DIETING DILEMMAS
How to party without piling on the pounds this Christmas
The temptations of party season can be tricky for slimmers to negotiate. Try following this cheat sheet and, if all goes well, come Christmas Day you’ll be raising a toast to your success on the scales...
Party predicament one
A friend’s dinner party
Be upfront and tell your host you’re trying to lose weight.
When your friend knows how important it is to you, they’ll want to help and will more than likely do their best to cater for you when planning the menu.
If you can, offer to serve yourself and fill your plate with the veg or salad first – and pass any dishes you’d rather sidestep back down to the other end of the table.
You could even offer to bring a dish, like a Slimming World-friendly pud!
Party predicament two
A celebration buffet
Filling up on healthy homecooked food before you go out can be a winning strategy here.
A bowl of home-made soup or a veg-packed omelette will help you to avoid turning up hungry, setting you up for a stay-on-track evening.
When you do get to the buffet table later, choose lean cold meats, smoked salmon, plain prawns, hardboiled eggs, veg-based dips and vegetable sticks, and plain baked potatoes – along with lots of dressing-free salad. Party predicament three
The office night out
If your work parties tend to be boozy affairs, go in armed with a pace-yourself plan.
Slimming World research shows that many of us have a personal “tipping point” with alcohol.
When we drink past that point, we usually go on to eat more than we intended – of the kind of food we’d usually avoid! On average, we’ll consume 6,300 extra calories over the next 24 hours.
Alternate diet soft drinks with alcoholic tipples, or dilute wine with soda water and ice.
And watch out for fruit punch or mulled wine. They’re often not the best options – even if they do contain fruit!
Party predicament four
The morning after
If you did overindulge the night before, don’t panic.
Rather than lying on the sofa, cringing, taking a gentle stroll in the fresh air might clear your head a little and help you feel more positive about starting a new weight loss day.
And when you get back, a Slimming World friendly cooked brekkie is sure to hit the spot.
A plate of eggs and lean bacon rashers (all visible fat removed) fried in low-calorie cooking spray, with grilled mushrooms and tomatoes, and baked beans will have you feeling better in no time.
It’s the best way to get back on plan – and your slimming journey back on track.