New Delhi, Nov. 14 -- It's the season of festivities and parties, when diet plans run into troubled waters. The usual reactions to such indulgence is guilt, compensatory exercise or drastically slashing food intake over subsequent days. All three might sound like a good idea to balance things out but they are not.

A better approach would be to stay happy about what you ate and enjoyed instead of feeling heavy with guilt. "It is common to hear people complain about how much weight they have gained or why they shouldn't be eating what they are eating," says London-based coach and nutritionist Shannon Beer.

Instead, she urges people to give themselves permission to eat those tasty foods they are craving. "All you need to do is to practice ...