Want to avoid the January crash diet, read this now

If you’ve been putting on weight sneakily and gradually over the years, it is most likely to be the time between mid-November and early January that is responsible for the weight gain. People put on average up to 2lbs in the run up and over Christmas and New Year, which doesn’t seem like a lot given the excesses over that time (we pack 44% more social occasions into December than any other month of the year) but of course this adds up over the years.

Given the choice, who really doesn’t want to enjoy themselves at parties and celebrations. After all you’ll be missing out on all the fun if you don’t, right?

FOMO – shorthand for ‘fear of missing out’ – is the acute belief that everyone is having way more fun than you and it peaks any day now. But FOMO really is not your friend this month (or indeed any month) – especially if you want to maintain your weight over the holiday season.

Let’s take a look at how festive FOMO can pan out… Feeling committed to healthy eating, you go to a Christmas party or event. The festive food and treats look delicious, but you are watching your weight, so your deprived mouth can only water. But there’s a very subtle fear that you are never going to be able to have any of these delicious treats ever again. FOMO activates your survival instinct to consume everything and anything. And so you go on an eating frenzy, and your healthy eating plans are obliterated.

Override the programming

Here’s the thing you need to know about FOMO: We are programmed to over-value losses and under-value gains, so it’s really not your fault. We put more importance on the food we may be missing out on, and less on our goals and wellbeing.

The big question, of course, is what are you really missing out on? Let’s weigh it up. OK, maybe some sweet or high-carb treats, some booze filled evenings and such. But eating and drinking like this have a flipside: blood sugar imbalance and energy crashes, poor sleep, almost certainly weight gain (if you consume in excess) – and that’s without mentioning the negative self-talk for having over-indulged.

There’s another thing about this festive FOMO and it’s that it has you giving up responsibility for your actions around food and alcohol; you would have been able to resist, right, but it is the party season. Christmas becomes that get out of jail card or hall pass, when anything goes - buy now, pay later so to speak.

BE REALISTIC

There are several things going on when it comes to food. Your fear of ‘missing out’ on that delicious dessert is the first.

Secondly, refusing food is mired in social and emotional meaning both for you and for the host. The answer is not to find more and more creative ways to say no. If you have to own up to eating healthily around this time or being gluten or dairy free, this seems to compound the original offence of not wanting to eat.

Your action plan is this:

1.    DON’T TRY TO DIET JUST NOW  Set a maintenance goal instead. This is much more realistic and it is achievable, even at this time of year. It gives you the freedom to enjoy yourself without feeling deprived, or feeling that you’ve failed when you do succumb, which in turn means you’re less likely to rebel against overly ambitious intentions (and therefore not headi straight for the box of chocolates without a second thought).

2.    WATCH YOUR PORTION SIZES  - especially when it comes to fast-release carbs like white potatoes, pastry, breaded items, cakes, biscuits and other sweet things.

3.    DON’T GO TO A PARTY HUNGRY If you do, you will be fighting a losing battle. Have a healthy snack before you go – just a little something that includes protein and slow release carbs (cottage cheese or unsweetened nut butter on an oatcake, for example).

4.    KEEP FAMILY CHOCOLATE OR BISCUIT BOXES OUT OF SIGHT - so you’re not tempted to tuck in just because they’re there. Ever heard of the ‘see food and eat it’ diet?

WHAT ABOUT ALCOHOL?

How does the amount of socialising stack up against your health goals? To be clear, you absolutely can honour all your social commitments but in order not to find yourself tempted by the usual crash diet in January, hear this: it IS possible to go out, have fun, eat well and be ‘healthy’. You just have to choose it.

If you cut back on the amount you are drinking at social gatherings – even choosing not to drink at some events at all – you can feel the improvements almost immediately. On those nights that you don’t drink at all, you’ll sleep better, wake feeling more refreshed, you’ll have much more energy, and your mood will be better. The impact on your waistline will be positive, too – alcohol is a big contributor to belly fat and is brimming with unnecessary calories.

Alternatively, if you want to have a few glasses of wine, have a few glasses of wine. But make that decision based on what you know to be your social schedule over the entire Christmas period.

Here are a few suggestions for cutting down – if that’s what you choose to do.

·      Decide how much you are going to drink (maximum) before you go out.

·      Consider telling someone else who will be there (friend or partner, perhaps) to help keep you accountable.

·      Don’t feel pressurised by others. It’s your life and you are the one who makes the decisions.

·      Have an excuse ready when you want to give it a miss (remember ‘no, thanks, I’d rather have …’ is perfectly OK.)

I’ll be putting this to the test myself! Wishing you a very lovely, happy Christmas.

Hannah Wyborn

Weight Loss Coach
Naturopathic Wellness Practitioner

---