Here we go again, it's holiday season, which means cookies, pies and large meals with friends and family. What else does it mean, weight gain. So how do you make sure that you don't gain weight during this holiday season? What measures can you take, and what are the most tried-and-true methods to make sure that you don't gain that holiday weight?

First off, we need to understand that what is responsible for weight gain is a caloric surplus. If we are taking in more calories than we burn we will gain weight. So what's an easy remedy? In my opinion, it is very important to keep a food diary. You don't have to write on a piece of paper or computer you could simply use your phone to track your calories in. It's very important to know what caloric intake will cause you to gain weight and lose weight and so on and so forth. Now in order to make sure that we get to that caloric deficit we may need to incorporate exercise. For instance, on Thanksgiving you probably think that you'll be gaining weight due to the increased caloric intake so what do you do? The answer is try to do some cardio Thanksgiving Day morning that way you'll be in a more positive caloric balance.

Some other ways you may be able to prevent yourself from eating too much is, and I have used as many times for myself as well, to try to eat your protein based food first before you hit the carbohydrates and desserts. Try to eat the turkey or the ham or what have you before you take in that the stuffing and so on so forth. Also try to drink a lot of water with your meals. Stay away from the apple cider and the drinks that also have calories and will add to that caloric intake.

So in summation, if you're looking to stay away from the holiday weight gain be sure to track your calories and instill some exercise.  I wish you all a happy holiday and a healthy New Year