How to enjoy Christmas without gaining weight during perimenopause and menopause

Navigating fat loss during perimenopause and menopause can be tricky, especially when the festive period comes around, with tables filled with mince pies, roast dinners and celebratory drinks.

However, just because it's Christmas, this doesn’t mean you have to pause your fat loss journey. With a few mindful strategies, you can still enjoy the Christmas celebrations without gaining weight or undoing all the fat loss progress you've worked for throughout the year - let’s explore how below.

Review your fat loss goal

Before diving into the festive season, take time to review what goals you would like to achieve during this time:

• Do you want to keep losing weight? Is it realistic, especially if your usual routine is all over the place with festive plans?

• Is it more realistic to maintain your weight? There's nothing wrong with pausing progress and focusing on maintaining during a time when food is more available.

• Or, would it be more realistic to allow leeway to gain a few pounds? Again, there's nothing wrong with allowing yourself to regain a small amount of weight, especially if it prevents you from over-restricting.

Allow for realistic and flexible goals so that you can have a guilt-free Christmas, and so you can still enjoy the festivities.

Challenges faced during the festive period that make weight gain easier at menopause

During perimenopause and menopause, the festive season can feel particularly challenging, so being aware of the potential hurdles ahead can help you prepare and navigate them more easily:

• Food noise: Christmas is well known for its roast dinners, mince pies and nibbles, which increases the availability of high fat, sugar and salt foods. This increases food noise - the constant mental chatter about eat, what to eat and food - making it harder to listen to true hunger cues. 

• Social events: During this time, there is an increase in parties, alcohol and picky bits, which can quickly add calories without realising, and lead to mindless eating.

• Emotional eating: Stress from organising plans, or even feeling lonely and bored during this period, can trigger emotional eating, leading to excess calories being consumed.

• Ultra-processed foods: During the festive period, especially, there are more ultra-processed foods that are socially encouraged and moreish, like foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt. This can lead to overeating and an excess calorie intake, making it harder to maintain healthy eating habits. 

• Skipping meals:m It’s common to think about skipping meals to compensate for later meals; however, this can lead to overeating later on in the day, due to built-up hunger.

• Hormonal changes: During the perimenopause and menopause, hormonal changes can increase cravings and promote lower energy levels.

Strategies

Listed below are some simple and realistic strategies that can help you to enjoy the festive period, whilst reviewing your own personal goals, and still feeling in control. 

Practice mindful eating 

Slow down and savour your food, so you can truly enjoy it. This might mean giving yourself a smaller portion to start with, and there will always be an opportunity to get a few more bits afterwards if you are still feeling hungry. 

Tips to eat more mindfully:

• Chew thoroughly, enjoy the taste and texture of the food 

• Avoid distractions, like eating in front of the TV; instead, sit at a table 

• Listen to hunger and fullness cues to prevent overeating 

Plan your ‘fun’ foods 

Enjoy your favourite festive foods by planning them intentionally, so you can eat them guilt-free. Restricting or avoiding foods can lead to increased cravings, which may lead to overeating once the desire for them becomes unbearable. Instead, by giving yourself permission to enjoy them, you are far more likely to be able to control your portion size and eat them without guilt!

Watch portion sizes 

Little swaps can make a big change, try a mini mince pie or only buy a 2 pack of mince pies and not a 6 pack. Instead of a large hot chocolate, try a small festive hot chocolate. This is so you can still enjoy your favourite festive foods without overdoing portions, helping to remove guilt afterwards. 

Balance your meals 

Aim for a balanced plate when eating your festive roast dinner. Make sure your plates have protein, wholegrains, colourful vegetables and healthy fats. This can help make you feel fuller for longer, leaving less room to graze mindlessly on picky bits, and will help to reduce cravings later in the day.

Be mindful of alcohol 

Don’t drink alcohol on an empty stomach, as this can increase hunger and increase cravings for calorific foods, high in fat, sugar and salt. Why not try swapping alcoholic drinks for mocktails, sugar-free sodas or squash?

Be kind to yourself 

Christmas is a one-week festive period out of the entire year. It's a time to enjoy, and indulging for one week won’t undo fat loss progress permanently. If you haven’t already, review your fat loss goal ahead of the festivities, as discussed above.

Keep active 

Try to incorporate movement into activities, like family walks, solo walks, dog walks or even a dance in the kitchen. Regular physical activity helps burn calories, boost mood, supports digestion and balances blood sugar levels, helping with physical and mental wellbeing.

Conclusion

The festive season is a time to relax and enjoy the celebrations. It doesn’t have to be a time to choose between your enjoyment and weight loss progress, especially during the menopause transition. Being able to review these goals and staying realistic with yourself can help you to maintain balance and your wellbeing throughout the festive time, allowing you to enjoy the festivities guilt free. Menopause and perimenopause are already times of change, so focus on what you can do, nourish your body and move in ways that make you feel better, whilst enjoying the festive period. 

Remember, Christmas is only one week and won’t undo your progress.

This blog was written by Mia Watkins, a second year Nutrition student at Oxford Brookes University with a strong interest in individual health, particularly how the diet can support long term wellbeing.

Lutrition is founded by Registered Nutritionist Lucy Jones, who provides 1-1 support for those going through perimenopause and menopause who want to lose their stubborn unwanted fat for good, so they can fit comfortably and confidently into their clothes. Consultations are available virtually and in person across Brackley, Towcester, Northampton, Milton Keynes, Bicester and Banbury