Managing Your Weight at the Christmas Party

The Christmas party will be here before you know it. In fact, some work places are holding their Christmas parties this month! If you’re on a diet, you may be worried and thing your options are limited:

• Do you skip the party completely?
• Do you limit yourself completely while there?
• Do you have a big blow out?

You don’t have to do any of them. I’ve managed weight loss at a Christmas party. In fact, the year that I got to goal I’d had a Christmas party days before my weigh-in. How did I manage it? I used the following tips.

Alternate Your Alcoholic Drinks

Alcoholic drinks are full of empty, unnecessary calories. But they’re delicious, right? How can you say no when everyone else is drinking?

Well, there are a few options here. The year that I did it, I opted to drive. I had a couple of glasses of wine with my meal and then switched to non-alcoholic drinks for the rest of the night. This year I’ll be sticking to non-alcoholic drinks because of my pregnancy.

But there have been years that I’ve not driven. Instead, I’ve alternated my drinks. For each alcoholic drink, I’ve followed it with a non-alcoholic one. It means I drink fewer calories and I can still remember the whole night. The drinks tend to last longer.

Not only do I save on the waistline but I save on the cost, too. Non-alcoholic drinks tend to cost less.

People don’t have to know you’re not drinking with each drink. Opt for lemonade or other soft drinks that look like they could have spirits in if you’re really worried.

Listen to Your Stomach

We tend to feel the need to eat everything on the plate. That’s perfectly understandable, especially if you’ve paid for the meal. But are you really that hungry?

More often than not, Christmas meals are at least three courses. You may not even need to eat everything on the plate. I’ve had one meal before that was so large that I just couldn’t physically eat it all. I ended up leaving half the main and only had a few mouthfuls of the dessert and didn’t feel deprived at all.

It’s all about listening to your stomach. This is a great way of controlling your portion sizes. If anyone asks, just answer honestly that you are full. There will likely be someone who wants to finish it off for you!

Get the Menu Beforehand

With some meals, you can make a choice before you get there. When this is the case, get the menu before you go and look for the healthiest options. If you go with a meal planned out, you’re more likely to stick to it and avoid the stuff that is going to be bad for you.

Try to avoid the meals that come in cheese sauces, and there’s nothing wrong with asking for sauces and dressings on the side. Ring ahead to find out if this is possible.

Image from Amazon

If you’re on Weight Watchers, ring ahead and ask for the nutritional information. This will allow you to work out the points in the foods, so you have an idea on the weeklies that you’ve used.

Get Up Dancing

Don’t sit down and chat the whole night. The meal is a great time to talk to colleagues, but after that you want to get up and dance. Pull up your friends and burn off the calories you’ve eaten and drunk.

If you’re dancing, you’re not as likely to drink. Some hotels and venues have a ban on drinks on the dance floor.

Now’s the time to request your favourite songs and get up to dance the night away. This is why I got to goal. I just danced the whole time. My feet ached afterwards but it was so worth it in the long run. If you have aFitBit, why not wear one for the night to see just how many calories you’re burning?

The Christmas party doesn’t mean a weight gain. You can see a weight loss at the Christmas party, and even get to goal. I managed it!