Miami: Christmas cookies and cakes are loaded with calories. Most often, despite knowing that a particular dish is rich in calories, we still go ahead and consume, because we are unaware of how many extra calories actually get accumulated. Worse still, we have little idea what it would take to burn those calories.

A recent entrant in the diet and weight management scenario, a diet-calorie reckoner, has enabled a true account of the amount of work out necessary to burn off calories after consuming a variety of dishes. This book has enabled the calorie and commensurate work out schedules of nearly 7500 dishes. While you tuck into this new book, stay warned that delectables almost always come with a huge price.

The diet-calorie reckoner confirms that you will need to swim 18 minutes to burn off the calories contained in one gingerbread cookie. And you will have to work 47 minutes on the bike to burn off the calories from the martini and party mix. The fruit cake does take the cake, indeed-Walk for 84 minutes to disallow its calories to mess with your weight.

Charles Stuart Platkin, author of The Diet Detective's Count Down and other books, also a certified trainer who is completing his Ph.D. in public health, said, "Most of us have no idea what a calorie is worth. People tend to relax their guard and let themselves go during the holidays. And there's also more food around so we also consume more. Nibblers tend to be worse estimators because they feel like they're not eating anything -- a few fries, a bit of cookie. But they add up to be significant calories."

So, watch out before you go for the Christmas cookies, for its no cake-walk to burn off the calories.