Are you already resigned to the fact that you are going to be one of the millions who gains weight over Christmas?  Have you decided that it’s all too much santagirltrouble to try to manage to ‘stick to your diet’ so you might as well not bother at all?

Or, are you one of the rarer people, who by the way do exist in greater numbers than the media might have you believe, that won’t gain anything?

You might be reading this having put yourself in the first category, but I can help you get into the second category with some real-life advice!

No, I do not suggest you skip Christmas Pud in favour of a fat free yoghurt!  And I do not suggest you hide in the corner at the parties you are attending, miserably slurping a glass of water.  I’ve (proudly) done this myself, and if you are in the middle of a massive fat loss mission then I would say stick with it – your goal is more important than that glass of wine.  When I was on a mega-mission it didn’t even bother me that I was sipping sparkling water with a splash of sugar free cranberry when others were on the Champagne, and it certainly didn’t bother me that I was on sugar-free jelly and cream when all others were drowning in sugar.  Because I was a woman on a mission!

However, you might just have a few pounds to lose that you can ‘put on hold’ for a month, and just want to focus on maintenance, and that is where being too strict over the festive season can actually be counter-productive!

If you are too strict and you go into a state of restriction and denial every single Christmas, just so you don’t gain weight, you can end up having a ‘re-bound’ in January!   It is actually far better to enjoy the season in a balanced and sensible way.  If every Christmas is the same story, then it is time to change tack.  When you have a massive goal, then go for it, but if you find that every year you are fighting with food, take a step back and focus on maintenance instead!

You don’t want to end up at either one of the extremes: gaining lots of weight or overly restricting so you end up rebound gaining in January.

The cycle of ‘restrict’ and ‘overdo it’ is so typical of the dangerous ‘all or nothing’ mentality so many of us are prone to (me included, but I have learned to manage it!).  We think that as we can’t be 100% then we might as well not bother, and that when we get to January and have a clear run with no obstacles to overcome we’ll be able to make up for our December excesses…

But, the reality is rarely that simple – things come up in January that mean we are, again, given obstacles to overcome.  And so the cycle continues, all year, year after year.

Far better, don’t you think, to manage December in a realistic ‘maintenance’ mindset?

I personally recommend that clients use a Compliance Chart (see the blog link below to download a copy of the one I use) so they can see how many meals hit their plan and how many don’t.  In a fat loss phase I need 90% compliance for results.  In a maintenance phase there is more leeway, but you would not want to just ignore it altogether and eat every meal ‘off plan’ as you will gain weight, but perhaps even more importantly, feel terrible!  No wonder there are so many arguments at a time when we should be harmonious and loving and kind – most people are in a sugar and fat induced haze!

So, the first step is to stick to the plan as far as you can, making sure that for the day to day meals and snacks, you eat as you would normally, and I would even suggest being a bit tighter than normal to help balance things out even more.

Then, look at the events you have lined up and plan to enjoy them!  You don’t need to go over-board and I would definitely recommend that you pick the indulgences you really love and go for those FIRST!   The more boring things that are available all year round are there anytime, so focus on the festive treats.  But equally, you don’t have to have a mince pie and a glass of mulled wine every night in December to enjoy Christmas – in fact if you reduce the occasions on which you have these things, you actually will enjoy them more!

Savour every single bite and sip of these indulgences!  We over-eat when we eat mindlessly, and we don’t actually enjoy food when we rush it, so we are just shoving down calories pointlessly.  I always used to eat really fast, but have purposely slowed it down and it has made a huge difference – I feel fuller sooner, eat less and enjoy more – a win-win situation if ever there was one!

DO NOT FEEL GUILTY!  If you feel you have over-done things, then balance it out a bit over the next few meals.  If you feel too full after a meal, remind yourself that it doesn’t make you feel good – learn from it, don’t beat yourself up about it.  Guilt and the ‘all or nothing’ mentality are a lethal combination – don’t let them win!  It’s not never falling, its getting up every time you fall that ensures victory, after all.

Keep up with your training, but also feel free to modify it.  Again, if you are too rigid you will shoot yourself in the foot – if the workout you usually do involves getting to the gym and you can’t, a rigid and all or nothing approach will mean you end up doing nothing.  Instead, focus on the opportunities.  I have made sure I get the room at my mum’s house with space for me to do yoga, and will be taking my yoga mat and favourite yoga DVD.  I’ll also be taking my TRX and skipping rope, but even without these you can do a great metabolism boosting bodyweight workout anywhere!  Even if you only spend 15 minutes a day on this, it will make a huge difference.

Try this circuit that requires nothing except your body (and some calories!):

20 bodyweight squats (10 faster and 10 super slow)

20 push ups (10 fast, 10 super slow) 15 split squats on each leg

15 dolphins (on forearms in a plank pose but feel a bit closer so your hips are higher than shoulders, draw shoulders forward and hips towards the ground and return to standing)

15 Burpees

Repeat that 2-5 times, after a mobility based warm up and follow with some stretches.  There are more workouts (updated regularly) here:  http://carolineradway.ning.com/forum/topics/daily-workouts

Another tactic that I have personally decided to employ over the next month, is that of calorie cycling.  This is a well-known and scientifically validated approach to eating that actually makes use of those higher calorie days for a metabolism boost!

There are various ways of doing this, but a basic plan involves eating between 25 & 50% of your maintenance calories on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (depending on your goal) and then eat normally the other days.  Most ‘naturally slim’ people who seem to stay thin effortlessly will employ this strategy without even realising it.  After a large meal they will often not be that hungry and not eat much the next day.

This strategy is especially useful at this time of year – I don’t want to worry about things too much on Christmas Day, and while I won’t pig out (following the strategies above), and I will certainly have fewer roast potatoes and more turkey and veg, I will eat more than I actually need to on that day!  I will exercise in the morning, go for a walk before and after dinner, but I still will likely end up in calorie surplus. It is actually good simply to acknowledge this – most people over-estimate calories out and way under-estimate calories in all year round, which is why weight gain tends to creep up on us.

So, instead of continuing to feast on Boxing day, I am going to have a ‘light’ day, sticking to fewer calories, cleaner foods and lots of water.  Then the next day we’ll be up at my fiancee’s house for Christmas Day ’round 2′ so I can again indulge a little, and will have another ‘light’ day the next day.  I won’t be sticking to the Mon-Wed-Fri approach, I will freestyle it to suit the events that are lined up.

This is not a binge / starve cycle or recommendation. You are meant to have maintenance calories on the higher calorie days and you are definitely encouraged to keep to healthy, unprocessed foods all the time, for wellbeing and health as well as preventing fat gain. But this really helps balance out those days where we do go over maintenance, and in fact, the occasional day of doing just that can actually boost your metabolism.

This plan prevents any kind of ‘starvation mode’ where you get to the point where you are so hungry you can eat anything in sight,  as you only have one lighter day before you can have a more satisfying day.  You will likely find that some of the things you promise yourself you will have on the higher days you are not so bothered about when you can actually have them, and many people find that their appetite naturally drops  even on the higher days, as they become accustomed to lighter eating.

So, in summary:

1. Plan your indulgences and ENJOY and SAVOUR every moment and mouthful! No guilt!

2. Consider using a Compliance Grid to encourage you to make the other meals ‘on plan’ and prevent yourself from just going all out on every meal: DITCH THE ALL OR NOTHING MENTALITY!

3. Exercise every day, don’t be rigid and do whatever you can do.  Walk lots and play with active games rather than sitting watching TV!

4. Consider ‘Calorie Cycling’, alternating your high calorie days with ‘light’ days where you cut calories to 25-50% of normal intake.

You can access more nutritional information, free bodyweight workouts and more by joining my member site: http://carolineradway.ning.com, and don’t forget to download your Compliance Grid:  http://www.kettlebellebody.com/2009/12/compliance_splurge/