Can’t quite believe it but Christmas is only a few weeks away! And now I start hearing questions from clients and people in the gym, wondering if they should be giving up the booze and chocolates/

My answer? Eat and enjoy yourself. Yes, that’s right 🙂 Eating is not something we should be scared of whatever our weight, size or shape.

There’s just one “rule” – every time you eat, make it a conscious choice and see that you aren’t eating out of habit or just because the food is there.

There’s research showing that when there is food available we eat more (that would have been a fun study to be part of), and we’re not conscious of when we eat. So here’s a few tricks to making eating a decision, not a reflex.

1. Eat from a smaller plate, with smaller implements.
2. Put food away, don’t have it easily available. So keep it in airtight jars, put the biscuit tin away and keep the Pringles in their tin.
3. Don’t combine eating with anything else. We eat significantly more when we’re distracted by the TV or our phones. So make the act of eating something you do in isolation. You’ll instinctively eat less
4. Eat slowly. Cut your food, chew it properly, chat to your family 🙂 Satiety hormones start sending messages to your brain after 15-20 minutes. Little by little increase the time you spend eating your meal from 5 to 15 minutes, not only you will feel nicely full after that and it will be easier not to have seconds, but also there won’t be any stuffing or shovelling during the meal 🙂

And finally, don’t feel guilty! This is the time of year we want to indulge, and you know what? Indulge. This is the time of year for friends, family and a glass or two of wine. Keep active, try to hit the gym a few hours before a big night out (I’ll explain this one later) and enjoy yourself.

PS. If you’re looking to get into shape for the party season get in touch 😉