All I Want For Christmas - Is to Lose Weight!

I love Christmas... the twinkling decorations, the glorious rich food, the good cheer, the cheesy Christmas songs, the bustling shopping trips...

I hate Christmas... all that talk of what outfit everyone is going to wear to the Office Party, and I'm thinking,
'Oh blimey, what outfit am I going to be able to fit my chubby thighs in and is not going to look like I've got a football tucked up my dress instead of an ironing board flat tummy?!!'

20 years of this - YES 20 YEARS of yo-yo dieting, losing a bit here and there to put it all back on and a little more, for the next cycle of ridiculous diets. The only year I was happy was when I had had flu the week before and lost ½ stone. I had hot flushes, had no energy and felt rubbish for the whole Christmas party - but I was slim, so what does it matter?!! Life isn't for enjoying, it's about looking gorgeous and taut in your little black dress!

I'm pleased to say I no longer have this Christmas crisis at the beginning of December, when I frantically go on a ridiculous diet to lose half my body weight in 10 days by eating just cabbages, or milk shakes or maple syrup, so I can fit into said holy grail of LBD.

Yes, I gave up dieting 4 years ago, listened to what my body said it wanted to eat and when; and the weight slowly came off and stayed off for good.

'Good for you!' You might say, 'But how does that help me get into my LBD in 2/3 weeks time?'

Well, in the long term, make a New Years resolution that you are going to give diets a miss in 2010, and try something different. You are going to THINK and BEHAVE like a 'naturally slim person'.

• Eat when you are physically hungry (not emotionally, or through boredom or all the other
reasons)

• Stop eating when you are physically full.

• Listen to what your body is telling you it REALLY wants and needs to eat, and EAT IT - whether it's satsumas, bacon butties, nuts, chocolates off the Christmas tree, melon balls...

• Stop seeing food as 'good' and 'bad' as dictated by the diet industry, family, friends etc. All food is equal and we can eat whatever we like when we like - we are adults. This then takes away cravings and binges. If you are physically hungry and your body is telling you it wants to eat it - EAT IT AND ENJOY IT!

In the next couple of weeks, be realistic, you are not going to drop 3 stone without resorting to chopping your head and a couple of limbs off! However try this strategy to help you lose a couple of pounds, or at the very least not put on any more weight.

KILLING YOU WITH KINDNESS!

Christmas is a very food orientated festival with grannies, great aunt Mildred trying to push delectable goodies on you left, right and centre. Think Mrs Doyle in Father Ted, 'go on have a cake, have a mince pie, have a sausage roll, go on go on go on.....!'

People quite often associate feeding others with caring for them and showing love and hospitality. It can feel very awkward to say 'no' and is sometimes not appropriate.

Assess whether you are physically hungry and whether your body wants to eat it. If the honest answer is 'yes', go for it - eat it slowly and enjoy every mouthful. Remember to stop when you are full. Half a mince pie might be enough to satisfy your need.

If the answer is 'no', you could say, 'this looks delicious, can I take one to eat later when I am hungry. I'll let you know how much I have enjoyed it.' Take one, and the next time you feel physical hunger and fancy a mince pie - eat it.

This way, you are still eating the foods you enjoy, you don't feel deprived, you are not offending anyone, and you are not consuming lots of calories when you are not hungry just to be polite.

Happy Christmas!

Vanessa Heaps is a Weight Management Specialist based in the UK. She helps people to become their dream weight, for the rest of their lives, without dieting. Vanessa concentrates on helping people to think themselves slim using NLP techniques. She believes that people can regain their passion and enthusiasm for food and eating through giving up dieting forever, as diets only work in the short term.

For more information about Weight Loss workshops and home study methods, please see Vanessa's Website:

http://www.whyareyoueating.co.uk

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