Stacey's Top Tips For Christmas

It's that time of year again, when we all use Christmas as an excuse to be massive pigs. Don't feel bad, I've been doing it too; between Christmas parties and meals, German market trips and the lure of mulled winter cider, I've done a lot of scoffing so far this month. However, in a bid to not undo all of this year's good work in just one month, I figure it'd be a good idea to remind myself of the tips to get through the holiday season without putting on a billion pounds. Here goes!:

1. Christmas Is One Day, Not A Whole Month!

One of the biggest ways to get piling on the pounds is to act like Christmas equals the entirety of December. Erm, no. No-one wants to feel deprived on Christmas Day, so why not allow yourself a couple of hundred extra calories for Christmas Day itself? One day won't hurt, and you can fill up on all the Brussell sprouts you like!

2. How To Enjoy Yourself At The Christmas Party

OK, so sticking to the 'just Christmas Day' rule can be pretty hard, what with office parties, work Christmas lunches, and who knows what else. Parties are indeed tough, and you probably will go a bit over on your calories, but that's no reason to full on pig out.

• Why not try skipping a course (i.e. just have a starter and main, or main and dessert instead of all three)? 
• Choosing low fat/calorie drinks is a great idea; booze can add so many empty calories to your meal. 
• Your food choices make a difference too; try choosing grilled items rather than fried, foods with sauces that can be served separately so you can dictate the amount you scoff and ask for jacket potato or salad instead of chips or wedges. 
• Get some extra exercise in the day(s) before and after calorific events. I'm off for a 3 course meal at Pizza Express on Thursday, so I've been putting in extra time at the gym this week, and am planning to go for a walk shortly before the meal too. 

3. Getting Back On Track

If you fall off the wagon due to all the festive temptations (lebkuchen, I'm looking squarely at you), it can be incredibly easy to let that bad day become a bad week, then a bad month, and before you know it it's one year later and you're 2 stone heavier. (This actually happened to me, you know. Damn food and it's all-round deliciousness!) So, you need to train your noggin out of thinking "Well, I had that cake yesterday so I might as well go to the chippy today" and into thinking "Right, well, that cake yesterday was a proper yummy treat, but I'd better have a nice healthy stir fry today!"  I think this is probably the hardest step to follow. I don't know about you, but my brain is my worst enemy when it comes to making healthy lifestyle changes, and it's taken me several years to train it into not acting like one unhealthy day is the end of my healthy streak. Of course it isn't! In fact, I actually recommend having the odd treat every now and then, so you don't feel deprived. As I've said before; you can always make up for it with a little extra activity, and as long as you can climb straight back on the healthy horse you won't do too much damage. 

4. Don't Let A Weight Increase Get You Down

Let's not pretend that it isn't tough to lose weight over the holiday season. Heck, it's hard to just maintain your weight with all the temptations and shindigs going on. So, when you hop onto your scales on January 1st, try not to be too disheartened if there's no change, or even a little increase. We all know where that sort of thinking is heading; you'll be off to faceplant the nearest chocolate bar ASAP. Well, put down the Twix and try to be logical; you've shifted weight before; you can shift this too! Plus, the sooner you get back on track, the sooner the weight will start to drop off. And won't that be nice!

5. Have Fun!

Don't forget that Christmas is a time for having ridiculous amounts of fun, so do just that! Just don't go crazy, yeah? :P

Current Weight: 81.3kg

My Story So Far

So, you seem to have stumbled across my blog. Welcome! This first post will basically give you an overview of who I am, my weight loss journey so far, and what I hope to get out of this blog.

First things first; why the name "Big Fat Nerd Bird"? Well, my nerdliness is a big part of who I am, and so, unfortunately, is my weight. I've been overweight pretty much as long as I can remember, and that has had a huge impact on the person I am today. Picture this, if you will; I am 14 years old. For some reason I haven't hit puberty yet, so my growth spurt has not yet happened. I have recently upgraded from a fixed brace to retainers. I have glasses, I am 4' 11" tall (or short, rather) and I have no boobs to speak of as yet. I'm nerdy, bookish and quiet. I am, quite literally, a bully's dream come true. And so yes, I was bullied at primary school. And high school. And, weirdly, at college, when I thought people would be a little more grown up than that. Now, this bullying could've caused me to go one of 2 ways; 1. I could use their negativity to inspire change in myself, or 2. I could eat my pain away. Unfortunately I chose the latter.

My terrible lifestyle habits (large portions, snacking, and lack of exercise due to constantly having my head stuck in a book) continued on into my late teens/early twenties, until I hit 16st (224lbs or 101.6kg). I'm not sure why this number hit me so hard, but it did, and I thought "No. No more." I vowed I would never weigh this much again, and indeed definitely never creep over that amount And, I'm happy to say, I never have.

Full disclaimer here; I'm most definitely not perfect. I'm not a dietitian, a health trainer or nutritionist. I don't know everything there is to know about weight loss or healthy living. My weight has yo-yo'd over the years, but I'm getting there. This past year, my weight has been on a downward trend, and I currently weigh 12st 11.9lbs (179.9lbs or 81.6kg). I am less than 5lbs away from being the lightest I've been since puberty (it hit when I was 15-and-a-bit, and I grew to a respectable 5' 7", in case you were interested!). I still have a ways to go with weight loss (I'm aiming for anywhere between 10st and 11st, depending on how comfortable I feel) and that's where this blog comes in. It took me a while to realise how much progress I've actually made, and so I'm here to keep myself motivated and impart any useful tips I've picked up along my journey. I hope (after this initial, fairly serious post) to update regularly with interesting tips, daft stories and humorous anecdotes to keep myself reflecting on my progress, staying on track and basically sharing the weight loss love. I must say, my confidence is on the rise and it's because I feel fitter, healthier and happier, so let's do this!

Current Weight: 81.6kg