According to stats released from the Huffington Post, The British Dietetic Association found ‘the average Brit will gain up to half a stone over the festive period’. If the temptation for the cheeseboard after Christmas dinner is too strong, please pay careful attention to ‘New You’ tips on how to avoid weight gain during the Christmas holiday.

The BDA has issued its own set of tips on how to counteract the calories on Christmas Day, including eating turkey without the skin, serving unbuttered vegetables and using desert-sized plates when serving the afternoon buffet.

The BDA advice links strongly with New You Boot Camps nutritional approach. “Turkey is OK as it’s a lean meat, the problem is the trimmings. You could replace potatoes with sweet potatoes as they contain less starch and sugar than normal potatoes,” says Leonie Wright, nutritional therapist, from EatWright.

At ‘New You’ we love using fresh herbs and spices as an alternative to sugar, salt and false flavorings. As the BDA suggest, Why not have fresh fruit instead or even hot apples with raisins, cinnamon and cloves as an alternative to the normal culprits of Christmas pudding and brandy cream.

Find out how you can minimize your calorie intake with these top tips from nutritionist and Head of Physicians at Nuffield Health, Dr. Davina Deniszczyc.

Here are some other helpful tips provided by Food Watch that should support you over the festive period:-

Fill up first. Have a healthy snack before hitting the holiday party scene. You will be likely to make wiser choices when you’re not famished

Go easy from the get-go. Canapus and starters are calorie “minefields.” Select one tempting canapus and/or starter sticking to shrimp, vegetables and fruit before the main course.

Bring your own. Volunteer to bring your own healthy dish to a holiday gathering that can double as a host or hostess gift.

Mingle more and linger less. Hanging around the buffet table can be over tempting. Move around the room and socialise more.

Put your fork down. We’ve tried this at New You and it does work. If you put your fork down between every bite, you eat less and savour more.

Sip smartly. Avoid sugary soft drinks, punches and alcohol. If the temptation is too great change to spirits with slime line and take in large glasses of water between drinks.