New Delhi, Sep 30 : With the festive season approaching, keeping a tab on your weight can be a little difficult. A few precautions can be taken to avoid gaining excessive weight, says an expert.

Kajal Bhatia, Consultant Nutritionist at RAW Pressery, a cold pressed juice brand, suggests how:

* Binge-eating at odd timings is a holiday delight but going overboard is very unhealthy and very easy. Skipping meals to balance out festive eating is also a very bad idea, as it only makes one ravenous later.

To avoid consuming a lot of calories, eat a filling, low-calorie snack or dish before leaving for a celebration. Protein, especially, will keep you feeling full, ensuring you only eat festival treats in small amounts.

Also try factoring in a few days of light eating prior to the festive season, in addition to consuming alkaline foods including spinach, broccoli and banana.

* The best way to control what you consume is to assume the role of the chef. Chefs have to do a lot of tasting and all that time spent in the kitchen does take the edge off hunger. Cooking, or at least deciding what is to be cooked and how, will allow you absolute control over the amount of calories you consume.

Choose the menu wisely, offer guests a range of healthy snacks. Grilling instead of frying, and steaming vegetables to retain nutrients are handy ways to reduce fat intake. Using a low-calorie spray oil is also a great way to roast food in a healthier manner.

* A fridge stocked with treats after celebrations are over, is not exactly your best bet. If you are the host, make sure to only order or cook as much as needed, carefully drawing up a menu and quantity list.

* Liquids are an important component of our diets, and binge consumption sessions are no different. A lot of times, our bodies mistake thirst for hunger, which leads to overeating. Craving snacks repeatedly can be a sign of dehydration. A good diet hack is to drink a glass full of water and wait for 10 minutes and then reconsider whether you want to give in to those cravings or not.

Drinking other liquids is also a good solution to hunger pangs, especially having fresh home-made or cold pressed juice blends are perfect and delicious alternatives. This should not be an excuse to have â€˜juice drinks\' (which are loaded with sugar and chemicals) or aerated drinks.

Alcohol is another high-calorie liquid that should be consumed in moderation. Try beginning the night with a refreshing mocktail, and alternate each drink with water or juice. Choosing low-calorie alcohol, including drier varieties of white and red wine, gin, champagne and light beer is also advisable.

* The holiday season takes up a lot of energy, throwing us off the gym schedules and even our regular sleep cycles. Countering this disruption is important, even if the effort put in is minimal. So, working out for half an hour instead of your usual hour and a half is a much better idea than skipping gym entirely.

Five simple ways to keep weight in check