As we know, the ‘problem’ of Christmas is not saying “no” to one more goose-fat roasted potato or pig wrapped in blankets.
It’s more than the holiday season. As we snuggle indoors and enjoy comfort food, the winter months can be when we gain most weight.
We then spend the next few months trying to shed the extra fat, and most of us are only partly successful (which is why our weight tends to creep up as we get older and have more Christmas dinners — at 6,000 calories a pop — under our belts).
You can easily see how big the challenges ahead by adding that number to the estimated 5-6lb many people have gained over the Covid pandemic.
As we know, the ‘problem’ of Christmas is not saying “no” to one more goose-fat roasted potato or pig wrapped in blankets. It’s more than the holiday season. As we snuggle indoors and enjoy comfort food, the winter months can be when we gain most weight.
Prevention is better than treatment, so how can you reduce the chance of having a December belly?
The first is to understand that there are two types of hunger: hunger and stomach pain.
Appetite can be a sudden desire to eat.
It is driven by hunger hormones, such as ghrelin, which are produced in your gut — these levels start to rise when you haven’t eaten.
We then spend the next few months trying to shed the extra fat, and most of us are only partly successful (which is why our weight tends to creep up as we get older and have more Christmas dinners — at 6,000 calories a pop — under our belts)
Researchers from Imperial College London presented a new way to “switch off” hunger this week. They used microscopic beads that block blood vessels to the area of the stomach where the hormone ghrelin is made.
Research suggests that this can lead to weight loss of approximately 7kg (15lb).
The surgery is currently being tested, but it is not yet proven to be effective.
The urge to eat and our desire for food are mainly driven by the sight of tempting foods, stress, and other emotional triggers.
But if you want to resist overdoing it in the weeks ahead, here are some science-based tips that I find useful — and which won’t take the joy out of Christmas!
DO NOT EATCHOCOLATE FOR 2 HOURS PRIOR to AN MEAL
Although I won’t give up chocolate over Christmas, substituting milky chocolate with dark chocolate does not dampen my appetite.
You’re not alone. In 2008, a study published by Nutrition and Diabetes found that people who consumed 100g of dark cocoa two hours before eating a meal had 140 calories less than those who ate milk chocolate.
The report also indicated a significant drop in their desire to consume sweet, fatty and savoury snacks. However, it is not known why.
PUT A LIGHTBOX ON YOUR COMPUTER
SAD can develop during winter when we see less daylight than the rest of year. This could lead to a decrease in light, something that I have.
You may feel more moody and have a greater desire to eat carbs. These foods provide an immediate boost of energy and mood.
These symptoms can be reduced by getting more sunlight in the morning.
An indoor lightbox produces approximately 10,000 lux. This is a lot more light than standard indoor lighting, which can produce around 150 lux.
It makes a huge difference in my ability to eat carbs when I have my laptop open.
Always choose this simple start
This is a very simple way to decrease your appetite.
Loughborough University recently found that 500ml water prior to a meal can not only reduce the number of calories consumed but also increases feelings of satisfaction and fullness. This could be because water fills your stomach which signals the brain to quit eating.
STOP Eating Before You Turn on the TV
It will be tempting to watch Christmas TV while enjoying mince pies, and you may end up eating an excessive amount of calories.
Liverpool University conducted a study in 2013 that found people who consumed food while distracted, such as reading newspapers, watching TV, or listening to radio, ate 25% more than the average person and were not aware.
Before you give up, it might help to remember the (around 233) calories in your second mince pie.
It will be tempting to watch Christmas TV while enjoying mince pies, other sweets and treats. But you might end up consuming a lot of calories without realizing it.
According to a 2018 British Medical Journal study, people who were given nutritional information on Christmas treats and sensible advice about their health actually lost weight during the holiday season.
Don’t watch TV late at night, because lack of sleep can lead to hunger. An experiment I performed with volunteers several years ago saw us cut down on our sleeping hours for consecutive nights.
We ate an average 380 calories more over the next days, mostly sugary carbs. A volunteer confessed that he had eaten whole packets of biscuits as breakfast.
Sleep deprivation can increase your stress hormone levels and stimulate activity in brain areas that are involved in food perception, especially high-calorie foods, as positive rewards.
Covid is now being fought with the latest weapons. Chewing gum.
When the virus is sprayed in fine cloud form every time you sneeze or talk, it replicates within our salivary glands.
And now researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have created (cinnamon-flavoured!) Gum infused with plant-based materials that are extremely efficient at binding and trapping Covid viruses particles.
They’re hopeful that the gum will soon be used in clinical trials.
Doctors and dentists might offer the product to their patients in order to provide protection during routine check-ups.
Research has shown that people have trouble recognizing lies. Research shows that looking to the right and up isn’t a sign you are lying, contrary to popular legends.
You can spot a lie and know who to trust
Research shows that most people don’t know how to spot liars. Research shows that looking to the right and up isn’t a sign you are lying, contrary to popular mythology.
A technique called Asymmetric Information Management (AIM), is becoming more popular among police officers and can actually significantly improve your lying skills.
This is a result of the fact that truth-tellers are more likely to give details than liars, and are happier to share the whole story.
It’s a technique I used when recruiting people for jobs on TV productions — one way to sift out the good candidates from the fakes was to ask: ‘What are some of the worst problems you’ve faced while making programmes and how did you solve them?’
People who had solved difficult problems were able to recall the details and wanted to share their knowledge.
Liars were not able to give specifics. One guy claimed to have been on a show but had lost almost every detail, even the name and address of the presenter. It turned out to be me.
A study in Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition has shown that interviewers were able to detect lies more accurately using the AIM technique, improving their accuracy from 48% to 81%.
It’s impressive but my wife can see when I am being vague with 100% accuracy. It’s amazing.