Four experts in nutrition and weight management share their strategies for not putting on weight at Christmas.
Christmas is, par excellence, a time for overeating, making the task of not putting on weight at Christmas almost impossible. Resisting the temptations at the table - where fried foods, excess sugar and refined flours, salt and chocolate reign - can be an arduous task. The bill is heavy: according to nutritionist Lillian Barros, "if we don't take any kind of care during this time of year, the Christmas weight gain is around three kilos". The good news is that keeping in line during the festive season doesn't necessarily mean giving up pleasurable treats or counting the calories in each sweet. Iara Rodrigues, a nutritionist, told Prevenir magazine that one of the main steps to avoid piling on the pounds at this time of year is to remember the true essence of Christmas: "Turn your attention away from food and focus on emotions, social contact and the transmission of affection".
7 strategies to avoid getting fat at Christmas
"If we don't take any care during this time of year, the Christmas weight gain is around three kilos"
1. Don't skip breakfast
"Skipping breakfast - a meal that should include carbohydrates and proteins and provide up to a quarter of your daily calories - can lead you to overeat in the evening and choose poor quality foods," explains Iara Rodrigues. What's more, "in situations of prolonged fasting, the body defends itself by storing all the calories ingested." So, if you don't want to put on weight at Christmas, as Lillian Barros stresses, "despite the excesses, you shouldn't change your eating routine. Doing so, choosing not to eat during the day in order to compensate at night, could lead you to lose control and eat a lot more at the end of the day."
2. Don't snack while cooking
"If you're preparing Christmas delicacies, avoid snacking while you're doing it," advises Teresa Branco, a weight management physiologist. "By doing so, you're unconsciously ingesting calories and you won't be hungry at dinner time, ending up eating more sweets for dessert." A good way to increase the feeling of satiety and not gain weight at Christmas is, according to Iara Rodrigues, to stay hydrated: "Drinking a liter and a half of water a day helps to control emotional hunger, especially between meals. Infusions and teas are a good alternative, as long as you don't add sugar." Another strategy is to brush your teeth: "It keeps your mouth fresh and tastes like toothpaste, which helps to eliminate the urge to eat," suggests Iara Rodrigues. Lillian Barros also advises that, throughout the day, "you should intersperse the consumption of less healthy foods with more balanced alternatives".
3. Start with soup
"On Christmas Eve, start your main meals with soup, reducing the need to overindulge in the following dishes," says Lillian Barros. According to Iara Rodrigues, "this dish allows you to 'line' your stomach, increasing the feeling of satiety."
4. Eat often and slowly
"It takes about 15 minutes for the brain to receive the body's message that it is satisfied. Try to eat slowly and chew your food well, because the more you break it down, the easier it will be for your body to digest and assimilate the nutrients," says Iara Rodrigues. To avoid sitting at the table very hungry and eating greedily, don't go more than three hours without eating, "eat several times a day", suggests Lillian Barros.
"If sweets are your thing, avoid eating starters. Only eat the sweets or dishes that really give you pleasure"
5. Cut down on alcoholic drinks
"As well as being harmful to your health, alcoholic drinks are very calorific if drunk in excess," says Iara Rodrigues. To avoid putting on weight at Christmas, Teresa Branco explains: "The calories provided by alcohol are almost unnoticeable and, as such, you won't be aware of how much you're putting on. What's more, some people tend to eat more when they drink alcohol, multiplying the calories they take in. Avoid drinks with alcohol and sugar, such as caipirinha, and always prefer red wine. In order to reduce your consumption of these drinks, especially on New Year's Eve, only drink them during the meal, in between with a glass of water."
6. Make up the sweets plate
"Put a small portion of each sweet you want to try on a dessert plate until it fits. If your goal is not to gain weight at Christmas, this is the maximum you should consume," says Lillian Barros. And make choices: "If sweets are your thing, avoid eating starters. Only eat the sweets or dishes that really give you pleasure," suggests nutritionist Patrícia Segadães.
7. Share the leftovers
You should "resume your lifestyle immediately after the festivities. A good way to do this is by reducing the amount of food you eat and offering your Christmas leftovers to family or the needy," recommends Iara Rodrigues. As for boxes of chocolates, Teresa Branco suggests: "Offer a few and keep one (dark chocolate) to eat one chocolat a day".
Sweets: the best options to avoid getting fat at Christmas
According to nutritionist Iara Rodrigues, these are some of the lower-calorie options.
- Rice pudding or vermicelli made with low-fat milk
- Jelly with fruit and low-fat condensed milk
- Fruit and fruit salad
- Sponge cake and other fat-free cakes
- Puddings with low-fat milk and egg
- Molotoff
- Apple pie (with little pastry at the base and lots of cooked apples)
The best exercises to burn calories at Christmas
If you don't want to put on weight for Christmas, keep active.
- Before the party " Exercise in the days before the party. That way, what you eat will be used to replenish your energy instead of accumulating it," advises nutritionist Iara Rodrigues.
- During the party "Help with the preparations: not only will you burn off some extra calories, but you'll avoid spending the day snacking," says nutritionist Patrícia Segadães."After the meal, suggest a family walk. Sitting at the table not only promotes a sedentary lifestyle, it also makes it harder to resist temptation," suggests Iara Rodrigues.
- After the party "Get back to training. The best exercises are those that make you burn more calories - like the treadmill, walking or running in the street, cycling, elliptical, rowing or step or aerobics classes. Train for at least 30 minutes a day," suggests Teresa Branco, a weight management physiologist.
The best way not to get fat at Christmas
- King cake or queen cake?
The bolo-rainha contains more nuts - rich in vitamin E (a powerful antioxidant), essential fatty acids and fibre, which minimize the rapid absorption of sugars - making it a good alternative to the bolo-rei, which, because it contains candied fruit, is much higher in sugar. - Rice pudding or vermicelli?
Both contain milk - making them high in protein and saturated fats - condensed milk, cinnamon, lemon zest and sugar. However, one has vermicelli noodles as its main ingredient and the other rice, both carbohydrates. They have around 230 calories per hundred grams and are very similar in nutritional terms. However, rice pudding has the added advantage of being gluten-free. The right dose is two serving spoons or one of each.
Just the right amount of sweets to avoid getting fat at Christmas
With the help of nutritionist Lillian Barros, find out how much you can eat of each sweet without it being reflected on the scale.
- Dreams "They contain refined flours and sugars, fats and are also fried, making this sweet an explosive mixture when it comes to overeating."
Ideal dose: Share a dream with someone else, thus halving your calorie intake - almost 400 per 100 grams, according to the Food Composition Table of the Dr. Ricardo Jorge National Health Institute. - Azevias "Its dough contains refined flour, fat and salt, is fried - the temperature of the oil will determine the final amount of fat - and is usually coated in refined sugar. The filling can be gila, chickpea or sweet potato. Although the best option depends on the amount of added sugar, sweet potato is high in fiber and naturally sweet - leading to a reduction in added sugar - and grain is high in protein and fiber."
Ideal dose: Half a sorrel. - Filhós "Like azevia, this sweet consists of refined flours, fat and salt, is fried - the temperature of the oil being the factor that determines the total fat of the filhós - and then passed through refined sugar. However, it has a disadvantage in that it doesn't contain the protein of the grain or the fiber of the sweet potato."
Ideal serving: One filhó to share. - Golden slices "These are fried sweets and should therefore be eaten in moderation. Their calorie content depends on the bread and milk - full-fat, semi-skimmed or skimmed - used. Some recipes also include condensed milk and sugar syrup, making them even more calorific."
Ideal serving: One golden slice to share. - Christmas log "It's a sweet covered in chocolate cream and filled with a large amount of white sugar, refined flours and sugar, making it one of the worst options after fried sweets."
Ideal dose: One slice, no thicker than a finger. - Egg lamprey "Not only does it contain a lot of eggs, but it is also rich in refined sugar. Although the egg yolk contains several important vitamins and minerals, the excessive dose of sugar - used to prepare the egg yolks, soft eggs, caramel and the jam itself - neutralizes its benefits."
Ideal dose: Half a slice the thickness of a finger and a half.
