Oh boy, Christmas is right around the corner and the festivities have started. We always have a ban on Christmas music in our house until December 1, but my fingers are literally itching as they hover over Michael Bublé on my playlist. I can’t listen to him at any other time of year, even if it’s not a Christmas song.

It just wouldn’t be right. I am so excited to roll out the decorations, the fairy lights, warm up some mulled wine and crank up the music. This time next week we will be in full swing. What a nice thought!

This week has seen the end of a private on-site Nutrifit class for a corporate and next week we have the wrap up for the public Nutrifit programme, as well as our most recent round of the Integrative Oncology Programme with Pals.

As these events draw to a close, I am often asked “can I keep coming in to see you?” Clients worry that without accountability their progress will be lost.

My goal is to always to get clients to the point where they feel completely independent. It’s not a great business model, but true success would be your clients not needing you! And we do get there, it just sometimes takes a little longer than six weeks.

Why? Because if you are going to eat healthy food for ever (the majority of the time) then you have to change lifelong habits and learn to navigate a food system that is categorically unsupportive to healthy living.

One of my clients said to me earlier “I was doing fine until I went into the grocery store and saw all the amazing Christmas things!”

The shops are literally floor to ceiling with Quality Street, chocolate advent calendars, mince pies, Christmas puddings and other seasonal desserts. It’s hard not to want those things when they are associated with a special occasion that you love so much.

Food – especially sweet food – just cranks up the feel-good feelings in our brains. Couple that with the comfort and laughter we get from friends/family gatherings and it becomes an intoxicating mix.

So how do we do this? How do we get through the festive season without piling on the pounds and starting off 2024 feeling miserable? Here are my tips for getting through unscathed!

1, Connect how you eat with how you feel

This is probably the most powerful tool in the box because it works as a strategy all year round. Make a concerted effort to recognize that how you are eating and how you are feeling, are connected.

Feeling crappy in the afternoon? Think back to how you began your day. Did you start off dehydrated and then have a sugary breakfast? Then no wonder you feel fatigued and irritable.

When you reach for the Christmas treats, have a think about how you will feel later. Is it worth it? Then go for it (life is for living) but maybe this pause for thought will nip the impulse in the bud.

2, Work out your window!

This is what keeps me on the straight and narrow. I have a weight-window that I am comfortable with. If I’m on the lower side of it, I’m less cautious about portions and the treats are more abundant.

If I’m on the higher side of it, I go right back to better portions and ease up on the treats. Note that I’ve described this as a “weight-window” for clarity, but the reality is that I focus more on body composition.

I have numbers I like to keep healthy for both visceral fat (the damaging, metabolically active fat) and muscle mass. I prefer to go into Christmas on the leaner side of the window, knowing that I have more room to play with!

Try deciding on a healthy window for yourself and sticking to it. If you need help, you know where I am!

3, Exercise, but be realistic

It’s so tempting to think “I’ll just do more exercise!” but the reality is that most of us underestimate how many calories we are eating and how many calories we are burning off.

Healthy body composition goes way beyond calories in vs calories out, but if you are very out of synch, it will likely bite you where it hurts! I also think that just “working if off” misses the point a little.

If you’re stressing your body because you are eating too much unhealthy food, or just too much in general, then the repercussions are more significant than simple weight gain. Poor diets lead to inflammation and poor immunity, neither of which you need at Christmas!

4, Pre-game your party

I love this one and use it often! If I’m going to a party where I know the food will be unhealthy – and if I don’t feel like it’s “worth it” – then I’ll just make sure I go having eaten a healthy meal.

Or, I’ll eat a smaller meal and top myself up with a few canapés while I am there. But I try not to have a whole meal of dates wrapped in bacon, spicy meatballs and mini-fishcakes. Why not? Because I’d feel crappy afterwards and I don’t want to!

5, Pick and choose your events

Ahh Bermuda is social and we love that! But the parties and gatherings can really stack up …. and alcohol/food is so often right at the centre. So, if you know you have lots of events coming up, then pick and choose wisely.

Go all out at the ones where the food will be delicious and the company stellar! But don’t go wild every time. Also, all the research shows us that “pre-deciding” really helps people stick to their goals. If you go into every event winging it, then you are less likely to make sensible decisions.

6, Take something healthy and delicious with you!

If you’re going to a pot luck, then take along something delicious that has a healthy twist. I make these chocolate-dipped strawberries all year round. They look festive with their red and green and add a dose of valuable antioxidants to a party table.

They’re so easy to do. Simply chill a platter in the fridge and wash your strawberries gently, blotting them thoroughly dry. Melt two bowls of chocolate in glass bowls in the microwave (one milk/dark, one white).

Remove the platter from the fridge and cover it in wax paper. Dip your strawberries in one type of chocolate and then lay them in rows on the wax paper. Once this is done, drizzle the other type of chocolate in a messy pattern over the top of the first chocolate layer. Chill again in the fridge until the chocolate has set.

7, Put clothes on your carbs

Got to love the @glucosegoddess for this one! If you are late to the party then follow her on Instagram for amazing charts and graphs that demonstrate the difference that some simple hacks have on your blood sugar control.

She’s a French biochemist and knows her stuff. Putting “clothes on your carbs” refers to her recommended strategy of eating vegetables (non-starchy) first, then protein, then carbs.

This slows the release of sugars into the bloodstream which prevents the sugar spikes that lead to weight gain. So, when you are sitting down to Christmas lunch, eat your greens first and then most of your turkey, before diving into carrots and potatoes!

8, Plan your new year!

It’s good to have an end point for when the revelry stops and the healthy new habits really kick in. Diarise your new leaf and stick to it. I’ll be sharing details of our second Waterfront Wellness Healthy Kickstart soon – free to everyone in our community for 2024! Stay tuned!

• The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns BA Hons, Dip ION, BNTA is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in the UK She works at Waterfront Wellness in Bermuda. Join Catherine on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda or instagram @naturalbda