Imagine this. The New Year rolls around and like every other year you go and jump on the scales. This year’s different however, this year you’re excited to see the number that comes up. You actually want to get on the scales, because for the past two weeks whilst everyone else has been laying on the holiday kilos, you’ve done the impossible; you’ve not only avoided gaining weight, but you’re fitting into all your old clothes. Better yet, you’ve been able to do it without really even trying and still enjoying the food you love. So how did it happen? What’s the secret to Christmas weight loss? It all starts with taking back control. Read on.

This is what this series of articles has been all about; being smart, taking back control and taking positive steps to achieve a new you in 2014. If you’ve missed any of the previous posts make sure you read them here as they lay the foundation for what we’re going to cover today. In this post, the last of the series we’re going to cover one of the most powerful things you can do for your waistline at Christmas time. Often overlooked and always undervalued, this last tip is just as important as what you’re putting in your mouth. The final piece of this puzzle is stress management.

Tip #5 – Manage Your Stress

Why is the seemingly mundane goal of managing stress so important? Because stress is at the core of weight gain, and weight loss. It doesn’t matter how good our exercise or diet is going, it can all be undone if we’re over stressed. The problem is cortisol – our stress hormone. Cortisol has a number of functions. Basically, when we’re in a state of stress cortisol is designed to make us hold on to our calories and store them as fat. What’s worse is that this fat mainly gets stored around your stomach due to its effect insulin sensitivity. To simplify:

Increased stress = increased fat storage

It also has a second function of increasing our appetite. In states of stress we consume more food than what we do normally. And because we are more emotional with our decisions we also tend to make poorer food choices. Instead of sticking to a healthy salad for lunch, you’re more likely to reach for the cake instead.

Increased stress = increase eating

Essentially, high stress situations are a fast track to stacking on the weight this Christmas. To manage the stress invoked binge and ensure you’re hard work isn’t undone, try implementing the strategies below. These are our most powerful tools for managing stress.

3 keys to managing stress

1) Meditate – just 5 minutes a day and your stress will start to fade away, leaving you in a positive frame of mind to eat healthy. Try using a guided meditation

2) Don’t sweat the small stuff – little things will go wrong and always do (particularly at Christmas time!) but don’t let it worry you. Before you get stressed about something, first ask yourself “is this worth getting stressed over?” More often than not the answer is no. So take a few deep breaths and relax

3) Get a good sleep – this is crucial. When we’re tired, we make poor food choices. Make sleep your number one priority by getting at least 7 hours a night. If you struggle to get 7 hours, you can make up for it in the day time by taking a 30 minute nap. One way or another make sure sleep isn’t making you fat

Implement these 3 steps and you will be well on your way to a slimmer, more relaxed Christmas. Put that together with our previous 4 tips and you will be amazed at how easy it can be to stay in control of what you’re eating this Christmas. If we tie it all together our Christmas day will look something like this:

After measuring your waist to check you’re still on track, you decide today will be a cheat day and so you can enjoy the food choices you make. Being proactive, you go for a walk that morning to burn a few calories and spike your insulin sensitivity. Over Christmas lunch you enjoy a few drinks; but you’re making smart choices and avoid beer, wine and soft drink. Instead you’re on vodka, lime and soda for the day. Finally when the family gets arguing at around half past 3, you quietly step out of the room to get some fresh air and let the stress melt away. By the end of the day you feel good about your choices and ultimately you feel good about your weight.

So there you have it. If you can follow these guidelines you will be starting the New Year on the front foot, feeling good and in control of your own actions. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading and have been able to take what was written and put it into practice. To help with this post, we’ve put together a resource guide for mediation and stress management, including our favourite free meditation tracks. Just leave your email below if you’d like us to send you a copy.

-Merry Christmas