News from the STUDIO

7 weeks - 7lbs up or down?

As the last of the summer clothes are packed away for another year, the winter clothes and party outfits are brought out to air! With just over 7 weeks to go until Christmas, the party season will soon be upon us! With all the wonderful celebrations to enjoy, there is the potential for excess, with late nights and hazards at every buffet our health and well being can be challenged! But what changes can you make between now and Christmas? 7 weeks could be a 7lb loss or a 7 lb gain. What can you do that will make the difference to feeling well and looking great this festive season?

Calories
(noun)
Tiny creatures that live in your wardrobe & sew your clothes a little bit tighter every night!

The Christmas party season tends to lead to consuming more Alcohol, but beware; alcohol has a two-fold effect negative effect on your ability to lose fat:

Alcohol is highly calorific (second only to fat itself at 7kcal/g – fat is 9 kcal/g, both Protein and Carbohydrate roughly 4kcal/g) and easily over-consumed and as always, any excess calories consumed are stored as fat! Also, the presence of alcohol in your system have a hugely negative impact on your ability to metabolise that stored fat!

As well as cutting down your consumption over the coming weeks, try these simple tips

• Use lots of ice. It makes your drink seem bigger without adding actual calories.
• If you have to choose between fruit juice and soda in a mixer, choose fruit juice.
• Avoid the salty snacks. They’ll make you want to drink more.
• Pay a little extra for a ‘better’ wine and sip it slowly. Savoring a drink will reduce overconsumption.
• Drink as much water as possible.  Try to have two drinks of water for every one drink of alcohol.

Here are a few tips to help you to lose 7lb

• Determine how many calories you normally consume in one day, and reduce that number by 500 calories to lose 1 lb. pound every week. Use a food journal or an online calorie counter to track your calories.
• Substitute healthy foods such as fruit, vegetables and whole grains for chips and fast food, and skip high-fat, sugary desserts. Simply cutting calories will help you to lose weight, but if you want to sustain your weight loss, you'll need to improve your eating habits.
• Exercise daily if you can manage it, or as frequently as possible. Walking at a moderate pace, can burn around 300 calories an hour!
  

Avoid alcohol consumption as it weakens your will power!