Waking up to a plateful of faral is inarguably the best part of a Diwali morning. The festive season is a difficult time of year for the weight conscious. At every turn, you are tempted with luscious laddoos, savoury sevs and crunchy chaklis. How much can one resist? What may start with one chakli may end in a whole box of kaju katli. Diwali tests your resolve like no other. And when the festivities conclude, your favourite kurta doesn’t fit, and you have to force yourself into it. If thoughts of gaining weight are giving you sleepless nights, don’t worry. We have the right advice for you.

Hydrate Yourself

We underestimate the power of hydration in weight loss. Drinking water not only flushes all the toxins out, but also keeps you feeling fuller for longer. Down a whole glass of water with all your meals and keep thirst at bay, especially during the festive season. Include These Spices In Your Diet To Melt Away Those Extra Kilos.

Stick to Your Diet

Just because it is Diwali doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stick to your diet regimen. Straying from your diet for five days will make a world of difference to your weight. So if you start your day with oats porridge on regular days, be sure to stick to a routine. You will feel less guilty at the end of the day.

Be Active!

Come on; it’s festive season! Who in their right mind would want to sit in a corner, watching videos on YouTube? Be on your feet, help your family with decorations, scrub that floor, dust those shelves, serve the guests and wash those utensils. All the moving around will help you burn off those besan laddoos and karanjis you shamelessly indulged in.

De-Stress

If you are familiar with the term stress eating, you may know how fluctuating moods can trigger unhealthy binge-eating habits. Diwali time may be exciting and stressful at the same time, making you reach out for snacks. High-stress levels lead to increased cortisol (stress hormone) in your body, which makes you hungrier than before. With all the Diwali sweets and savouries lying around, who will blame you for overeating? 12 Harmless Habits That Are Making You Fat!

Have Proteins

If weight loss is the question, protein is the answer. Most Diwali sweets and refreshments are carb heavy, which leads to weight gain. You can counter this in part by adding more proteins into your diet. Proteins keep you fuller, improve your metabolism and increase your satiety hormone.

Use Healthy Ingredients and Cooking Methods

Make the best use of your OTG and bake some of the snacks like karanjis, kachoris, chaklis and shankarpali or shakkar para that require frying. Use whole grains and natural sweeteners instead of refined flour and sugar. It may not taste the same, but it will make you feel less guilty after pigging out. Oh, on that note…

Don’t Pig Out

The idea is not to go overboard. No one will stop you from indulging in your favourite savouries and sweets as long as you exercise portion control. A study published in the journal Advances in Nutrition says that people who don’t follow portion size are at risk of gaining weight. 10 Easy Lifestyle Changes That Can Burn Fat.

Weigh Yourself Regularly

Weigh yourself every night to check for weight fluctuations. Any slight increase in weight will act as a deterrent and stop you from going overboard. And no, it doesn't mean you are obsessive. A 2011 study in The Journal of the American Dietetic Association says that regularly weighing yourself has been associated with weight loss and not with adverse psychological outcomes.

Get a Partner To Check On You

So you have poor self-control, no worries. Get a well-meaning friend, sister or anyone who cares about you to rein you in every time they find you inching towards third or fourth helpings.

Watch How You Can Beat Weight Gain:

Holiday weight gain is real. Many men and women find that their weight increases around the holiday season. But you don’t have to forgo the festivities and food entirely. Maintaining portion size and being mindful about your food intake is a sure shot way of being in control.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 05, 2018 06:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).