 3: Choose your drinks wisely, as above!
Step 4: If you’re truly fasting, you won’t be ‘allowed’ to eat, so bear that in mind. If you really want to eat the day after the party, opt for very light foods if you can and make sure you drink a lot of fluids throughout the day.
Don’t Try to Fight Christmas
Unless you’ve got the willpower of a monk, you aren’t going to be able to ignore the tempting food and drink all throughout the Christmas period. Nor should you either - it’s a time to be enjoyed!
Just employ these strategies and you’ll be able to join in all of the festive fun and celebrations without gaining a load of weight you’ll struggle to shift afterwards. There’s no need to let all of your hard work go to waste for the sake of a few parties.
Need Some Fitness Help this Yuletide?
At AdMac Fitness we can provide you with an amazing training experience, helping you to go through Christmas without worrying about weight gain. Maybe you’ve always wanted to get fit, or perhaps you don't want to leave your fitness plans to be a New Year cliche.
Get in touch with us on 07921465108 or email at admacfitness@gmail.com. We’ll make this your fittest Christmas ever - you can even carry on with the food! We’ll show you how!