Our country is full of festivals throughout the year! Lots of fun, meeting our loved ones, bright coloured clothes and most importantly, heavenly food! Yeah, that's exactly why we look forward to the festivals so much...

For the ones who are on a weight loss regimen, it's one of the most difficult times. But if you can make smart choices, no one can blame you for eating that favourite sweet. Not even your Dietitian! Here's how to manage your calories during the festivals...

1. Start the preparation 2 weeks early: Create a kind of calorie deficit two weeks in advance. Not by eating less food, but by eating lesser calories and burning more. Go for foods which are high in fiber (all citrus fruits, not the pulpy ones; all vegetables except for roots and tubers; whole grains and sprouts).
* Do not starve!

2. Prioritize your favourites, and stick to the priorities: Make a list of foods you love (a maximum of 3). When you are at the table during meals, take only one of those favourites per meal. Learn to ignore all other delicacies for that meal.
*Rest of your plate should be full of vegetables and dals and sprouts!

3. Stick to the 3 Bites rule: Every time you go for that dessert, know that the first bite will always give you that high. The last one is for satisfaction that you could eat it (and won't be gaining weight with it). And the 2nd bite is just to make you feel you ate a lot between the 1st and the last one.
*If you want to cheat on your diet, you will have to cheat your cravings too!

4. Watch your portion sizes: The above mentioned point talks about 3 bites. Make sure those are all tea-spoon sized ones! Portion sizes of high calorie foods always matter. Eat your meals and desserts in a smaller plate than your usual one. It will help you feel that you have a lot on your plate, and will help you avoid overeating.
*Smaller plates - smaller portions - lesser calories!

5. Input should always match the Output: Since you know that your calorie intake is going high, your calorie burning should go higher. Think it the other way round... You exercise (at least for 30 mins per day), and you get the reward for it - One of your favourite dessert for that day (don't forget the 3 bite rule here).
*No Exercise - No Favourite foods, is the punishment!

6. Choose natural: If you love sweets, always choose the home-made ones or the ones which do not have any preservatives or additives. The traditional varieties like laddoos made of besan/ rava/ coconut, gulab jamuns made of khoa, shrikhand made of hung curd, puran poli made of atta, dal and jaggery, and many more are the ones which won't just give you calories, but also other nutrients!
*Don't waste your allowances on sweets which have maida or just refined sugar!

7. Keep your evenings and nights low on calories: Make sure you eat your favourites in the first half of the day. Your activity levels might be lesser in the second half of the day; match it with your calorie intake too.
*Plan your day beforehand; it will save you of a lot of guilts later!

8. Sharing is the best policy: Don't eat any of your favourites without sharing. This is one of the best ways to curb the intake of high calorie foods.
*And remember, you get to take only one serving of it even when you have shared it with your siblings!

Too many rules to follow? Ahh, believe me it'll all be worth it to not gain any weight even after eating your favourite foods!

Eat smart during the festivals, and you will definitely get the rewards!