Welcome to December…the holiday season is officially in full swing.  It’s a fun and busy time of year with lots of parties, family gatherings, food, drinks, cookies, candy, more drinks, more cookies, more candy…all leading up to one big (and I do mean BIG), fabulous January when you wake up and realize the havoc you’ve wreaked on your body in the last month!  But there’s really no need to fear; unbelievable as it may seem, it is possible to enjoy this fun time of year and reach the New Year without having gained any holiday weight at all.  Follow my top ten tips for a fun, fit, and flab-free holiday season and when January rolls around, your list of New Year’s resolutions won’t have to include the requisite weight loss goal!

1. Exercise.

Exercise is a necessary part of a healthy lifestyle and most certainly shouldn’t be pushed aside during the holidays.  It goes like this: schedule, commit, complete, repeat.  Schedule your workouts so that they are a planned part of your day.  Commit to working out and don’t let anything else get in the way of this important priority.  Complete your planned work out and make it worth your while (don’t just go through the motions of exercise, actually work hard and your body will reap the benefits).  Repeat daily for maximum results and benefits!

Special Note: I am not naïve to the notion that the holidays are one of the busiest times of year and exercise is hard to squeeze in.  But somewhere amidst all the madness, create some time to move your body, even if it’s shorter than what you’d ideally like it to be.  The more you move, the better off you’ll be…you’ll focus better, feel less stressed, have more energy, and weigh less!

2. Allow your home to be your safe zone.

Your home shouldn’t be a battleground of food temptations that you have to navigate around and the holidays are a prime time for sweets and treats to find their way into your home.

To avoid unnecessary damage to your waistline:

• -Don’t stock your shelves with junk food.
• -Don’t fill those cute holiday candy dishes with unnecessary sweets that will call your name every time you walk through the living room.
• -Don’t bake six dozen cookies for your family of four.  Because then, who will end up eating them?  You!
• -Do buy healthy fruits and vegetables that are good to fill up on.
• -Do re-gift the candy and sweets that have somehow made their way into your home (send them to the office, donate to a homeless shelter or retirement home, or bring along to your next party as a hostess gift).
• -Do store unhealthy snacks in out of the way places so they’re hard to get at and eat.

3. Don’t bake, shop, or party on an empty stomach.

You’re much more likely to make impulse purchases and nibbles that add up to pounds!  This becomes especially important when attending holiday parties.  The notion of under-eating all day long in order to save calories for party-time indulgences is an old and tired idea.  A really bad idea…rather than doing you any favors, this type of logic is actually setting you up to overeat and consume a greater total amount of calories than you would have if you’d just eaten normally all day long.  Instead, you’re better off eating regular, healthy meals throughout the day so that you don’t walk into a roomful of tempting goodies on an empty stomach.

4. Dress for success.

If you feel fit and fabulous in an adorable form-fitting dress, cute skirt, or slimming pair of jeans, you’re less likely to overindulge!

5. Choose your indulgences wisely.

Just because there are cookies or candy in front of you, does not mean that they must be eaten by you.  Especially if those cookies happen to be store-bought rather than your favorite family recipe that Grandma makes.  The idea here is to save your indulgences for when they’re really worth it. Like when it’s your very favorite holiday treat that you wait all year to have.  Don’t waste your time on unnecessary bites that aren’t even all that great.  And if you’re not sure how it’s going to taste?  Don’t bother trying it at all…you won’t know what you’re missing.  Ignorance is bliss and true bliss is being able to fit into your favorite jeans!

6. Plan ahead at parties.

Before you go, decide exactly how much you’re going to allow yourself to have and stick to it.  When you arrive, do a lap before you commit to a location.  Scope out the scene, see what’s available, and choose selectively based upon your predetermined criteria.  Whatever you do, don’t eat at random.  And, please, don’t stand right next to the dessert table!  Even those with the strongest resolve will have a hard time resisting what’s right under their nose.

7. Fill up on the healthy stuff.

Both at parties and at home, make sure your plate is full of foods that are going to give you some nutritional benefit.  At home, the emphasis should be placed on healthy fruits and vegetables, lean protein, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains.  At parties, your options are limited to what’s being offered, so it can be a little harder to control.  Standard party fare that can be considered acceptable for a healthy eater’s plate includes anything on the vegetable platter as long as you go easy on the dip, chicken skewers, shrimp, bruschetta, caprese salad, and fruit.  Some typical party choices that should be kept to a minimum if consumed at all include cheese and crackers, sausages or meatballs, potato chips, anything with a creamy sauce, anything that’s been deep fried, and of course pretty much anything on the dessert table.

8. Easy on the alcohol.

A common element at virtually every holiday party is the bar.  This is where a lot of the problems start as alcoholic drinks are loaded with calories and once you start it can be hard to stop.  Plus, alcohol lowers your inhibitions, so your well-planned efforts to avoid the cheese and crackers and chocolate cake are far more likely to go out the window after a glass or two of wine.  As with food, plan ahead to determine how many drinks you will have and stick to that plan.  If you’re going to have a few drinks, it’s a good idea to alternate them with water or club soda in order to minimize the effects of the alcohol.

9. Be social.

Food is a common denominator at virtually every type of party, but so are people!  And they are the real reason for the gathering in the first place.  So be social, talk to your friends, make new friends, and don’t worry so much about the food.  It’s never a good idea to talk with your mouth full, so keep talking and you’re less inclined to overeat!

10. Just say No!

The job of a good hostess is to make sure that her guests are well fed, thoroughly entertained, and completely satisfied.  The well-intentioned hostess can be a difficult situation to navigate as she may encourage you to try different foods, to eat more food, and she may even push (read: shove) you to take even more food home with you for later!  How many times can you say, “No, thank you” before you just give in?  The honest answer is: as many times as it will take for her to get the point.  Don’t be rude, of course, but stick to your guns.  Politely say, “No, thank you” or “I’m really very stuffed already” or some other such line and repeat as needed.  Do not give in and eat more than you want.  We have hunger mechanisms that kick in when we’re hungry and tell us to stop when we’re full for a reason.  We only need a certain amount of food to meet our bodies’ needs.  Beyond this point, we eat in excess, so if you have already reached your max, don’t eat more just because Aunt Rita wants you too.

Bonus Tip: Stay positive and true to your plan.

Don’t let messages of failure cloud your resolve and ruin your plan.  When doubt starts creeping into your conscience, you’re much more likely to give in and eat a cookie (or six).  It’s not always easy to have strong willpower; it’s an art that must be practiced and perfected.  But one thing that helps tremendously towards this end is sticking to a pre-determined plan.  Set your own rules, stick to them, and continually remind yourself of the reason why you’ve drawn up this plan in the first place: To reach January with a healthy figure after a fabulously fun December!