The Winter Weight Worries

I love Christmas especially catching up with friends and family I have not seen for ages. For many of us this involves eating out or having fancy extras at home. So come the 3rd of January getting on the bathroom scales is an unpleasant experience. It is not surprising that new memberships for both gyms and slimming club increase in January every year!

And each year it seems harder to get back to that pre-Christmas weight. Did you know that the average weight gain for an adult over the festive season is 7lb (half a stone!), many children can put on 4-5 lb – I’ve know one child who put on 14lb over the 2 week Christmas holidays - and remember it is much harder for children to lose this extra weight.

So why not take a few moments this year before the Xmas partying season starts to consider how you and your family can avoid the post Christmas Santa tummy syndrome.

At the Children’s Weight Clinic we would like all families to have a great Christmas but we would also like to help families this Christmas be aware of just how much extra energy – which can so easily turn into extra weight - you and your children could be eating on the run up to Christmas and on the actual day.

This Christmas meal below would give the average adult their daily energy intake in one meal – think how many Xmas meals you may have had out on the run up to the day it’s self – and we have not included the alcohol.

Extra goodies such as crisps, nibbles, fancy biscuits and cake are often put out every time a guest arrives over the festive season. Think smaller amounts and think do we really need to eat this. Consider how many selection boxes your child eats before Christmas lunch. Just look at the amount of activity you need take to burn off 2000 calories.


Typical size selection box can range from 500 calories to over 1000 calories.

This typical Christmas day lunch menu contains around 2000 calories and 85g of fat.
Prawn cocktail
Turkey, stuffing kilted sausages
Roast potatoes, carrots,
Bread sauce
Christmas pudding, custard
Christmas cake, mince pie


Figures for meal based on averages and may vary depending on cooking methods and portion sizes.

How much physical activity is required to burn off 2000 calories is set out below

Walking briskly around 6 hours
Swimming around 4 hours
Cycling around 5 hours
Ice skating around 6 hours
Skiing around 2 hour


Activity figures are approximates and are based on averages and will be lower or higher depending on age, weight and level of intensity.


Here are the Children’s Weight Clinic’s top ten suggestions to avoid a winter weight worry -

Suggest to other family members and friends that only Santa should bring the kids a selection box this year
Agree with the kids that they will not eat all of the selection box on Christmas day
Ask family and friends to give the kids toys that promote activity and fun e.g. football, goalie gloves, skipping ropes
Go for a family walk on Christmas day
Give the kids Satsumas in their stockings from Santa
You cannot eat it if you don’t buy it – reduce the amount of food you buy
For a starter have home made vegetable soup
Only use low fat products in cooking
Have the Christmas cake or the mince pie - not both
Don’t eat the whole meal again on Boxing Day !!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

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