Ah, the office Christmas party. Time for letting your hair down whilst trying not to grab the microphone and make teary impromptu speeches or call out ‘Yes! I love this song!’ and attempt to moonwalk when MJ comes on. Again. Best not to tell Dave from accounting that he can ‘count on you’ or finish any sentences that start with ‘you know if I didn’t have a boyfriend…’ either!
But aside from this general advice, we say have a blast! Still, you may as well not eat your bodyweight in food in the process if you can help it, right? Here’s our guide on how to eat, drink and be office merry yet still fit into your Chrissie frock on the 25th.
You don’t have to eat the bread rolls and potatoes.
Really, it is true! That whole ice-breaker of let’s break bread together is a carby social con. You don’t have to eat the complimentary bread in the basket. It may look tempting, but it’s not worth it. You will be full without it. Trust us!
Eat the veg first, then the meat!
Think ‘fill up on the healthy stuff’ as your mantra for the night. This is great to repeat to yourself before sampling the other creamy, buttery stuff – that way you still get to enjoy everything but won’t end up wanting to un-do your pant buttons and holding a sudden pot belly, groaning, ‘WHY?’ in front of your co-workers.
If it’s a buffet – same idea!
Here is a snazzy way of looking at plate-ing up. Try a little of a few things, not HUGE spoonfuls of everything.
*CLEVER CARBS = Â legumes (beans, lentils, split peas), starchy vegetables (corn, peas, sweet potato, pumpkin, potato), wholemeal or grainy breads, grains and whole fruit.
Don’t fill up on hors d’oeuvres.
You know the ones? The gorgeous little snacks that look harmless. Yes, have one or two but then move away from the tray. There is going to be a-plenty of food coming your way!
Drink water in between drinks.
This is such good advice for a number of reasons, just for weekends in general. Yes, it is great for the cals, but it is also great at preventing that moonwalking we mentioned earlier!
Don’t forget to Dance!
Not like an 80s film clip gone terribly wrong, but y’know definitely have a boogie. It burns calories and stops you from hovering around the graving table and the bar. Just keep the ‘woohoo-ing’ and Voguing to a minimum.
What about Cocktails…?
Is it really time to try a ‘fuzzy duck’ with a cowboy chaser at a work Christmas party? Leave such hazardous forays to the safety of your BFF’s kitchen and enjoy what you know you can handle and would usually drink. Maybe a lower-cal option is available? To thine own poison be true.
You don’t need to order more chips/wedges/cheese.
And also, don’t sit next to those wickedly indulgent people who will. If you do feel hungry later on, swap for some sweet potato fries or edamame instead!
Have coffee or tea!
Think of this as recess for your digestive system. And for dessert? Just have a little taste, or share one. Yes, I know, we are serious. Okay, maybe a rule too far if it is tiramisu…
And finally, in the Uber home remember…
YOU. DON’T. WANT. A. KEBAB. That is 1000 calories right there that you may think you need and is awesome at the time, but you will VERY HIGHLY likely regret the next morning. Tabouli breath and a bad stomach, no thanks. This is not advisable if you don’t want that ‘if I didn’t have a boyfriend’ comment to be prophetic…
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