Should you fear holiday bulge?

Conventional wisdom says Americans can pack on pounds during the holidays.

A 2013 Consumer Reports survey found that gaining weight was cited as a holiday fear by one out of three Americans.

But is it really something to worry about?

Data suggests that people gain between 1 or 2 pounds, according to Donald Hensrud, director of the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program. Hensrud cited a 2000 study by The New England Journal of Medicine.

It doesn't sound like much, but before you head back to the buffet table for another round, consider this: Once it's on, it usually stays there.

"The important thing is that it's cumulative," Hensrud said. "People gain just a small amount of weight but it adds up over time."

He also said that 1 or 2 pounds over an entire population is a significant amount. "It's big, no pun intended," he said.

To avoid the holiday bulge, Hensrud suggested incorporating activities into your family time.

"Go for a walk after a meal. Resist the urge to lay down on the couch," he said. He also advised making food one aspect of the holiday celebration, but not the focus.

"If we equate the holidays and enjoyment with food, we're going to indulge more. So perhaps try to separate that connection a little bit," he said.

Alcohol consumption is also something to be mindful of.

"Alcoholic drinks can be loaded with calories, and because we drink (rather than eat) them, we often fail to recognize them as a significant source of calories," Deborah Balfanz, a Stanford University health professor and a weight management instructor,said on the university's wellness blog.

"Additionally, alcohol lowers inhibitions and increases the likelihood that we'll go back for seconds (or thirds!) of that chocolate cake or deviled eggs," she noted.

Birth control

If you're considering using birth control, you have many options — from natural family planning and over-the-counter birth control products to prescription contraceptives or sterilization.

To help determine which birth control method would be best for you, consider your lifestyle, personal preferences and health status. How do you feel about planning for sex? Inserting birth control devices into your body? Taking a pill at the same time every day or tracking your fertile days? Permanently ending the ability to conceive or father a child?

It's also important to make an honest assessment of yourself, your partner and your relationship. You may have different birth control needs if you have sex often or you're not in a monogamous relationship. Ideally, you and your partner will discuss the options and reach a mutually beneficial decision.

Birth control pills

Birth control pills are a common type of contraception. If you're considering taking birth control pills, you may have more choices than you'd think.

You'll start by choosing either combination birth control pills or minipills. If you choose combination birth control pills, you'll have another choice — conventional packs or continuous dosing. With conventional birth control pills, you'll have a period every month. With continuous dosing birth control pills, you may have a period only four times a year or eliminate your period entirely.

Of course, each type of birth control pill has its own risks and benefits. Understand the basics, then work with your health care provider to determine the best birth control pill for you.

Long-acting reversible contraception

If you know you want to become pregnant someday — just not anytime soon — long-acting reversible contraception may be a good choice for you. With long-acting reversible contraception, you get effective birth control with little day-to-day hassle.

Options for long-acting reversible contraception include:

• An intrauterine device (Mirena, ParaGard, Skyla)
• A contraceptive implant (Nexplanon)
• A contraceptive injection (Depo-Provera)

You need a prescription from your doctor for this type of birth control. Besides its effectiveness and ease of use, long-acting reversible contraception allows for a return to fertility once you stop using the contraception. With the intrauterine device and contraceptive implant, the return to fertility is prompt. With the contraceptive injection, return to fertility may take a little longer.

The intrauterine device or contraceptive implant requires a visit to your doctor for removal if you decide you no longer want to use this type of birth control.

Other birth control options

When you think of birth control options, what comes to mind? Birth control pills are a popular choice, but don't stop there. Other birth control options abound — and the choice is up to you.

If you need birth control only occasionally, over-the-counter male or female condoms might be appropriate birth control options. Condoms also provide protection against sexually transmitted infections. The contraceptive sponge is another option that's available without a prescription. If you're most concerned about effectiveness, a prescription contraceptive such as the vaginal ring might be a better birth control option.

As you consider your birth control options, be open to all the possibilities. Get familiar with how different types of birth control work, as well as the risks and benefits of specific birth control options.

Natural family planning

Natural family planning may be an appealing birth control option if you can't or choose not to use other contraceptives.

Popular types of natural family planning include the rhythm method, the cervical mucus method and the basal body temperature method. You can use these types of natural family planning to predict when you'll ovulate — and when you need to avoid unprotected sex, if you don't want to conceive. Another type of natural family planning is withdrawal, in which the man withdraws his penis from the vagina before ejaculation to prevent pregnancy.

Natural family planning requires motivation, diligence and self-control. Natural family planning isn't as effective as other types of birth control, but it's inexpensive and doesn't have any side effects.

 http://www.mayoclinic.org/