With West Tamworth named the fattest place in the nation last year, a little advice in the Christmas eating department probably doesn’t go astray.

The Leader chewed the fat with Tamworth dietitian Kylie Norman about how to beat the bulge this Christmas.

First on the list, the dreaded Christmas hangover, and Ms Norman said prevention is better than cure.

“Certainly you need to prevent the Christmas hangover and the best way to do that is be mindful of how much you are drinking,” she said.

“A good way is to have an alcoholic drink and alternate with non-alcoholic or choose a low-alcohol beer and wine.”

One of the biggest factors in a hangover is dehydration, drinking plenty of water over the course of an evening will help with that dull thud in the morning.

But obviously on Christmas, prevention is not the path many take – and Ms Norman said despite the high calorie content, sugary, high fat foods the next day are more likely to make people feel better.

It’s no secret that with Christmas comes snacking, cheese platters, chocolate coated peanuts, crackers and chips are aplenty at most get-togethers.

It’s not about saying no, but checking yourself and the amount of food you plan to consume over the course of an evening.

If a Christmas get-together has nibblies, dinner and dessert, it’s important to ask yourself how hungry you really are Ms Norman said.

“It’s really important to enjoy your food, particularly at this time of year – but don’t go overboard,” she said.

“We participate in a lot of ‘non-hungry’ eating in that time just because it’s there in front of us, it’s a matter of being aware.

“Ask yourself, ‘Do I actually need this? Am I really hungry?”

Have some cheese and biscuits, take a carrot stick where you can and leave it at that.

Turkey, Christmas ham, pork and chicken are staples on most tables in the silly season.

And that’s not actually as bad as most think.

Pork crackling and hams have a higher fat content, but eating turkey and chicken is actually a leaner option Ms Norman said.

“If you team that with veggies and salad it’s not a bad meal to be having,” she said.

It’s not uncommon for a wave of regret to wash over most after Christmas.

Take one look outside on New Year’s Day and there’s usually more people out exercising than any other time of year.

With New Year’s resolutions comes fad diets, weightloss products, supplements and detoxes that Ms Norman warns are not sustainable options.

““These products aren’t promoted or provided by people with any qualifications in nutrition often and they can be expensive too,” she said.

“All those SkinnyMe Teas, the shakes, they’re working because you are cutting your calorie intake drastically.

“Whenever you do that you are going to lose weight, but can you do that for the rest of your life?

“There’s a lot of evidence to show people who take part in these fad diets will put the weight back on and more as well.”

Those approaching the new year with a ‘new me’ attitude should look at sustainable changes, reducing alcohol, adding exercise and making food choices that aren’t so restrictive they fall off the bandwagon in a few weeks time.

”It shouldn’t be difficult to change and that’s why it’s good to see a dietitian because they can talk to you about small gradually changes and follow up to work through hurdles or difficulties with making changes,” she said.

“The more drastic or restrictive your diet becomes the harder it is to stick to, that’s why we recommend you make small gradual changes that include a variety of food groups.”

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