Tip 1: If there is a particular food that you only have at Christmas and you know you will eat more of it than you should, have a small portion about a week before. When the big day comes around, the food isn’t as special and so you eat a regular sized serving, not 2 or 3 plates!

Tip 2: Train if you can. The sessions are only ½ hr, we all have ½ an hour somewhere in our day. Make your bookings now. The studio will be open on Tuesday and Wednesday and also on Thursday morning. If you know you have been eating a bit too much lately, go upstairs and do an extra 15 mins of cardio after your sessions.

Tip 1: Drain the tank. Not only will this help you physically, but also mentally. An intense ½ hr exercise session 2-3 hours before the big meal will help to drain glycogen stores so that when you eat your Christmas meal, you will be re-filling the glycogen tanks and not overfilling the fat cells. Go for a walk/run or do some bodyweight exercises.

E.g: Lunges, walking lunges, push-ups, pull-ups, squats, crunches, jump lunges, jumping jacks, burpees, plank, supermans... Store it or burn it, the choice is yours.

Tip 2: Follow the usual plan. Continue to follow your regular eating plan. Eat every 3 hours to keep your body well fuelled and your metabolism revving. If you skip meals to “save up” for the big meal, that strategy often backfires, as you can be so hungry that you overeat and end up consuming way too many calories.

Tip 3: Try the “pre-fill” technique. The 2 main tools in this arsenal are apples and a special protein shake. Firstly, munching on an apple just before your Christmas meal can fill you up due to the fibre, water content and other goodies in the apple. Second is a simple protein shake with an added tablespoon of psyllium husks (or Metamucil). This mixture is great for filling you up, thanks to the mixture of protein and fibre. Both contain very few calories and are known for their appetite suppressing value. Using these two will help you from overindulging on high calorie foods later because you won’t be as hungry.

Tip 4: Drink plenty of H2O throughout the day and during the big meal. It'll keep you hydrated and clear-minded (so you'll be less likely to make bad food choices), and it'll help fill you up faster.

Tip 5: Don’t overdo it! If you go a little bit overboard, well hey, it’s Christmas and you earned it (if you trained that morning). But try to be aware of when you are full; don’t just keep snacking because it’s there. Once you feel full, tell yourself “enough is enough” and stop.