Christmas may still seem like a million miles away for many of us but it's never too early to start thinking about getting gorgeous in time for all those Xmas bashes. Over the next 8 weeks Female First will guide you through the essential steps to make sure you shine with festive fabulous-ness just in time for the party season.
Week one: Diet – Trim Down and Avoid Being a Festive Fatty
If you want to make room for all those Christmas pudding pounds without entering the New Year as a festive fatty then you need to start revving up that metabolism as soon as possible. Follow our simple advice to make a few small changes to you daily diet and get rid of those lumps and love handles.
Drink Plenty( and we don't mean more vodka): Drinking lots of water and low-calorie drinks throughout the day is an effortless way of shedding a few pounds quickly. A lot of people confuse hunger with being thirsty so by having a big bottle of water on your desk at work or carrying a sports flask with sugar free juice around while you do your Christmas shopping you will soon notice you feel less tempted to snack. You may also lose a few inches with all those extra dashes to the loo.
Ask -Are You Really Hungry?: Eating is just a habit or a way of relieving boredom for lots of us so it's easily combated by a little mind over matter thought programming. Before you raid the fridge in search of something to nibble on take the time to sit down and consider if your really are hungry or just bored. It's always a good idea to stop yourself grabbing a snack while you do another activity. Perhaps go and paint your nails or go for a jog- if your one of these sporty types- and then re-consider your hunger levels afterwards.
Sensible Stocking:Make sure you've always got plenty off sensible healthy food filling your cupboards so there's no excuse for a fatty convenience food binge. Having things like oat cakes and nuts and raisins to hand is a great way to stop you delving into the biscuit tin to curb your snacking urge. It's also a good idea to throw out any naughty treats you've hoarded away. If you have to brave the cold to go down to the corner shop for a bar a chocolate your far less likely to crave it as much.
Give Yourself Break: Diets work best if you don't feel like you are suffering. Having a break from being good at weekends will stop you feeling miserable and boost your morale. That doesn't mean going crazy and eating enough junk on a Saturday night to keep you full all week. But treating yourself to as takeaway on a cosy night in or a cake and a coffee while you're shopping will not do as much harm as you may think.
Be Fussy About Your Booze: We'd all love to think we could give up drinking alcohol completely between now and Christmas but the reality is your girly night out isn't quite the same without a glass (or 5) of wine. You just need to be careful about what you order at the bar. Clear spirits are usually the lowest calorie option. Vodka or Gin with virtually calorie free diet coke or slimline tonic are much better for the waistline than a large glass of Chardonnay or a pint of lager. If wine is your weakness champagne is the lowest calorie choice- perfect excuse for a bit of bubbly.
Eat Early: We've heard it all before- eating breakfast is essential- but it really is important if you want to shed a few pounds. Just having a piece of wholemeal toast or a banana is enough to kick start your metabolism in the morning and make sure your body is burning away nasty fat all day. Also think about you eat for the rest of the day. Try and have your carbs at lunch- so have a sandwich or a jacket potato. That way by dinner time you won't feel hungry if you miss out the carbs and have a nice healthy meal of grilled chicken and veg or even a healthy salad.
Come Out of the Diet Closet: Tell everyone your on a diet. Nothing works better than the shame factor. You won't want your work mates thinking you have no will power when they see you munching on a cream cake at lunch time so by telling them you will be extra determined to stick to your good ways so you can wow the socks of them all at the office party.
Keep an eye on Female First for some heavenly tasting but angelically healthy recipes for you to enjoy throughout the week. For a free tailored diet and set meal plan check out Female First Diets
Caz Moss- Female First
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