All those all-you-can-eat buffets, festive parties and family gatherings, that's when we tend to throw diet caution to the wind and over-indulge in the sinfully delicious spread. But admit it, who doesn't take delight in a little pigging out every now and then? Plus, we'd lose the extra weight once we go back to eating our normal diet, so there's no damage done right?

But a new study published in the journal Nutrition & Metabolism has shown that the connection between body weight and diet isn't so clear-cut: A short period of excess food consumption can have long term effects on our body weight and fat storage -- even if we shed all the extra pounds you gained from the food binging.

The study compared a group of participants who eat more and exercise less over a four-week period versus a control group. The participants show an increase in weight and fat mass more than two years later when compared to control individuals.

Åsa Ernersson, the study's lead author and professor of health sciences at Linköping University in Sweden, believes the study provides new evidence to suggest that even a short period of excessive eating and a lack of exercise can potentially change an individual's physiology, causing it to be harder to lose and keep off weight.

Bottom-line: It's still important to pay attention to what and how much you're eating, even during the holidays. Some binge-proof tips you can take:

• Eat a small snack 1 to 2 hours beforehand like a handful of nuts, crackers or low-fat yogurt, so you won't arrive hungry.
• Have a glass of water with your meal, or a serving of broth-based soup just before your entree.
• Have more fiber. Fill your plate with more veggies, salads and fruits -- their high fiber content helps fill you up and they're rich in nutrients.
• Take a mini portion. If you're at a buffet, take a small serving of the items you want, so you can sample everything without going overboard.