by Priya Kanwar

Created on: February 09, 2009   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

5 Tips to Survive the Fat Season

The holiday season brings with it enough reasons to eat, drink and make merry. This is especially true for occasions like Christmas and New Year, when all you want to do is have parties and eat a good amount of the wrong' foods. This added to the fact that there is hardly any exercise during this period only adds to the stress and fat in the body, which can be a deadly combination! But you can overcome these next few weeks with a few tough-minded guidelines without gaining weight. Here are 5 tips on how to survive the fat season effectively.

1. Don't try to lose weight during this period; maintaining the same weight will be a great accomplishment.

If you are on a weight loss program, or have started dieting a while back, then ease off during this period. No, I don't mean that you can go bersek, just don't add extra pressure or stress on yourself during this holiday season. Try instead to watch your portions and avoid too much of deviation from your original diet. This will help you in maintaining your weight, while not gaining any more. Once the danger period is over, get back on track immediately and try and do some extra workouts to shed extra calories that you may have ingested.

2. Since you know that the holiday season is going to be tough, plan for it well in advance. Maybe exercising a little extra, a week before the holiday begins, will keep your metabolism ticking.

This is another great strategy to keep the extra calories from piling up. Exercise more and be ready for the holiday season. Planning well ahead and being mentally prepared can go a long way.

3. You need a good support system to eat properly. Weight loss is best done with the help of a support system, particularly during a stressful time. If you attempt to go it alone you will probably fail.

Having your family and friends to support you in your cause is very essential and plays a very important role in helping you to control those impulsive urges to snack heavily. Psychological factors are the major cause for most people who put on weight as they use foods to comfort themselves emotionally.

4. Holiday seasons involves being with the family and so you need to pay attention to emotional family issues, since any unresolved family issues will emerge and create strong emotions in you. These strong emotions cause overeating or eating the wrong kind of food, due to the feelings they generate in you. Therefore, it would be a wise idea to tackle all your family issues well in advance.

5. Last but not the least, inform family members that you are working hard to lose weight and that you want their cooperation. Ask them to provide alternative foods for you and to resist the urge to tempt you to eat fattening foods.

Learn more about this author, Priya Kanwar.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.