Dr. Ahmed
Christmas is just around the corner, and all the festivities have already begun. This is one of the best times of the year when you stay carefree and full-spirited with all the sparkly decor and captivating gifts.
It’s all nice and fun until mid-January when you realize that your old clothes no longer fit you.
Although it’s hard to stay on track, specifically at this time of the year small precautions earlier can save big troubles later.
So here we have gathered some tips to help you have a healthy Christmas weight loss. If you have ever struggled with weight gain after Christmas, stay tuned to find out how you can drop off those sticky extra pounds!
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Easy Tips for a Budget-friendly low-calorie Christmas Meal Plan:
It seems almost impossible to stay away from the festive meals and delicious desserts, but if you act mindfully, you’ll never lose track. Besides, these easy tips can simply work wonders!
Avoid extra sweets
Christmas comes with a lot of chocolate. You can see piles of chocolate candies everywhere, and we often lose count of how much we have eaten.
That’s where the extra calories get in. Therefore, avoid too many sweets and put a pause on your cravings.
Or, you can just have chewing gum to stay away from all the sweets.
Load up on fruits & veggies
No matter what, fruits and vegetables are always your best companion. Also, they provide fiber, which can add up to your weight loss goals.
That’s why to focus on salads while having meals or even snacks. Moreover, the satiety from these also makes you stay away from all those high-calorie desserts.
Mindful Eating
Since all our celebrations are incomplete without desserts, nobody is going to stop you from having them. After all, it’s Christmas, and there should be no serious restrictions.
However, you can have some control over the portion size to have some control over your waist size.
Keep moving
A holiday does not mean you need to stuff food and sit on the couch all day. Make yourself busy with small tasks and keep moving to stay active and let your body metabolize faster.
Even if you have had some extra calories on Christmas, physical activity can still keep you on track.
Portion Control
It is always the portion imbalance that leads to massive weight changes. What you eat doesn’t have a big impact, but how much you eat it – that is the main concern.
For instance, if you have 3 large slices of pizza in one sitting or a double zinger and some drink, that is going to give you ample extra and unnecessary calories.
Moreover, consuming small, frequent meals with adequate portions can be helpful for weight loss.
Replace Drinks with Water
Another very useful trick is to ban the sneaky calories coming from soft drinks, juices, and other beverages. Just drink plain water instead of having some liquid calories.
Additionally, you can have 2 glasses of water before meals; this helps you eat less than usual.
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Christmas Low-Calorie Meal Plan
If you can’t keep track of your meals during the Christmas festivities, here is a 1200-calorie weight loss plan that is easy and helps you lose the extra pounds without any specific restrictions.
Here are 7 options. You can choose anyone on Christmas Day. You can also try one every day to enjoy a whole one-week meal with different flavors.
| Day 1: 1160 Kcal/day | Food Item | Calories (Kcal) |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Lemon and pepper seasoned avocado toast | 220 |
| Snack | Lemon grass tea with honey + 1 apple | 150 |
| Lunch | Grilled chicken and lettuce wrap with low-fat cheese (2) | 340 |
| Snack | Dark chocolate (1 stick) | 120 |
| Dinner | Air-fried sweet potato fries with guacamole | 330 |
| Day 2: 1159 kcal/day | Food Item | Calories (Kcal) |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Chia seeds pudding with almond milk and honey | 240 |
| Snack | ½ cob of corn | 80 |
| Lunch | Baked cauliflower bites with vegan cheese sauce | 350 |
| Snack | 2-3 wheat biscuits | 110 |
| Dinner | Low-fat turkey Bolognese | 370 |
| Day 3: 1170 Kcal/day | Food Item | Calories (Kcal) |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Whole wheat muffins + 1 glass of fat-free milk | 260 |
| Snack | Baked potato (½) + spiced beans (½ cup) | 110 |
| Lunch | Vegetable spaghetti with tomato sauce + pomegranate juice | 390 |
| Snack | 1 cup caramel popcorn | 120 |
| Dinner | 2 oz baked salmon with lemon, garlic, and herbs | 290 |
| Day 4: 1170 kcal/day | Food Item | Calories (Kcal) |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Scrambled eggs with 1-2 tbsp olive oil + multi-grain bread | 280 |
| Snack | Beetroot + green apple smoothie | 130 |
| Lunch | Bean soup with whole wheat tortilla | 350 |
| Snack | Toasted multi-grain tea cake | 140 |
| Dinner | Homemade rice pilaf (1 cup) | 270 |
| Day 5: 1210 kcal/day | Food Item | Calories (Kcal) |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Mushroom risotto with orange juice | 310 |
| Snack | Carrot and mint juice | 100 |
| Lunch | Chicken teriyaki + ½ cup rice | 310 |
| Snack | Amaranth muffins (2) | 150 |
| Dinner | Creamy coconut lentil soup with tortilla | 340 |
| Day 6: 1130 kcal/day | Food Item | Calories (Kcal) |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 1 cup banana and honey porridge + 1 boiled egg | 190 |
| Snack | Apple, peach and fava bean salad with sprinkled orange juice (½ cup) | 150 |
| Lunch | 1 slice of thin-crust veggie pizza with vegan cheese and tomato sauce | 370 |
| Snack | Apple tea with honey (1 cup) | 50 |
| Dinner | Corned beef sandwiches (2) | 370 |
| Day 7: 1190 kcal/day | Food Item | Calories (Kcal) |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Egg sandwich with veggies + 1 sliced apple | 280 |
| Snack | Cantaloupe chunks (1 cup) | 120 |
| Lunch | Avocado, and pineapple fruit salad | 230 |
| Snack | Toasted crumpet (1) | 170 |
| Dinner | Sesame-crusted tuna with salad and sprinkled olive oil | 390 |
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7-Day Summary of Christmas Meal Plan:
| Day | Breakfast | Snack | Lunch | Snack | Dinner | Calories |
| 1. | Lemon and pepper seasoned avocado toast 220 kcal | Lemon grass tea with honey + 1 apple 150 kcal | Grilled chicken and lettuce wrap with low-fat cheese (2) 340 kcal | Dark chocolate (1 stick) 120 kcal | Air-fried sweet potato fries with guacamole 330 kcal | 1160 kcal |
| 2. | Chia seeds pudding with almond milk and honey 240 kcal | ½ cob of corn 80 kcal | Baked cauliflower bites with vegan cheese sauce 350 kcal | 2-3 wheat biscuits 110 kcal | Low-fat turkey Bolognese 370 kcal | 1159 kcal |
| 3. | Whole wheat muffins + 1 glass of fat-free milk 260 kcal | Baked potato (½) + spiced beans (½ cup) 110 kcal | Vegetable spaghetti with tomato sauce + pomegranate juice 390 kcal | 1 cup caramel popcorn 120 kcal | 2 oz baked salmon with lemon, garlic, and herbs 290 kcal | 1170 |
| 4. | Scrambled eggs with 1-2 tbsp olive oil + multi-grain bread 280 kcal | Beetroot + green apple smoothie 130 kcal | Bean soup with whole wheat tortilla 350 kcal | Toasted multi-grain tea cake 140 kcal | Homemade rice pilaf (1 cup) 270 kcal | 1170 |
| 5. | Mushroom risotto with orange juice 310 kcal | Carrot and mint juice 100 kcal | Chicken teriyaki + ½ cup rice 310 kcal | Amaranth muffins (2) 150 kcal | Creamy coconut lentil soup with tortilla 340 kcal | 1210 |
| 6. | 1 cup banana and honey porridge + 1 boiled egg 190 kcal | Apple, peach and fava bean salad with sprinkled orange juice (½ cup) 150 kcal | 1 slice of thin-crust veggie pizza with vegan cheese and tomato sauce 370 kcal | Apple tea with honey (1 cup) 50 kcal | Corned beef sandwiches (2) 370 kcal | 1130 |
| 7. | Egg sandwich with veggies + 1 sliced apple 280 kcal | Cantaloupe chunks (1 cup) 120 kcal | Avocado, and pineapple fruit salad 230 kcal | Toasted crumpet (1) 170 kcal | Sesame-crusted tuna with salad and sprinkled olive oil 390 kcal | 1190 kcal |
How to keep yourself motivated for weight loss?
It is not easy to keep up with your goals when you see your favorite foods lined up in front of you. Moreover, it has become very easy to order food online and fall off the track.
You even get food advertisements on social media. So, the question is, how to stay motivated when you have so many temptations all around?
The first rule is to practice moderation and avoid deprivation. If you deprive yourself for long, you ultimately fall harder.
For instance, if you have been suppressing your food cravings you will eventually end up with over-eating.
Besides this, if you eat your favorite foods in moderation, it’s more likely to help you keep up with the weight loss goals.
So, if you ever crave pizza while on a diet, just go for the low-calorie options or limit your portion size rather than skipping it for days and then ending up with 4 cheesy pizza slices in a single sitting.
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