Christmas Diet Tips - How to Eat, Drink and be Merry without the January Hangover

I once heard a doctor put forward his view that most people’s excess weight is gained over Christmas and/or holidays. It was at an annual National Obesity Forum conference. I wish I’d noted his name, but I was concentrating on listening to what he had to say.

Anyway, it’s an interesting view and it may have some relevance for many of us.

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Estimates of how much we over-indulge on Christmas Day generally come in at around the 6000 calorie mark. That’s 3500-4000 calories more than we need, and more than enough to add a pound of fat to the not-so-secret stash.

And Christmas day is only one day of the season - the mince pies, chocolates, party buffets and panettone start to build up well before the event, and linger for at least a week after.

It’s easy to see that a weight gain of anything from a few pounds to half a stone wouldn’t be difficult to achieve.    

So who cares about putting a few extra pounds on over Christmas? It’s only once a year.

Well, lots of people tell us they don’t really know how they gained weight – the weight ‘just crept up’. Maybe half a stone to a stone heavier in a couple of years.

The problem is, unless you go on a diet to lose the excess Christmas (or any other holiday) pounds, they’re not going to melt away like snowmen. They’ll be part of that year-on-year creep upwards.

I’m not advocating that anyone should attempt to calorie count over Christmas, or forbid any festive foods.

But a bit of smart damage limitation, that won’t spoil the festive feeling or fun, may make your self-talk a bit sweeter when you first step on the scales in January.

So here’s dietitian Juliette Kellow’s tips to help you enjoy Christmas food and drink without the new year hangover.

• 12 Ways to Make Christmas Dinner Lower Calorie and still Feel as Stuffed as the Turkey
• Christmas Drinks
• Festive Food
• Party Food