'I'm a doctor – there's one thing you must avoid post-Christmas to lose weight'

With Christmas week in full swing, many will be tucking into mountains of food – and there's no reason to regret any of it all. But some might still be thinking about their weight loss journeys

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Christine YounanDeputy Editor Social Newsdesk

03:00, 26 DEC 2024
Updated08:48, 26 DEC 2024

It's been a festive week with all the Christmas food, presents and movies everyone's been enjoying.

Of course, this time of the year means you can eat and drink what you want – without feeling any guilt at all. But sadly for some, weight loss journeys remain in the back of their mind.

Thinking about returning to a fitness routine in 2025 can feel daunting with many experts urging people to take it easy around this time of the year. Now a doctor on TikTok revealed the one thing you must absolutely avoid post-Christmas.

In a post online, user @healthy_little_lifter, known as Doctor Aisling Gough, had some solid advice for her 13,500 followers. She said: "If you're feeling a bit rubbish post-Christmas.

"You've got a bit of weight on, you're feeling a bit bloated and a bit ugh. And you're thinking today is the day I'm going to get back on track, I'm going to lose weight. Here are some things you can think about..."

For starters, she urged people to step away from the scales as they must avoid weighing themselves at all costs. She added: "Give it another week because the scales are probably going to go up.

"Not because you've overate, over indulged and you've gained body fat. That's not the reason. It's not just body fat, it's body weight. Body weight and body fat are two different things, if you eat more carbs, the word is carboHYDRATE, you'll hold onto water."

She explained how there's many factors which come into play – from having more sodium, to eating less fruit and vegetables. These are all ways which can slow down bowel movements and in turn, make you put on "weight".

"Give it another week, do not weigh yourself," she concluded. "It's absolutely fine to kind of get momentum going, get back into routine and maybe start new healthy habits you want to implement for the year ahead."

Giving advice to people who might have already weighed themselves, doctor Aisling advised: "Don't freak out, don't do anything. And for the love of God, do not get sucked into a fad or detox."

Her post garnered hundreds of likes with dozens of comments since it was shared. One said: "Definitely excess weight on the scale this period is water retention." While another added: "I don't know if my phone is listening to me or what, but thank you. I needed it."