Getting into the holiday spirit also means eating special holiday foods. You’re going to parties, receiving gift baskets full of high-calorie goodies, baking cookies with the kids, sipping eggnog and preparing the traditional high-fat holiday dishes. It all adds up like dollars in a savings account. Two months later — bingo — you’ve earned a couple of extra pounds. And, since you are trying to keep up with holiday shopping, decorating and visits, it’s easy to zip into the fast-food drive-thru or to grab a piece of pizza at the mall. Glide into this holiday season with a plan to eat healthy and the goal to maintain your weight.

Getting Your Mind Set
You can maintain control of your waistline and still enjoy some holiday treats. Don’t fall into these thinking traps — reverse the thought and you will follow through.

Thinking trap: “I’ve already blown it today with those sweets, I might as well eat the rest!”
Reverse thought: “The next food choices I make will be lower in calories and fat to make up for this treat” or “I do enjoy treats, but since I had quite a few today, I will avoid sweets for the next two days.”
Thinking trap: “I can’t enjoy the holidays without certain special foods.”
Reverse thought: “In order to enjoy these special higher calorie foods, I will cut back on calories at other meals, or increase my exercise” or “I can eat less of these especially rich foods, or find a recipe that is lower calorie so I can enjoy it more often.”
Thinking trap: “I am too busy to cook healthy meals and exercise; I’ll wait until the new year to start dieting.”
Reverse thought: “I can make good choices even at fast-food places — I don’t want to have to diet after the holidays are over.”
Be realistic about your goals. Maintaining your weight during the holidays is an accomplishment — this could be your holiday gift to yourself.

Make decisions about your eating behavior before hand in order to stay in control. Maybe making cookies as your gift to the neighbors is a bad idea — give a craft instead. Decide how you will handle alcohol intake with the many opportunities to drink. Where will you store candies and sweets in your kitchen — right on the counter to nibble every time you pass, or put out of sight for conscious-decision eating?

At Home
If you are making holiday goodies at home, chew gum while baking. Make smaller cookies. Wrap the gifts up as soon as possible. Cut back on the regular sweets you keep around (such as ice cream) as the food gifts come in the door. If you are going to enjoy a treat, sit down at the table with a plate and napkin and savor every bite — don’t gobble them while running the vacuum.
Plan some simple low-fat meals, such as casseroles, so you and the family can get a good meal before heading out to shop. Spend money at the malls on gifts, not junk food.

Keep exercising! Even if the weather is bad or the time is tight, find creative ways to burn calories. Dust off those videotapes and do one before work. Take a walk in the sunny time of the day on the weekends — the sunlight will activate vitamin D and the serotonin boost will improve your mood.

Holiday Entertaining

Don’t arrive at the party starving! You will have little self-control when all the good food appears. Have a light snack before you arrive.
Select a noncaloric nonalcoholic beverage to drink first. Filling up with liquid helps tame a hungry stomach. Alcohol right off the bat will increase you appetite and reduce your resolve — and you find yourself diving into the cheese dip.
Choose lower calorie alcoholic beverages, such as a wine spritzer, Bloody Mary or mixed drink with lots of diet Sprite and just a splash of booze. Or, have a nonalcoholic drink between each regular drink to slow you down.