Avoid piling on festive pounds

CHRISTMAS revellers can end up gaining up to four-and-a-half pounds in weight over the four-week festive period — the equivalent of two bags of sugar, the Nutrition and Health Foundation (NHF) has warned.

The weight gain works out at an extra 550kcals a day — and can arise from just a few handfuls of crisps, a mini sausage roll and a couple of glasses of wine.

So it is no surprise that losing weight ends up at the top of a lot of people’s New Year resolution list.