’TIS the season to be gluttonous and a Tamworth dietitian has unveiled an action plan to help locals navigate the pitfalls of the festive period.
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Chris Jarrett from Rural Fit said the average person piled on close to 2kg over the Christmas/New Year break, adding the vast majority didn’t take it back off.
“When you keep accumulating that over the years it really does add up,” Mr Jarrett said.
“It’s fine to have a festive time and eating rich foods is part of that enjoyment for all of us.
“But the big issue is that it’s not just a couple of days for a lot of people, it extends into weeks and months.”
He said while moderate weight gain would be inevitable for many over the next two weeks, there were easy ways to combat it and still enjoy the spirit of the season.
“People can take advantage of the longer days and be a bit more active, for starters,” Mr Jarrett said.
“It’s also important to be careful in the hot weather not to drink high-energy fluids.
“Try and have water for hydration and food for energy.”
He said resisting the temptation to “graze” was also a calorie-saver.
“Try and maintain meal and mid-meal patterns, rather than graze,” he said.
“At Christmas and New Year, there’s very often platters not put away and it’s easy to keep going back to them.”
Keeping up two servings of fruit and five of vegetables each day, eating a healthy breakfast and ensuring you don’t arrive at parties hungry were also helpful hints, he said.
Controlling portion sizes also remained critical.
Tips for combating the Christmas/New Year bulge
* Be more active
* Drink mainly water
* Don’t leave platters out all day
* Maintain two fruit and five vege servings a day
* Have a healthy breakfast
* Keep an eye on portion sizes