You Eat 7000 Calories On Christmas Day Here's How To Burn Them Off By Jan 1st

On Christmas day, you will have already consumed your daily calorie count by 2pm. By bedtime, after you’ve had your fill of meat, chocolate, champagne, and cheese, you’ll have reached 7,000 calories — about three times what you eat on an average day.
With 3,500 calories roughly constituting one pound of weight, we could be gaining almost two extra pounds on Christmas day. Chances are it’ll just drop off naturally once you return to eating normally, but if you’d rather nip it in the bud, diet is the place to start.

On average most people eat 2000-2500 calories per day. Try and reduce that number by 500, swapping sugary or fatty snacks for protein and loads of fibrous fruit and vegetables to keep you satiated. Stick to the exercise plan below and you’ll have created enough of a calorie deficit to drop roughly 2lbs in a week. If that sounds too intense try cutting 250 calories a day and exercising every other day to get the same results in two weeks.

Because our bodies vary so wildly, it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact amount of calories burned by a particular activity. Generally speaking, those who are heavier tend to exert more energy, because excess pounds put greater demand on your muscles (a bit like walking around with dumbbells strapped to your body).

Weight from muscle also has a big impact as the body uses up more energy restoring, building and maintaining muscle tissue. Conversely, as fitness increases energy expenditure decreases. This is because our bodies adapt and gradually need more intensity to maintain the same burn rate.

With these factors in mind, we’ve included approximates for duration of exercise and calories burned. If you’re at the lighter / fitter end of the spectrum you’ll have to workout for longer to get the same results.

About the author

Esme Benjamin

Wellness Editor

Born and raised in Bristol, England, Esme has been geeking out over syntax her entire life. She studied English Lit by the Brighton seaside before moving to London to pursue her writing career in 2009, going on to work for Grazia Daily, The Telegraph and SheerLuxe. In 2013 she swapped The Big Smoke for The Big Apple, where she trained as a yoga teacher and contributed to Refinery29, Self, Fitness Magazine and Greatist. When she's not glued to her laptop or iPhone you'll find her drinking Kale Margaritas at an East Village happy hour, planning her next adventure, or hand-standing (with more vigor than skill) at the yoga studio.