Are you worried about weight gain over Christmas?

Are you worried about weight gain over Christmas? Are you one of the many people who get to January and wish they hadn't eaten as much? You are not alone.

Weight gain is very common over Christmas (or in fact any period when we are celebrating with lots of different parties) but it doesn't have to be a problem.

You have choices. Yes, choices. Not one choice, multiple ones:

• Option one: Avoid all the parties and stay at home.
• Option two: Go to the parties and not eat anything.
• Option three: Go to the parties and eat a small amount.
• Option four: Go to the parties and eat more than normal and accept it.
• Option five: Go to the parties, eat more than normal and feel really guilty

You might be able to think of more options but, five is a good start.

Let's unpack these a little further...

Unpacking the options 

Option one: Avoid all the parties and stay at home

Is this a good option? Probably not. You'll miss out on the fun (unless you actually don't want to go) and you might feel quite low and isolated. Stress and poor mental health can have a negative impact on our mental and physical health, so in trying to focus on our weight, we may end up less healthy.

Option two: Go to the parties and not eat anything

Deprivation isn't a great approach. You will probably spend all the time at the party feeling like you are missing out or you will be hungry and not having fun with those gnawing feelings. But, at least you are at the party.

Option three: Go to the parties and eat a small amount

This option could be a good one. It depends on how much you feel you are missing out. Being choosy about what you eat and not standing next to the buffet can be good approaches within this option. However, you do need to eat enough not to be hungry and actually enjoy the party.

Option four: Go to the parties and eat more than normal and accept it

You ate more than normal. You may gain weight, but accepting the situation for what it is and moving forward is a great approach. Yes, you could argue it would have been better not to eat more than normal but, sometimes, that's not possible because it wouldn't be polite not to eat, or you actually enjoyed the food that was there, or you even just ate more because you ate more! The key thing here is moving on and not feeling down about yourself.

Option five: Go to the parties, eat more than normal and feel really guilty

Ever felt guilty for eating too much? Ever felt like you had failed? Did guilt help you eat a healthy balanced diet? Rarely. And if it did, feeling guilty about eating can be a sign of disordered eating. Food should be about nourishment but food is also social and that's OK! So, you ate more than you normally would, for whatever reason. You don't need to go on a crash diet, you don't need to go on a cleanse. The best way forward here is to reset, plan and move forward with long-term, sustainable changes that allow for the ups and downs of life and allow you to enjoy life.

So if you have eaten more over Christmas than you wanted to, which option will you choose? You may feel that you need some professional help to reset but avoid the temptation to set new year's resolutions which are about fast weight loss and goals that raise the bar so high you can't achieve them. 

Have fun over the Christmas period, enjoy your food slowly and savour it.