Eating plan: lose 5kg by Christmas

Want to look your best over the festive season? Try our healthy eating plan and watch the kilos melt away

THE festive season is almost here, bringing with it braais, booze and bingeing – and of course you’ll want to be in the best shape possible when the party season arrives. That way you’ll look great in those family snaps – and you’ll give yourself a bit of a buffer when it comes to indulging in a few festive treats.

Rochez O’Grady and Sarah Gouws, both registered dieticians at Cape Town’s Munchwize Dieticians, have devised a special healthy eating plan for YOU readers who want to hit the year-end celebrations on a looking-hot high.

It’s a four-week plan for you to cut out and keep – and when you’re done with week 4, start again with week 1 to keep the results coming.

By sticking to this plan you could lose up to 1kg a week, which means you could be 5kg down by the time the festivities roll around.

Between half and 1kg a week is the healthiest rate of weight loss, O’Grady explains.

“This is fat and you’re not losing water or muscle mass – 500g equals one butter slab so it works out to be a lot of weight,” she says.

On that note though, O’Grady doesn’t recommend using the number on the scale as your only measure of success. “Remember, we lose weight at different rates,” she says. “Try to forget about the weight and focus on how you feel in your body. “Try to notice if you have more energy, if you’re sleeping better and if you feel more focused at work. These are the important measurements. Losing weight is just a bonus.”

Although this guide was devised by registered dieticians, it wasn’t designed to treat any food-related issues, nutrient deficiencies or allergies.

If you have any specific medical or nutritionally related conditions, O’Grady and Gouws recommend you have a oneon-one consultation with a registered dietitian.