Gaining weight over the holiday season from November through January is a long running tradition that doesn’t have to be in your future.  There are ways to stay on track and keep up the hard work that you’ve been doing throughout the year to lose and maintain the proper weight.  A couple of big meals needn’t completely throw you off track if you plan ahead and stay smart with your choices; here are 10 tips to help you stay svelte and healthy.

1. Keep track of what you eat by writing it down which makes you hold yourself more accountable for eaten items and also helps you to remember exactly what you ate.  Don’t skip putting down the samples that you noshed in the store or the glass of wine that you sipped while decorating the tree!  Every calorie counts.

2. Plan your meals ahead of time.  If you know that you love grandma’s famous sweet potato casserole swimming in butter, sugar, and marshmallows, allow yourself to have some but plan to only eat a little and keep the goal of loading up on other veggies in mind that are a bit more healthy.  By planning out the meal (such as thinking ahead to having a slice of turkey, three scoops of green beans, a dollop of dressing, and a spoon of sweet potato casserole) then you feel more empowered and have something to stick to, instead of just winging it and hoping for the best.  You can look up the calories in the planned foods ahead of time to really let you know where your goal intake should be.  Sparkpeople.com is a great resource to track calories.

3. Keep active!  Yes, running around shopping is a good way to burn calories, but also keep to a fitness schedule such as a workout dvd or 30 minutes on the elliptical.  This way you won’t feel so bad about an extra scoop of ice cream on top of Uncle Henry’s amazing 7-Up cake.  If super busy, write in exercise on your schedule like you would everything else that you are doing and then you may be better motivated to stick to your schedule if working out is actually IN the schedule.

4. Substitute in some low fat/low calorie ingredients to old family classics.  Test out the recipes before hand and see where corners could be cut and a bit of fat could be left out.  Most old school recipes that are passed down were not created with fitness and health in mind, such as creamy homemade frostings or rich home recipe side dishes, but some can be updated for a more health conscious mind-frame, like

5. Watch drink consumption!  This doesn’t mean just alcohol, but all drinks!  A lot of people count calories and completely forget to add in the yummy ginger ale punch from Aunt Ruth or the holiday cocktails that were consumed.  Another reason to keep alcohol consumption low is that when inebriated, you may decide to eat things that you wouldn’t have sober, such as a huge piece of cake because you are drunk and it’s in front of you.

6. Share the wealth!  If you find that there are too many tempting treats in your house at holiday time, take some to work or parties that you are invited to.  Someone gave you a box of chocolate to be kind, but you paying it forward by letting your coworkers intake some (most) of the box is a win win for everyone!

7. Pack healthy snacks while holiday shopping because being tempted towards an ooey-gooey Cinnabon is so easy when you haven’t eaten all day.  Instead, have trail mix, carrot sticks, or an apple in your purse so that you can still snack on something without throwing away all of your hard work.

8. Drink plenty of water so that you stay hydrated and also curb your appetite.  If you drink water before and during a meal, you are less likely to overeat because you will get full faster.

9. Refrain from skipping meals in order to save calories for a later feast where you overeat.  The body isn’t made for that gameplan, so it will only backfire by holding on to calories from a meal that it can’t use as fuel all at once because your metabolism is slow from not eating all day.

10. Slow down, savor the meal, enjoy the friends and family that you are surrounded by.  If you are busy talking and slowly eating to appreciate the full flavors, then you are allowing your body to know when it is full and has had enough.

Happy holidays!