Enjoy yourself – a few extra calories won’t tip the scales
IT MAY be a time of festive cheer but it also comes with a fair bit of wrist-slapping: my social media streams are overflowing with articles about the calorie-laden devastation caused to the body over Christmas and New Year.
The expectation is that we’ll emerge 2st heavier and see our cholesterol levels rocket. Fake news? Well, it’s true that all those nibbles and drinks – along with the main feast – do add up. But that alone isn’t reason to say no. And research shows that denying ourselves treats may not be the key to a healthier Christmas.
NO PRIZE FOR SELF-DENIAL
A RECENT survey of 500 volunteers with varied BMI levels showed that those who regularly restrained themselves from eating foods they deemed ‘bad’ were more likely to engage in binge-eating episodes.
Evidence from 25 different studies, involving more than 4,000 strict dieters over nine years, showed that those who opted for the most punishing regimes were 75 per cent more likely to be overweight that those who were more moderate, according to researchers at the University of Drexel in Philadelphia.
Another case in point: six years after the American weight-loss show The Biggest Loser – in which 16 obese individuals shed an average of 9st in 30 weeks – contestants were found to be 70 per cent heavier than they were at the end of the competition.
The reason behind doomed crash diets is much debated, but it is most likely due to a combination of genetic and psychological factors. One such factor, observed in various scientific studies, is the ‘sod-it’ phenomenon. Psychologists from the University of Washington found that when people refrain from behaviours that trigger the brain’s reward pathway – be it food, cigarettes or alcohol – breaking the restriction automatically results in over-indulgence. Participants justify the behaviour as ‘beyond their control’. Alternatively, ‘intuitive’ eaters – who eat based on hunger and fullness signals, rather than perceived nutritional values of food – are significantly less likely to be overweight or obese, according to a French study of more than 5,000 people.
In fact, focusing on the taste and experience of meals, and how food feels within the body, is more likely to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol and increase exercise levels over a period of two years, compared to those who regularly engage in weight-loss diets.
HAVE A LITTLE OF WHAT YOU FANCY...
OPTING for low-fat alternatives may not be wise either, as manufacturers often increase quantities of sugar in these options to compensate for lack of flavoursome fat. As for artificial sweeteners in sugar-free Christmas treats, Yale University studies suggest that the fake fix tricks the brain into expecting more calories, increasing cravings.
‘When we restrict ourselves, we ultimately eat more because humans are hedonistic and seek out what we want,’ says Duane Mellor, a dietician and nutrition lecturer at Coventry University. ‘By changing the focus from the food to enjoyment of the situation, evidence suggests we enjoy the taste and stop eating when we are full. The mind must be satisfied, as well as the body.’
And if that doesn’t help you tuck into the Christmas pudding, Mellor also advises that a few days of excessive consumption won’t affect your waistline. ‘The food will stay in your digestive tract and probably make you feel sleepy,’ he says. ‘One or two days is likely to cause very minimal weight gain – if any at all. Just don’t let Christmas drag on until Easter!’
My advice? Eat, drink and be merry – just as the dietician recommended.