Avoid kilo creep

An unfortunate common side-effect of these cooler months is a desire to stay indoors with indulgent meals and treats. This reduced physical activity, plus high-energy comfort meals, can result in unplanned weight gain. Try our four simple steps to help avoid the dreaded kilo creep:

1 Base your meals on the healthy plate model – fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables, a quarter with low GI carbohydrate (eg, pasta, sweet potato or corn) and a quarter with lean protein (eg, steak, chicken or fish).

2 Watch your fluid choices – warming milky coffees contribute high amounts of kilojoules to your diet, but rarely fill you up. If you are looking for a warming drink, try having either a herbal or black tea or warm water with lemon.

3 Avoid cream and butter based sauces – these are high in fat and kilojoules. Opt for tomato-based sauces or, better yet, skip the sauce altogether and enjoy the natural flavours.

4 Set an exercise schedule – aim to do something active at least every second day and have an indoor plan for those extra cold days.