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It’s festive time and the season of culinary indulgence is here. The mind is replete with images of yummy rolls, pani poori, rasgullas, puran polis and delicious biryani. As we enjoy the variety of sweets and snacks this Diwali, let’s make it a special one with a few easy to follow guidelines for keeping our weight under check. Then you won’t look at the weighing scale after the celebrations and say “Oh my God! I’ve gained an extra 2 kgs and now I’ll have to workout so much more.”

Some thumb rules to keep your weight under check are of course to go low on deep fried snacks and ultra sugary sweets. Here are some more tips to help you eat and exercise right during this season:

• Eat a light snack before a party: Says Ms Ishi Khosla, renowned clinical nutritionist, “ Remember not to go starving for a party. Eat a light snack. Don’t go out to dine or reach a party ravenous. Make sure you take a light snack (salads, soups, vegetables, lentils, milk, yogurt or nuts make good choices) before leaving your home to prevent over-indulgence at the party. Or else, eat most of your meal at home and choose light snacks or vegetables while you are out. If you are a vegetarian look for vegetables with less gravy or without gravy as gravies are loaded with fats and calories.”
• Keep a Food Diary: You need to plan what you will eat, because planning your meal will let you enjoy your favourite food without gaining extra weight. Ishi Khosla says “Just like you plan your clothes and meetings, plan your eating too. If you know you are to dine out, then under-eat during the day. It helps to keep a food diary to track your calorie intake and make appropriate choices.” She prepares a healthy chutney with ingredients like curry leaves, moringa, pudina and awla, but she plans for the purchase of the ingredients well in advance. Certain apps nowadays show the calories consumed per meal and can help you plan a healthy meal.
• Sleep is very important: It’s important to remember that sleep plays a vital role in maintaining weight. “If you have a choice between a day Diwali party and a night one, choose the day party,” says Dipti Patole Mayenkar, nutrition counselor holding a masters in food science and nutrition. ‘Late nights and binge eating at late night parties is definitely not the way to keep your weight under check’ she says.
• Keep a fast but in the correct way: Fasting helps the mind and body regenerate and a weekly fast can be specially handy during this festive season. Says Ms Shruti Agrawal, nutritionist and holistic health counsellor, “Fasting gives a break to all our organs and slows us down. There is a lot of stress around us due to too much activity and slowing down is therefore very important. Autophagy (the body’s process of removing and reusing damaged wasted proteins to regenerate itself) also gets activated through fasting,” she says.

While a weekly fast is advisable for healthy individuals, what to eat during a fast is as important as fasting. Shruti says, “Many people eat large amounts of carbohydrates like sabudana and potatoes during their fast. This causes a huge surge in blood glucose levels and does not give the required rest to our digestive system. It is advisable to consume ample nutritious liquids (vegetable juices, coconut water, chaas) and fruits and cooked vegetables during a fast.” You also need to break your fast correctly. “Start with small portions of Khichdi and other easy to digest foods as you need to give time to your stomach to re-activate,” Shruti advises.

• What to eat and drink:. “Try grilled, stir-fried or lightly sautéed vegetables. Avoid fried dishes” says Ishi Khosla. “If non- vegetarian, choose light roasted/ grilled fish/poultry over mutton/beef/pork. Prefer lean cuts of meat. Skip desserts if possible, or choose light ones in place of ones with cream or deep fried ones. If temptation overtakes you or you have a sweet tooth, share your favorite ones with your friends” she adds. Dipti Mayenkar says, “Start your meal with fibre. It helps you digest the rich food you are eating during Diwali season.” She also recommends that hosts should serve salads and vegetables as starters before the main course.

As for alcoholic beverages, they are ‘’empty calories’’ says Shruti Agrawal, as they don’t add any nutrition. “Beer, since it is fermented barley- a bit of it is good and so is a bit of red wine” she adds. Says Dipti Patole, “New medical science research shows that no amount of alcohol is really ok. If at all you have to take a drink, you should prefer a glass of red wine. Don’t go for cocktails as they just add to the calories.”

• Stick to your exercise routine: Consistency is the key for getting the best results through exercise and burning the excess calories consumed. Says Abhishek Munian, fitness specialist, “Brisk walking is good and should be part of your daily activity. Walk at a good pace (a pace at which speech becomes difficult) and maintain an erect posture. If your knees, hips and ankles are strong, climb stairs as this taxes the cardiorespiratory system and you are working on the larger muscles of your lower body.”

He says, “A boring exercise routine is a healthy one. Do not get swayed away by new fancy exercises as fancy exercises do not give people dream bodies. People with dream bodies do 4 fundamental exercises consistently. Big muscles (chest and back, thighs, hamstrings and glutes) should be trained more frequently. The basic 4 exercises which will benefit everyone are: 1. Chest push ups (first against a wall then, on an incline and then floor push ups) 2. Squats- First wall sits, chair squats then graduate to squats without chair as support, then add weights (books and bottles) to your squats 3. Shoulder presses- Move shoulders up and down with mild weights 4. Lift dead weights from the ground.”

In the case of ab exercises he advices leg raises and dead bugs to train the core. However, it is important to pick up pace slowly. “Do not feel guilty about overeating and in turn overdo fitness exercises. Ramp up the routine very slowly and don’t aim to start doing 12,000 steps suddenly if you have been doing 10,000 per day,” he says.

• Travel with your tuck: If you are traveling during this season, keep away from unhealthy eating. Carry home made theplas, dry fruits, home made chiwda, peanuts, seeds or poha as snacks and food items. Avoid sandwiches and burgers loaded with mayonnaise and keep away from salads with uncooked vegetables as they may carry infection.
• Yoga exercises that help digestion: All the food that we eat gets digested through the alimentary canal. We need to ensure it is functioning well during this season of excessive eating. “All yogic practices, which involve pressing the abdomen help in better digestion”, says Kavita Karnik, experienced yoga teacher and an advocate of Naturopathy, “The Cat/Camel pose with abdominal strokes, Pawan Muktasana with Ashwini Mudra, Vakrasana, Yoga Mudra and Hastapadasana with abdominal strokes are some of the exercises very beneficial for digestion” she says. Sitting in Vajrasana after meals is good and practising Agnisar Kriya (Exhale, hold your breath and then move the stomach in and out) is very good for digestion.

Time your meals and do not drink water immediately after meals : Most dieticians say that you should aim to complete most of your eating before sunset. Ancient wisdom also recommends at least an hour’s gap between eating food and drinking water, as water delays the process of digestion. “Ayurveda recommends that we should avoid eating milk based sweets post a meal as dairy is difficult to digest” says Kavita.

If you follow the above-mentioned guidelines for a healthy diet and exercise routine, you can eat your favourite sweets and snacks in moderation without gaining weight. But moderation is the key word here. And if you find yourself giving in too often to the demands of your taste buds, seek the blessing of the Gods for some divine inspiration.

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