How to Not Gain Over the Holidays

This is a tough one. Mom's home cooking + that bottle of wine from Napa + cold weather + conversation (and little exercise) = weight gain. Here is how to maintain you weight during the holiday season. It will take will power, but you can do it.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Water
• Snug jeans/pants or any clothing item
• Journal
• Scale

1. Keep a journal: Although it may sound criminal to keep a food journal over the holidays, do it. No excuses. Write down everything you ingest from dusk 'til dawn. Some days you will fill pages, other days just one. Notice how you feel when you fill every line, and when you go outside of the margins.
2. Now that you have your journal established (this is great to keep throughout the year) start writing down what you eat--and how you feel.
3. Liquid Switch: Notice where you can substitute water for juice. Switch off: One glass of wine or alcoholic beverage, one glass of water, one glass of wine, one glass of water.
4. Reach for the little guy: Notice when you have a sweet craving that you can reach for a chocolate covered-pretzel instead of a huge slice of chocolate cake with ice cream and whipped topping.
5. Portion control: As much as we want a second helping of everything, fill your plate once, and only once. No second. The food is not running away. You may have seconds the next day, making a turkey and extra veggie sandwich or a roast beef and sauteed vegetable fajita.

Tips & Warnings

• By wearing those super cute tight black jeans during the week at grandma's house, you'll want to continue to wear them into the new year. Keep them handy so you can remind yourself of how great you look in them.
• Carry water everywhere you go (even a glass to the dinner table).
• Weigh yourself 2 times only.
• Excessive weighing on the scale may cause anxiety. Weigh once the first morning of your holiday break and once that last morning of your holiday break.
• Excessive alcohol will pack on the pounds. Be carefree, but not careless.