Christmas brings with it, presents under the tree, family gatherings, Christmas parties, food and drink. We have already stocked up on the mince pies, tins of Roses and boxes of Afternoon Tea biscuits. Christmas, and all that goes with it, tests our willpower to the end. Christmas day we consume an average of 6,000 calories - this is no help to our waistlines. So I’m here to help you understand where those calories come from and allow you to make simple healthier choices, especially on Christmas day.

Our Purefit Survival Guide 2014

For Starters

The traditional starter of Prawn Salad and Marie Rose sauce has approx 300 calories, which you can choose to exchange for a slice of melon at approx 50 calories or homemade vegetable soup at approx 135 calories.

Main Meal

While turkey is very low in fat choose the white meat as opposed to the brown. White can save you 60 calories per portion, if you remove the skin. Ham has more salt and fat in it but turkey is not the same without ham! so make sure you just trim off the fat. Pile on the veggies but remember roast vegetables can have double the fat of mashed potato. Opt for steamed broccoli, carrots and asparagus. For the stuffing reduce the butter by half and use brown whole meal bread instead of white. You can also opt for fruit & nut based stuffings. Gravy can be very high in fat when it is made with the juices of the meat, so opt for gravy using bouillon stock, corn flour and natural browning sauce (gluten free) or go for a delicious cranberry sauce with little calories. (Remember sauces on the side as a good tip to using less)

Dessert

Desserts can be the most calorific of all course. Choose smaller portions, low-fat cream, reduced-fat custard and just 1 mince pie. A lighter dessert choice (and my favorite) is Pavola - reduce the portion of cream and add plenty of delicious fresh fruits.

These small changes on Christmas day can take 1,000 calories off while still keeping the with traditional spirit of Christmas!

We've compiled twelve tips for keeping your Christmas party season healthier and the only one that will notice is yourself when you're finding it easier to keep up with our Purefit classes come the New Year. These twelve tips are small changes that won't diminish your much deserved enjoyment of the Christmas season and will make your start to the new year much easier. Please send us your own tips & tricks in the comments section below.

Break your fast - Everything starts with breakfast. A good slow release carbohydrate such as oatmeal will keep your blood sugar levels stable and help control your appetite during the day. Make it seasonal with a little cinnamon, some chopped cranberries or nuts.

Budgeted calories - Skip the shop bought mince pies but do save some calories for the home made ones, or better still make your own so you know exactly what balance of ingredients are in them. Budget your calories for a sample of the really tasty homemade treats and not the commercial ones you might end of overindulging in to make up for the lesser taste.

Diminishing returns - Enjoy the food you eat, but don't unnecessarily overindulge on things that don't bring you an equal return on enjoyment - those fancy chocolates are delicious, but the first one is much more delicious than the 20th!

Easy on the sauce - Forgo gravy and commercial sauces at Christmas dinner, or if preparing your own gravy from meat juices wait until the fat rises to the surface and spoon it off before making the sauce. Alcohol also follows the law of diminishing returns as above - a lovely glass of wine with your meal can be a delicious accompaniment, and the first one is much more delicious than the next!

Fruit & Nut Stuffing - Choose a fruit and nut based stuffing instead of sausage meat - chestnuts are a great source of potassium and are delicious with orange and cranberry for stuffings.

Lovely Roasties - Brushing or spraying oil lightly on potatoes and vegetables gives an even more delicious flavour than slathering them in oil and having them sit and soak it up while roasting.

Brussels Sprouts - Rich in folate and vitamin C, Brussels Sprouts also contain fibre which can help keep your digestive system healthy. Instead of boiling them and dousing them in butter for extra flavour, steam them with other greens like mangetout, brocolli and runner beans and add extra flavour using fresh herbs and lemon zest

Mistaking hunger - stay hydrated over the Christmas period. It's easy to mistake thirst for hunger and with all those treats and easy access calories lying around, the easiest solution to mistaken hunger is to find a mince pie, open some biscuits or eat some chocolates. Staying hydrated means you can save treats for when you can relax and enjoy those calories.

Healthier snacks - Remove the unnecessary temptations of having calorie laden pies, biscuits and chocolates to hand by having healthier snacks about the house. Snack on carrot sticks and hummus, try some bruschetta, smoked salmon toasties, mix up a salsa, or create a lovely guacamole to snack on.

Slow your roll - Christmas dinner is one of the few meals we eat these days that is all about family and togetherness. Enjoy the food and the company slowly - take your time eating and you'll avoid feeling uncomfortably full. There's plenty of time for more later!

Stay active - It's easy, and not uncommon to gain a pound over the winter and that may not sound like a lot. Put a few winters together and you're heavier than you want to be 'all of a sudden'. Staying active over this winter staves off that extra weight so you can enjoy Christmases for years to come.

Cook and freeze - With all the preparations that go into Christmas and of course we all want to spend time visiting friends and family, it can be hard to keep up with healthy home cooking. Cook meals in advance specifically to freeze them, you can double recipes and eat half fresh and freeze the rest for later. You'll be glad of it when unexpected visitors drop by and you can comfortably spend time chatting knowing dinner will take no time after.

These little tips will help you keep your Christmas party season healthier and make also make our Purefit classes a little easier in the New Year. Accepting small changes like these won't diminish your enjoyment of Christmas but will make your start to the new year that much easier. Add your own tips & tricks in the comments section below, and have a very merry Christmas from Purefit.ie