HomeFoodExerciseGoals & ResultsSuccess StoriesForumShop

Need to Lose Weight?

Enter your details to calculate your ideal weight range, and discover how soon you could reach it!

Height ft in
Weight st lb

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Christmas Weight Loss Tips

Dietitian Juliette Kellow kicks off with a series of top hints and tips to get you healthier and slimmer for the Christmas party season.

Christmas Challenge Weight Loss Tips: Week 4

Hope you're still going well on the WLR Christmas Challenge. By now you've probably really started to notice a difference in the way you look and how you feel.

With the weather getting colder and the nights drawing in, how do you stop the winter blues from getting the better of you and leaving you reaching for comfort food? This week, I've put together some top tips to help you stick to your healthy eating plan as the winter months approach.

1. Don't skip meals

OK, you've heard it a hundred times before, but you're less likely to crave comfort foods if your blood sugar levels are regularly topped up.

Skipping meals will send blood sugar levels crashing with the result that you'll soon be reaching for your favourite foods - and while you might love a nutritious plate of cottage pie, chances are you'll be too hungry to prepare and cook it, and instead fill up on a king-size bar of chocolate.

The key is to eat regularly (including breakfast) and to make sure each meal contains carbs that release sugar into the blood slowly and steadily. Good choices include wholegrain bread, brown rice, wholewheat pasta and oats.

2. Go for a walk at lunchtime

Believe it or not, a quick 15-minute walk during your lunch hour may actually help to control the urge to fill up on comfort food. That's because daylight triggers the brain to produce a mood-boosting chemical called serotonin, which promotes feelings of relaxation and happiness. Unfortunately, a lack of light - as is the case in the winter - lowers levels of serotonin with the result that depression, tiredness and an increased appetite are far more common.

While a sunny winter break is guaranteed to help, a quick trot around the shops at lunchtime is a more practical and affordable way to get some daylight and top up serotonin levels as a result! And of course, all that walking will help to burn calories and tone up leg muscles.

3. Pack in the protein

Eating plenty of foods rich in the amino acid tryptophan may help to curb cravings for comfort foods. This is because tryptophan (a building block for protein) is used to make serotonin.

Bottom line: the more tryptophan in our diets, the more serotonin we make, the happier we feel and the less likely we are to constantly feel hungry and crave comfort food.

Rich sources of tryptophan include red meat, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, cheese, nuts and seeds. But to avoid breaking the calorie bank, opt for lean meat, skinless chicken, reduced-fat cheeses and avoid frying.

4. Fill up on healthy carbs

Ever wondered why you crave carb-laden, stodgy food in the winter but are happy with a salad in the summer? Many experts believe that as well as giving blood sugar levels a temporary boost, filling up on carbohydrate-rich foods like biscuits, doughnuts, chocolate and piles of toast with butter and jam also boosts serotonin levels - and this can make us feel instantly happier, particularly in winter when levels of feel-good serotonin are at a low.

The way carbs help to boost serotonin is complicated, but ultimately, they trigger the release of the hormone insulin, which helps tryptophan enter the brain, where it's used to make serotonin.

The key is to swap sugary carbs for those that are higher in fibre and other nutrients, for example, swapping chocolate-coated cereal for porridge, white bread and jam for wholegrain toast and peanut butter, and white rice for brown rice.

5. Identify your favourite comfort foods

Recognising the foods you usually reach for when you need cheering up means you'll be able to plan ahead so that you can incorporate them into your daily diet plan.

Interestingly, a study carried out at the University of Illinois found that men and women tend to opt for different comfort foods. The researchers found that men were far more likely to find comfort in foods traditionally prepared by their mothers such as mashed potato, pasta, meat dishes and soup. In contrast, women were far more likely to go for foods that required little preparation such as chocolate and sweets. Nevertheless, the study found that ice cream is the favourite comfort food of both men and women. That's good news considering there are now plenty of low-fat varieties of ice cream available - and you can double the comfort factor by serving it with stewed apple or a sliced banana!

6. Don't deny yourself

Tying to avoid certain foods means you'll almost certainly end up over- indulging in them at some point. Instead, enjoy some of your favourite comfort foods from time to time - after all, many typical comfort foods aren't even 'unhealthy'!

Stews, soups, meat dishes and pasta dishes, for example, can form the basis of a healthy, balanced meal - and it's usually quite easy to adapt the ingredients or cook them in a different way to lower fat and calorie contents.

Take a look below at how some of your favourite comfort foods can be adapted:

Start a Free Trial Today

Take a 24 hour free trial and join the Challenge by posting news of your progress, advice and tips on the Christmas Challenge Message Board. Share in the fun, support and camaraderie of a WLR Challenge. Try it free for 24 hours.

Take our FREE trial »

Dee, 26 lost
8½ Stone with

Weight Loss Resources.co.uk

Dee's Photo

Dee was 18st 10lb, now 11st 4lb

It's a very strange adjustment when you first look in a mirror… and think "wow, I actually look good!"

Dee's Story

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Food Diaries and Logs

Food and Exercise Diary

Calculate your daily calorie allowance, record your food and exercise calories and log your weekly progress with the Food and Exercise Daily Diary

Yes… You need to lose weight

Your weight is substantially above your healthy weight range

You have a BMI of - a BMI of 20-25 is considered healthy.

You should lose  to be within the healthy weight range for your height. Losing would also be beneficial to your health and could make you look and feel better.

You could lose  in weeks with Weight Loss Resources.
Our free trial will show you how…

It takes just 2 minutes to input your details and could well be the breakthrough you've been waiting for!

Start Your Free Trial Today »
“(Weight Loss Resources) has truly been the best weight loss assistance I have ever had.”

Rachel (RunningRach) lost 7 stone with Weight Loss Resources

Yes… You need to lose weight

Your weight is significantly above your healthy weight range.

You have a BMI of - a BMI of 20-25 is considered healthy.

You should lose  to be within the healthy weight range for your height. Losing  would also be beneficial to your health and could make you look and feel better.

You could lose  in weeks with Weight Loss Resources.
Our free trial will show you how…

It takes just 2 minutes to input your details and could well be the breakthrough you've been waiting for!

Start Your Free Trial Today »
“(Weight Loss Resources) has truly been the best weight loss assistance I have ever had.”

Rachel (RunningRach) lost 7 stone with Weight Loss Resources

Yes… You need to lose weight

Your weight is above your healthy weight range.

You have a BMI of - a BMI of 20-25 is considered healthy.

You should lose  to be within the healthy weight range for your height. Losing would also be beneficial to your health and could make you look and feel better.

You could lose  in weeks with Weight Loss Resources.
Our free trial will show you how…

It takes just 2 minutes to input your details and could well be the breakthrough you've been waiting for!

Start Your Free Trial Today »
“(Weight Loss Resources) was just the resource I wanted!
I signed up for a free trial and bought a 6 month subscription the same day.”

Matt (BeerMatt) has lost 4st 10lb with Weight Loss Resources

Yes… You should lose weight

Your weight is above your healthy weight range.

You have a BMI of - a BMI of 20-25 is considered healthy.

Losing  would put you in the middle of the healthy weight range for your height. Losing would be beneficial to your health and could make you look and feel better.

You could lose  in weeks with Weight Loss Resources.
Our free trial will show you how…

It takes just 2 minutes to input your details and could well be the breakthrough you've been waiting for!

Start Your Free Trial Today »
“The free trial tempted me to try and I've hardly gone a day since without visiting the site!”

Simon (SpyBey) has lost 3 stone with Weight Loss Resources

Maybe… Just a little

Your weight is within your healthy weight range.

You have a BMI of - a BMI of 18.5-25 is categorised as healthy.

However, you could lose up to and remain within your healthy weight range. Losing could make you look and feel better.

You could lose in weeks with Weight Loss Resources.
Our free trial will show you how…

It takes just 2 minutes to input your details and could well be the breakthrough you've been waiting for!

Start Your Free Trial Today »
“I took the free trial and that was me, it was fantastic just what I had been looking for.”

Emma (Emsy1981) lost 1st 5lb with Weight Loss Resources

Maybe… maybe not!

Your weight is within your healthy weight range.

You have a BMI of - a BMI of 18.5-25 is categorised as healthy.

However, you could lose up to and remain within your healthy weight range. Losing could make you look and feel better.

You could lose in weeks with Weight Loss Resources.
Our free trial will show you how…

It takes just 2 minutes to input your details and could well be the breakthrough you've been waiting for!

Start Your Free Trial Today »
“Once I'd lost my first few pounds I felt fantastic, and my clothes started to fit with a little more ease.”

Emma (Emsy1981) lost 1st 5lb with Weight Loss Resources

No… You don't need to lose weight

Your weight is within your healthy weight range.

You have a BMI of - a BMI of 18.5-25 is categorised as healthy.

You should aim to maintain your current weight by eating a healthy, balanced diet.

You can see how healthy your diet is with Weight Loss Resources
Our free trial will show you how…

It takes just 2 minutes to input your details and could be a real eye-opener!

Start Your Free Trial Today »
“Fill in the food diary and analyse what you are putting into your mouth. You can learn a lot about healthy eating this way.”

Maria (EinsteinMC), Weight Loss Resources' member

No… You need to gain weight

Your weight is below your healthy weight range.

You have a BMI of - a BMI of less than 18.5 is categorized underweight.

You should not try to lose any weight, and putting on a few pounds may benefit your health.

You could use Weight Loss Resources to help you gain weight.
Our free trial will show you how…

It takes just 2 minutes to input your details and could be a real eye-opener!

Start Your Free Trial Today »
“Blimey, this site has helped put my life back on track… I looked at the weight range for my height and settled on the lowest that was healthy… put the goal as maintaining that weight and off I went!”

Suzi (Whiskas) gained 2½ stone with Weight Loss Resources