You are doing brilliantly on your pre-Christmas diet and are looking hot and beach ready. Then along comes festive mince pies, the brandy custard and the endless flow of bubbles and in what seems like the blink of an eye (or a second on the lips), on pile those shed kilos - plus a few extras.
It's that dreaded cycle of the metabolic cycle. As we deprive ourselves of energy, the metabolism slows and we shed muscle mass. At the first sign of a feast our bodies anticipation the next period of starvation and just like our caveman forefathers did for survival, our bodies immediately store the energy as fat.
Thankfully and perfectly timed for Christmas, the latest research shows that exercise after weight loss will give your metabolism that extra boost, saving you from metabolic slump and waistline frump.
Researchers from the University of Alabama applied the concept of HIIT to a calorie restricted diet in mice and found that it both preserved muscle mass and positively impacted the way the body uses glucose for energy (or Christmas custard for a festive run or other fun).
Another trending metabolic booster is cinnamon which will be lavishly included in all future Chocolate Nights - it's a promise!