Merry Christmas Everyone! Can you believe Christmas Day is this weekend? Have you done all of your shopping? Time has flown so much this year its so hard to believe that we are nearing the end of December already. Thinking about Christmas, lets do a quick little poll.

– Have you already splurged on too many Christmas treats?

– Have you skipped your workouts this week or missed a few days?

– Have you had too much alcohol?

– Are you already starting to let your good habits slide (eg. “Oh but it is Christmas, so I can have…”)

– Are you feeling lethargic and a bit more “puffy” than usual?

If you answered yes to the majority of these questions, then it seems as though the spirit of Christmas has really made a dent in your healthy lifestyle habits! Not to worry! Today you can turn this around! Now I know that you might be thinking it would be crazy to start implementing “healthy habits” before Christmas, but it can save you from those extra 5 kilos that you might have to work off in January!

Now before we start, did you read my blog post from last week – Are you friends and family making you fat? If you didn’t, check it out here. It is a must read for anyone you feels as though they are pressured into eating! http://www.slimsecrets.com.au/blog/?p=307&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SecretNews+%28Secret+News+-+The+blog+of+Slim+Secrets%29

Your 5 Step Plan for a Healthy Christmas

1. Increase your protein

One good thing about Christmas food is the abundance of protein sources (turkey, ham, chicken) that you can eat, instead of all the sugary and fatty foods that make up most people’s diets at this time of year. Take advantage of this and load up your plate with these lean cuts of meat, before you add anything else. Protein should be your #1 food at Christmas.

2. Green equals lean

Now once you have protein on your plate, go straight to the greens. Lettuce, beans, brocolli, asparagus, spinach etc. This should take up a good portion of your plate.

3. Juicy fruits

There are so many delicious summer fruits on offer, so make the most of them! Cherries, mango, watermelon, berries, nectarines etc. Instead of serving all the stock standard Christmas desserts, make a huge platter of beautiful fruit, with some natural greek yoghurt and a sprinkle of roasted almonds – yum! Make sure you have fruit on your plate!

4. Good fats

Add a sprinkle of almonds, macadamias, walnuts and pecans to your salad or roast them in the oven and crush them over your green beans with a squeeze of lemon and a few cubes of low fat fetta. So much more satisfying than oily packaged food!

5. Low calorie punch

Put away those wine bottles and make your own low calorie punch. I use some bottles of Diet Waterfords or Diet Ginger Ale, plus sliced lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit and sliced strawberries. This is so thirst quenching and the best thing about it – no hangover!

How good would if feel if you had lost weight after Christmas, when everyone else is renewing their gym memberships

Give it try and see how much better you feel!

Merry Christmas!

Courtney