This is how you celebrate Christmas – without gaining weight

On the one hand, we are encouraged to shop and feast every Christmas.
On the other hand, we should have a bad conscience because we gain weight – right?
No, at NordIQ Life our motto is to avoid bans.

We Swedes tend to eat more than usual during Christmas, so it is not so strange that a third of the population also gains weight during Christmas. But on the one hand, we are encouraged to both shop and indulge, on the other hand, we must have a bad conscience because we eat far too much. Or?
No, at NordIQ Life our standing motto and philosophy is to avoid bans. Because if you want to create a good, healthy lifestyle for yourself that you can live with in the long term, it doesn’t work to ban yourself from lots of things you enjoy.

Avoid gaining weight – for the sake of health

At the same time, you may need to avoid gaining weight or at least think about your weight for the sake of your health. You shouldn’t be charged for that either. And in such cases, there are smart tricks to keep the weight off and avoid starting the next year with an uphill battle. So, how do you celebrate Christmas – without gaining weight? Below we have listed 10 simple tricks.

Prioritize Christmas food you enjoy

1. Create a regular meal schedule
   Namely; try to eat as regularly as possible with breakfast, lunch, dinner and preferably a couple of small snacks. A good guideline is to try to tuck into something small every three hours to keep blood sugar levels steady. And that, in turn, reduces sweet cravings between goals and the risk of you losing control and eating more than you actually intended.
2. Plan your eating
   Do you think you should save the breakfast calories to be able to eat more at the Christmas table? Absolutely, as long as you don’t do it too often. According to nutrition doctor Stephan Rössner, studies show that a regular meal plan works best to avoid gaining weight.
3. Don’t eat just “to eat”
   Not even at the Christmas party. Focus on good food on the Christmas table, such as vegetables and good protein. Prioritize what you really enjoy – and don’t forget to enjoy yourself.
4. Settle for one portion
   If the goal is to avoid gaining weight, you can save a lot of energy with simple tricks. We have calculated the number of calories in a regular plate of Christmas food, which only contains 1,456 calories. If you skip portion two, you can therefore win quite a lot.
5. Don’t drink your calories
   Another smart move if you want to avoid gaining weight this Christmas is to limit your calorie intake to food and avoid Christmas must, beer and schnapps. Liquid calories are less satiating than solid ones, so if you replace soft drinks with, for example, water or diet products, you can significantly reduce your calorie intake.

Get rid of the Christmas food by working out

1. Firstly; Skip the car
   Did you forget to buy something? Don’t stress away with the car, instead take the opportunity to walk to the store if you can. In addition to burning calories when you walk, it is always good for your health to break a sedentary lifestyle. Goodbye lussebullar, gingerbread and mulled wine!
2. Take an extra walk
   If you increase your energy intake, the easiest way to avoid gaining weight is to compensate and also increase your energy expenditure by simply burning off all the extra calories. Do you have an hour to spare in the Christmas celebration? If not – create one! An hour of brisk walking burns over 200 calories.
3. Jog a round
   If it’s not slippery, of course jogging also works. Then you can burn roughly the same amount in half an hour as in an hour’s walk – alternatively jog lightly for an hour and burn a whopping 546 calories.
4. Get out on the ski trail
   Are you lucky enough to celebrate a white Christmas? Take the opportunity to go out on the ski trail. One hour of cross-country skiing at a medium-intensity level gives you a whopping 626 calories.
5. Take a break from the gym
   If the weather is bad, of course there is always the gym. In addition to a welcome break – you will probably be alone there – a light session with free weights in 45 minutes burns up to 200 calories. Hello meatballs!