There’s no better time to indulge in these holiday favorites. “During my holidays, I go out more and tend to enjoy the good food that’s out there,” informs Shilpa, a 28 year old lady working in a MNC. “I see it as a time to indulge and not be so conscious of what I’m eating.” But, sadly this has an obvious pit fall. According to the American Heart Association, people tend to gain in between 2.5 to 5 kgs of unwanted weight during a vacation / holiday. But how can you try to maintain your weight during such a tempting time?

“Holidays are notorious; they are responsible for overindulgence of super-rich foods and beverages and a lower activity level” informs Dr Abhay Mutha, Consultant Diabetologist, President Diabetic Care Research Foundation. The real trouble comes when people continue in the ‘holiday eating mode’ after the holidays too and most of them do not lose that extra in the year that follows. Although it’s not easy to shed holiday weight gain, experts believe that there are ways to keep the pounds from piling on in the first place.

“People should balance the food they eat with some kind of physical activity,” says Dr Mutha. When you become obese, there’s an increased risk for everything from high blood pressure to certain types of cancer. Recent research findings suggest strongly that dropping even a small amount of weight - 10 percent to 15 percent of body weight - can reduce your risk of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, bad cholesterol and other illnesses.