I’ve been having more fat days than skinny days of late. I seem to wake up, climb on the scale, see that I haven’t dropped 2 kgs over night and proceed to be in the worst mood for the rest of the day. I know I shouldn’t weight myself every day and should gauge my weight on how my clothes feel. But you see, that’s just the problem.

My clothes have become tight so I know I’ve definitely put on weight. And what’s worse is that it’s just before Christmas so I don’t even have that 1 or 2 kgs to play with. I can just see myself going back to work after the holidays with camel toe!

It’s tough though. Trying to stay ‘good’ and on track when all around you, there are loads of delicious, scrumptious munchies is torture. But in an attempt to survive and do the best I can in order to not put on (too much) weight, I pulled out my dietician’s notes from a few years back. (Thank-you Melanie Levy!)

As I read through my notes, I picked out a few simple tips which I’m going to try and stick to…

• Salads are fine as long as you avoid the dressing. Go for vinegar, not oil. Ditch the olives, avo and cheese.
• Bread rolls are silent evils. Do you really need them?
• Don’t be fooled by the vegetables at a restaurant. They are usually loaded with butter or even cheese.
• Stick to the white meat.
• Choosing to have the fish is not the best option as it is usually basted with butter or oil. Ask for dry-grilled.
• Steak or chicken, grilled over an open flame is actually one of the safest foods to order. No side sauces.
• Tomato based pasta sauces are better than cream-based ones.
• If ordering pizza, ask for less / no cheese.
• For desserts, choose jelly (no custard) and swiss roll.
• Sugar based sweets are allowed. These include boiled sweets, gums, lollipos, marshmallows.
• Opt for skinny cappuccinos or freezochinos (if made with water)
•  NO NOs! Potato chips, crisps, pies, peanuts ‘n raisins.

In the back of my mind, I do know that it is Christmas and it is a time of enjoying the time spent with family and friends as well as all the yummy dishes that we don’t normally eat during the year. Like gammon, christmas cake, trifle… *drool*. And I can always diet in the new year, surely.

PS: my running shoes are parked next to the bed, just as a reminder that a second helping of roast potatoes is simply not worth it in the long run…