Soon, it will be that time of the year. Thanksgiving through Christmas Season. The time of family gatherings, followed by major partying, is coming faster than you think.

Don't you just hate it when in front of everyone at a party, aunt goes up to you and loudly congratulates you for finally getting pregnant.. when you are not.

Wouldn't it better instead if she had commented that she could barely recognize you as you have lost so much weight.

That tummy sticking out can be a major cause of embarrassment. So can the extra pounds that insidiously creep up on you as you layer on warmer clothing. You know how the cold can make you hungrier.

Just because you can cover up, doesn't mean you should neglect your weight.

Hide the tummy with a control girdle and the butt sticks out. Just imagine that situation during the festive season, when you try to squeeze into your beautiful cocktail dress. Only to look like a big fat sausage.

Imagine on the other hand, slipping into that favourite cocktail dress, to find it fits perfectly, no unsightly bulges. Walking into the mall, picking the gown you love off the mannequin and it fits you perfectly. Imagine the look on your guy's face when he sees that you in that stunning gown.

Which reality you eventually face is up to you. You have to start quickly. Start working on your figure right away. Watch what you eat, and get the exercise you need.

Start off with a food diary.

As it gets colder, you tend to get hungrier. You might take small snacks, low fat, low calorie maybe, yet lots of small snacks add up to a lot of calories. Maybe, you get those 100 calorie snack size packs, and munch on those. Finish one pack, feel like munching something, get another pack. Over and over again. By the end of the day, you could have taken 10 snack packs without realizing it. Those 100 calorie snacks added up to 1000 calories, and that is not even counting your regular meals.

Then there are the drinks you take. Alcohol is terrible. Your body treats it like fat. Think about the beer belly.

Then the sodas you consume, the cans of coke and other soft drinks, the sugar you put into your tea and coffee, the calories in every drink you consume.

With your food diary, record down everything you eat or drink each day. Calculate the calories found in each item and total up how much you consumed in a day.

That will be quite an eye opener. Pay attention to what you find in there. Reduce your calories by switching to water instead of sodas. If water is to bland for your taste, put a slice of lemon into the water to flavor it.

Next comes the exercise bit.

Pick a workout that would target your problem areas. If your waist, legs and arms could use some improvement, go for the billy blank exercise It tones these areas beautifully.

Pick a workout that you can stick to. If you have been sedentary all along, try walking. Power walking. Better yet, get for treadmill and just walk. As you get fitter, speed up to a jog and then to a run. You will see the pounds melt off.