It's hard to avoid the excesses of Christmas, but you can minimise them. Stick to these 5 golden rules to keep the scales tipped in your favour
1. Are you eating 5-6 mini meals per day?
Eating smaller portions spread evenly throughout the day helps rev up your metabolism and curb hunger.
Low-calorie snack ideas
2. Are you eating the majority of your carbohydrates around times of activity?
Think about eating the majority of your carb-dense foods, like grains, before and after exercise. By doing this, your body will use carbs for energy so they're not stored as fat. Outside the hours surrounding your workout, focus on eating smaller portions and aim to make fruit and veg your primary sources of carbohydrate.
Superhero vegetables that deserve a place on your plate
3. Are you including a lean protein source with each meal?
Protein has a high thermic effect, which simply means your body burns more calories to digest it. Make sure you include protein - chicken, fish, beef - with each meal to keep your metabolism running at full throttle.
Eat pork for protein
4. Are you drinking enough water?
Aim for half an ounce to an ounce of water per pound of bodyweight a day to stay hydrated. Green tea is another proven metabolism booster.
10 reasons to drink more water
5. Go easy on the alcohol
Alcohol is a major weight loss saboteur. Just another reason to think before you drink.
Do you know many calories you're drinking?
Try also: 4 great workout moves to tone up for your LBD
