How Not to Gain Weight While Traveling

Last year I made the trek from Los Angeles to Toronto to visit my boyfriend's family for Christmas. This journey involved a cab ride, a five-hour flight, a three-hour layover in Philadelphia, an hour-long flight in a terrifyingly small plane, and more McDonald's value meals than my already-growing-holiday-belly-pooch needed.

When we arrived, I was bombarded by well-meaning relatives trying to cram every manner of fruitcake, frosted cookie, and roast beef sandwich down my throat.

Related: 7 Snacks That Taste Fatty But Keep You Skinny

Then it was onto the couch, where we sat for hours watching old home movies (have to admit, my BF was a pretty cute kid) and eating chocolate truffles (apparently, the go-to gift for who-knows-if-this-chick-is-going-to-stick girlfriends).

No wonder I could barely zip my jeans for the flight home.

I have a funny feeling that this year will be no different, but at least I've come up with a plan to beat the bulge that happens when you travel this season:

Fatty culprit no. 1: The airport fast food

Grabbing a Big Mac before the flight and a Cinnabon during my layover is obviously not a way to stay slim. But since I can't survive on those little packages of peanuts, I'm going to use this guide to healthy fast foods before boarding.

If you're driving instead of flying this year, keep your waistline in check by choosing these diet-friendly foods at the quickie mart -- yes, you can eat healthy at 7-Eleven.

Fatty culprit no. 2: Not moving off the couch for five days

It's hard to squeeze in a workout when you're surrounded by family wanting to catch up. And it doesn't help that all that catching up will revolve around eating. But I'm going to try (keyword here, try) to get up early and use these tips to work out with stuff around the house.

Fatty culprit no. 3: Holiday stress

I spend far too long trying to buy gifts that'll impress my potential future in-laws, never mind the five newspapers I read to be ready with smart conversation starters. When stress kicks in I immediately reach for the Christmas cookies. This year, I'm going to strike one of these stress-busting yoga moves instead.

Tell me -- how do you avoid packing on the pounds when you're traveling?

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