The days of festivities, joy, pleasure and plenty of eating and drinking are over and you may be stuck with extra unneeded weight if you weren't careful about your nutritional intake.

This article will list important do able holiday weight loss tips and supplements that help with weight loss.

1. Take Charge
The first step to weight loss is setting a realistic goal. By using a BMI chart and consulting with your health-care provider, you can determine what a healthy weight is for you. If you plan to lose more than 15 to 20 pounds, have any health problems, or take medication on a regular basis, a doctor should evaluate you before you begin a weight loss program.

2. Are you overweight?
Overweight refers to an excess of body weight, but not necessarily body fat. Obesity means an excessively high proportion of body fat. Health professionals use a measurement called body mass index (BMI) to classify an adult's weight as healthy, overweight, or obese. BMI describes body weight relative to height and is correlated with total body fat content in most adults. To get your approximate BMI, multiply your weight in pounds by 703, then divide the result by your height in inches, and divide that result by your height in inches a second time. (Or you can use the interactive BMI calculator at www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bmicalc.htm.) A BMI from 18.5 up to 25 is considered in the healthy range, from 25 up to 30 is overweight and 30 or higher is obese. Generally, the higher a person's BMI, the greater the risk for health problems, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). However, there are some exceptions. For example, very muscular people, like body builders, may have a BMI greater than 25 or even 30, but this reflects increased muscle rather than fat. In addition to a high BMI, having excess abdominal body fat is a health risk. Men with a waist of more than 40 inches around and women with a waist of 35 inches or more are at risk for health problems.

3. Change eating habits
Dieting may conjure up visions of eating lettuce and sprouts--but you can enjoy all foods as part of a healthy diet as long as you don't overdo it on fat (especially saturated fat), protein, sugars, and alcohol. To be successful at losing weight, you need to change your lifestyle--not just go on a diet, experts say. Limit portion sizes, especially of foods high in calories, such as cookies, cakes and other sweets; french fries; and fats, oils and spreads. Reducing dietary fat alone--without reducing calories--will not produce weight loss, according to the NHLBI's guidelines on treating overweight and obesity in adults. Eat less and move more. Your body needs to burn more calories than you take in.

4. Increase physical activity
Most health experts recommend a combination of a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for weight loss. Most adults should get at least 30 minutes and children should get 60 minutes of moderate physical activity on most, and preferably all, days of the week. Exercise does not have to be strenuous to be beneficial and some studies show that short sessions of exercise several times a day are just as effective at burning calories and improving health as one long session.

5. De-stress yourself
The holiday season can be stressful and in some individuals this may lead to overeating due to stress further leading to increase in weight. If you identify yourself as one these people and feel the need to eat in between meals then at least eat healthy instead of munching on chips and cookies etc try veggies and fruits.

6. Don't skip meals
Otherwise it will encourage you to over eat at the next meal. If you have to snack in between meals try snacking on fruits and veggies.

7. Food Allergies
Make note of foods you are allergic to. Food allergies disrupt metabolism and thus hinder weight loss.

8. Crash Diets Avoid them.
They are mostly self-defeating and serve only as a temporary band-Aid solution.

9. Drink plenty of water
To flush out the toxins from your body.

10. Tips for Eating Out
Choose foods that are steamed, broiled, baked, roasted, poached or stir-fried. Share food, such as a main dish or dessert, with your dining partner. Take part of the food home with you, and refrigerate immediately. You may want to ask for a take-home container when the meal arrives. Spoon half the meal into it, so you're more likely to eat only what's left on your plate. Request your meal to be served without gravy, sauces, butter or margarine. Ask for salad dressing on the side, and use only small amounts of full-fat dressings.

No Laughing matter
We're putting on the pounds at an alarmingly rapid rate. And we're sacrificing our health for the sake of super size portions, biggie drinks, and two-for-one value meals, obesity researchers say. More than 60 percent of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While the number of overweight people has been slowly climbing since the 1980s, the number of obese adults has nearly doubled since then.

Besides the above weight loss tips certain supplements may also help in weight loss.

Some of these supplements are listed below.

1. GREEN TEA (Popular for weight loss, also a powerful antioxidant)

2. Garcinia Combogia

3. Chromium Picolinate

4. Flaxseed Oil

5. Lecithin

6. L-Carnitine

7. Fennel

8. Fenugreek

View all Mayur Vibhakar's articles

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