Why is it that when we step on the scale after the New Year holidays, we invariably discover we’ve gained significant weight? Why do the pants and dresses we wore to work last year suddenly start splitting at the seams after January 10th? How can you maintain your figure during this ten-day festival of the stomach without depriving yourself of anything?
In fact, it’s enough to follow just a few tips commonly recommended by dietitians, and in the New Year you won’t have to exhaust yourself with diets and prolonged physical exertion.
Tip 1
Alcohol – separately
Since alcoholic beverages are quite high in calories, yet these calories—what dietitians call “empty”—provide energy that your body burns off very quickly. When you consume alcohol together with calorie-rich food, your body prioritizes metabolizing the empty calories, while the energy from food doesn’t get used up in time and is stored as body fat. Therefore, it’s extremely important to remember that feasting accompanied by alcohol consumption is a sure path to weight gain. Of course, it’s difficult—especially on New Year’s Eve—to drink without eating, or to eat without participating in toasts and celebrations. But if you know moderation in both, and at the same time stay more active—dancing, going outside for a walk—you’ll manage to burn off the calories consumed. You can apply this principle to the other festive days as well.
Tip 2
Move more
Don’t forget that movement is not only life, but also beauty and health. If you tend to spend holidays in loud company or at club parties, remember that while sitting, your body burns only about 1.4 calories per kilogram of body weight per hour, whereas during fast dancing, it burns seven times more. But even if you prefer spending time more quietly, you still have the opportunity to celebrate in a way that’s more beneficial for your figure than usual. For example, you burn more calories standing than sitting. Singing also helps your body process the energy you’ve consumed, and even slow dancing will positively affect your figure. By the way, there are also natural, safe catalysts that not only help your body process the calories you’ve taken in, but also burn excess fat. One such substance is L-Carnitine, which is responsible for transporting fats to the part of the cell where they are broken down. For example, an L-Carnitine-based supplement—”Carniton”—should be taken once daily with food. Taking a tablet at the beginning of a festive meal will help prevent the accumulation of “excess” calories by transforming them into energy.
Tip 3
Separate and don’t gain weight
Since ancient times, doctors have studied the question of combining different foods we consume. These studies led to the classification of foods into groups whose mixing is not recommended, as it complicates digestion, promotes toxin accumulation, and, of course, fat storage. For example, it’s not advisable to consume proteins and starches (such as meat and potatoes) in the same meal—better to replace potatoes with greens and vegetables like cucumbers, sweet peppers, zucchini, string beans, or beets. Also, proteins are incompatible with fruits and sugars—so it’s better not to finish a meat or fish dinner with traditional tangerines, oranges, and other sweets.
Fruits, by the way, generally don’t combine well with other food groups—the exceptions being fats (cream, sour cream) and fermented dairy products. It’s also important to remember that starchy foods (grains, potatoes, corn, and of course baked goods) pair best with greens, fats, and vegetables.
