Every year is the same story! Lunches and dinners at the end of the year are a real “tour de force” for our body. After months of gym or diets, the fear of bringing back those painful pounds haunts us.
For this reason, in order to avoid unpleasant surprises at the beginning of January, I’ll give you 20 good tips to make sure that the balance would results at the end more pleasant. That’s why “prevention is better than healing”.
- Rule number 1 is certainly to avoid forced fasts. Arriving at a lunch or dinner with a “hungry for wolves”, would lead you to gobble up for sure everything you will find. So, do not eat in order to be prepared for the binge is totally wrong!
- First of all, I recommend to limit the binges only to the real Celebrations’ days: on the 24th (Christmas Eve), 25th (Christmas Day), 31st December (New Year’s Eve) and 1st January (New Year’s Day). On other days please limit yourself to light meals where raw fruits and vegetables should not miss.
- Before starting a Christmas lunch, take a physical activity. There’s no necessary to go to the gym, just a walk of an hour is enough. Even better, of course, if it is done with a quick step.
- Hydrating yourself in a good way is essential. Consequently the more you drink the more you eliminate quickly. Toxins are eliminated and at the same time you are satisfied faster. Avoid sodas drinks.
- At least 1 hour before the Christmas dinner or lunch, eat an apple or a neutral yogurt to fill the stomach with low-calorie foods.
- It’s better to avoid appetizers with an aperitif. Because in general at the aperitif, the caloric bombs are not lacking. If you really cannot resist, give space instead to raw vegetables and white cheese instead of mayonnaise or other sauces. The dehydrated fruit is excellent because it is low in calories and however tasty.
- Prefer champagne or sparkling wine instead of alcohol drinks that are much richer in calories.
- You should not renounce to traditional dishes such as cotechino and zampone. The important thing is to limit the portions and if possible to serve in small plates. In this way our brain reacts by elaborating the sense of satiety first.
- Serve yourself only once; in order to avoid having eyes bigger than your stomach.
- Chew slowly, this allows our brains to record that our stomach is full. The stomach needs 20 minutes to inform the brain of the sense of satiety. This rule should always be applied because it also favorited the digestion. By chewing quickly, the stomach fills with air and you will have an unpleasant feeling of heaviness.
- Do not skip dessert. We can really afford it. Of course, it’s better always checking the quantity and avoid possibly desserts with lots of cream and mascarpone, maybe even a slice of panettone or pandoro, not stuffed. Even better, a fruit salad.
- Avoid eating nougat, crispy peanuts, pretzels and dried fruit (apricots, almonds and etc.) as an appetizer or as a end of the meal.
- Avoid normal and cane sugar and replace it with Stelvia as it is a natural sweetener and has no calories.
- Do not skip meals. After the Christmas lunch there is a tendency to skip the dinner! Mistake! You should always eat something light. If we skip a meal our body slows down the metabolism and then stores more. Give space to raw fruits and vegetables and in any case with few condiments.
- Instead of the “nap” take a nice walk outdoors for at least 40 minutes.
- If you can get pomegranates, drink a juice a day. Thanks to the presence of anthocyanins, tannins and antioxidants helps to control the lost and burn extra calories.
- Peanuts and dried fruit should not miss on these festive days. They must however to be consumed as snacks and not at the beginning or end of meals.
- The wine, sparkling wine or champagne should be drunk with moderation, maximum 1 glass per meal and 1 per toast. Avoid spirits drinks.
- During all the period please prefer Green Tea; rich in EGCG, a polyphenol which in addition of being an excellent antioxidant activates the metabolism by limiting weight’s gain.
- However, if you have still exaggerated, I propose this purifying (antibacterial) and deflating herbal tea: cut pieces of lemon’s peel (obviously organic), pieces of ginger, some bay leaves and boil it for a few minutes. Pour the drink into a cup and add a teaspoon of honey and a few drops of lemon. Drink it in the evening before going to sleep and in the morning on a fast.
