Comfort foods = weight gain right? Wrong!

Winter is upon and many of us shudder in our track pants and ugg boots at the thought of getting into a bikini come spring.

Well worry no more!

Warming and comfort foods don’t have to equal weight gain. It’s more about what you eat, when you eat and how much you eat that will determine whether your summer shorts are a bit snug or not.

Here are some tips for reducing those sneaky winter kilograms:

Pick your battles well

If foods such as creamy curries, casseroles or warming pastas are your thing, now worries, you can have these during winter and still be healthy. BUT choose wisely! A pasta made at home is usually very different to a pasta made at a restaurant.

Tip: Cook your favourite meals at home, using a healthier recipe so those creamy curries aren’t as damaging to your waist line. When eating out, choose a healthier option. You wont feel like you have missed out because you have been eating comfort foods at home.

Leave the extras alone

Extras can damage any weight loss efforts in both summer and winter, but we find that in winter those extras can stack up more easily. It’s darker earlier outside so meals can last longer with an extra plate of nibbles first or an extra course or two. Now this is fine, it is important to be social and enjoy yourself but remember you don’t have to eat everything that comes you way.

Tip: Skip the bread, only have 2-3 nibbles before a meal (such as cheese on a cracker), don’t order every course and think about how many ‘sides’ you order- you don’t need one of each.

 Portions- more is not better

Remember, a lot of the time we eat with our eyes! We like to see full plates! But stop and think, does it actually taste any better when you eat more? No it doesn’t- a  lot of the time we are eating while distracted and don’t actually taste all we are eating.

Tip: Reduce your portion sizes and SLOW DOWN! Eat more mindfully. Serve/order yourself smaller portions and savour the meal. You will find you actually taste the meal more. A giant bowl of pasta doesn’t taste any better than the smaller one. Before you start eating you are probably thinking how delicious it looks and how you want to eat lots and lots. But before you know it you are bloated and over full, and because it is cold outside you move from the table to the lounge and curl up in front of the TV and that giant bowl of pasta just sits there making you feel yuck. It seemed like a good idea at the time to fill your bowl didn’t it?

Go on, just try serving yourself less and then wait 20 minutes till you are finished and see if you still want more- you may be surprised! 

Make an appointment with our dietitians

Our dietitians have loads of advice to ensure you keep reaching your health goals, even during winter. Don’t have the mindset “oh I’ll start in Spring”- this usually leads to more weight gain, which means the harder you have to work to get it off in Spring and most people don’t actually get it all back off. How about not putting the weight on at all! Book an appointment today.

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