Holidays without the bulge

The Holidays is the time of the year that most of us look forward to. It's a time for exchanging gifts, merrymaking and catching up with good friends and loved ones that we rarely see due to our busy schedules. It is also during this period that we tend to gain weight because of the endless social gatherings that we go to during this time. And, with so many gift baskets that contain our favorite treats coming into our doors, resisting the temptation of binging becomes even more difficult.

Guilt and worries shouldn't be part of your Holidays. We should be able to enjoy it to the fullest without stressing over the weight we would need to lose when the Christmas season is over. Here are some damage control strategies that will save you from the Holiday bulge.

Sure. Your Christmas vacation has started. It's time to relax and take it easy. But, this doesn't mean that you should take a break from physical activities. In fact, this is the one time when exercise can be your bestfriend. Schedule a work out two to three hours before a celebration. Because our metabolism is faster after exercise, it will make it easier for us to burn the huge amount of calories that we would be consuming later on.

The best part about eating is being able to taste your food and enjoy the different flavors exploding on your tongue. In order to be able to do this, you should chew your food more slowly. Not only is this the best way to appreciate the fantastic dishes that will be served during your parties, it will also help you lessen the amount of food that you will eat. Because it takes around twenty minutes for our brains to receive the signal that we are full, eating slowly will lessen our calorie consumption.

Seriously, one of the best ways you can control the damages that the Holidays can inflict on your figure can be controlled by striking a good deal with yourself. Enjoying the Christmas season doesn't mean that all your meals should be huge, greasy and packed with calories. You can always opt for lighter meals when you are eating at home. This means that you can promise yourself that you would eat light, low fat meals before you head to your party so that you could splurge later on. Or, if you've spent your night indulging on all your favorite dishes, you can promise yourself that you would stick to low-calorie meals the next day.

Although alcohol gives life to a party, you are bound to pay for it when the Holidays have ended. Don't stop yourself from enjoying yourself but do try to stick with drinks that do not carry a lot of calories. Light beer can be a great option. You should also go for wine instead of mixed drinks since they contain a lot of sugar. Another thing that you can do is alternate a serving of alcoholic drink with a non-caloric one like diet soda, water or spritzer. This way, you won't pack up too much calories during your party. Not only will you be able to make some space for delicious deserts in the party, you are also assured of a safe ride home.

As a last resort, you can take in some carb blockers 30 to 45 minutes before your Christmas dinner or New Year's Eve party. Made of hydroxycitric acid, taking this supplement can stop the conversion of excess carbohydrates into stored fat, allowing you to help yourself to as much potatoes and pasta as you want. You can also take in some fat blockers that contain lipophylic substances that can capture the fats that you take in and stop it from being absorbed by the digestive tract.