Christmas Treats Survival Guide

Christmas Treats Survival Guide

With the abundance of treats over Christmas, it can be very easy to go overboard with sugar sabotaging any efforts to starve off extra pounds during Christmas. Now, I'm not playing bar humbug here and I want you to enjoy your Christmas without feeling deprived, so you have to eat SMARTER otherwise come a week or so, your zip could be stuck and your buttons tighter.

Quick fact: The average Briton eats 33 teaspoons of sugar a day (hidden sugars in foods and drinks as well as any added sugar), so you can only imagine come Christmas this could double, triple or even quadruple depending how carried away you get.

And don't forget sugar is not just sugar, but there are lots of different forms - look out for -glucose syrups, dextrose, maltrose and many more. Without realising it, there are hidden sugars in many varieties in lots of foods we eat.

Alas, the consequences, of popping in the sugar:
• Feeling Lethargic
• Lose concentration and focus
• Get colds more easily as your immune system suffers
• Accelarate the wrinkles and ageing process
• Have mood swings
• Increase cravings, sugar leads to more sugar and more..
• Gain weight quicker

Overdo the treats and the body goes into fat storage mode. Insulin a powerful hormone produced by the body to transport the sugar that you've ingested into the body's cells as it can't stay in your bloodstream. Insulin sends signals to tell the body to store the sugar converting it to fat.

So what does a Mama do, to avoid all of the above?? You want to enjoy good foods without feeling like you’re sacrificing, yet the waistline wants to stay inside the belt!

Follow these easy top 5 tips for a Mama who eats smart at Christmas to keep off the fat and unleash your fit Mama-iness.

1. Start the day well
A bowl of cornflakes contains 9 grams (2 teaspoons of sugar) and that’s before you’ve hit the muffins at 11am! You’ll raise your blood glucose quicker put your body on ‘high alert’ very early, leading to wanting more sugary things late morning. Best to go for a little protein such as eggs and complex carbohyrdrates such as seeded wholegrain bread and half grapefruit.
2. Don't fall for the trick: skipping meals
Missing a good meal because you’ve eaten too many sweets or chocolate makes it worse – you crave more and slow down your metabolism, making you put on weight easier (and losing it harder). Keep your apetite satiated with good quality foods every 4 hours.
3. Pop in one or two treats
Fact! no more than 10 percent of daily calories should come from sugary treats, That’s about 6 teaspoons of added sugar based on your calorie intake. Know when you are going to treat yourself (perhaps when you are going out for a meal) so that you don’t blow it. That way you don’t feel like you are depriving yourself yet you have something to look forward to.
4. Watch out: sugary drinks
Cokes, juices and sodas and fancy coffees all have sugar which is empty calories– avoid using up your allowances on these for something you’d rather have!
5. Argue with Mr. Saboteur
A little voice inside your head, known as Mr. Saboteur will say “Go on it’s Christmas, just one more (insert choice - choccie, slice of cake, portion of pud) won’t hurt”! Remind yourself: it will in January when you’ll feel bloated, ill and lacking in energy.

Most important thing is to eat traditional foods, have control and eat treats in moderation. Going overboard in the short term, leads to having to make more effort in the long term.

Combine that with quality exercises that you can do in a short amount of time and you'll starve off those extra pounds.

Remember the Fit Mamas Motto: Maximum results in minimum time.