Tis’ the season! Holiday parties, family celebrations and food…lots of yummy-yummy, high calorie food. Surviving the holidays without packing on some pounds and busting out of your pants can seem like an impossible task. Let me offer some of my holiday survival tips.

You might be surprised by what I’m going to say. I’m not going to tell you to skip the desserts and head to the carrots. The holidays are a time to celebrate and make memories and this is often surrounded by food. It’s naïve to think that you won’t indulge. So instead, follow my advice so you can have a balanced holiday. If you’re like me, you will have work parties, family parties and cookie-making days all of which tend to be high-calorie eating days.

Tip #1: Fill your plate with healthy options first–veggies, meat, cranberries, etc. Once you fill up on some of these healthier options you won’t have as much room to over-indulge on the not-so-healthy choices and a smaller portion of these will be more than enough to satisfy.

Tip #2: If you make cookies and desserts or receive some as a gift, put half in the freezer for another time. (Cookies freeze very well.)

Tip #3: Step-up your workouts during the times you’re indulging more: add an additional workout day, a longer session to your routine or give your workouts extra effort.

Tip #4: Skip the high calorie holiday cocktails (I’d rather eat my calories than drink them).

Tip #5: If you’re invited to a holiday party, bring a healthy, lower calorie dish or eat a healthy snack before you go.

Tip #6: Drink more water; it will keep you hydrated and feeling fuller.

Tip #7: Make some new healthy traditions with your family during the holidays such as a family walk, sledding or hiking.

Tip #8: Enjoy the holidays and don’t let it become a time of added stress about your weight. If you indulge too much, remember that you can get right back on track when all the celebrating is over.

I hope that some of my tips will help you feel more prepared and leave you with a balanced holiday filled with wonderful memories, good food and less weight gain. Happy Holidays!

[My personal update: I finished the lucky loser contest at work and lost 5 pounds and about 3% body fat. I have another challenge starting in January that I’ll be participating in. I find these challenges motivating. I have 30 pounds to lose until I get to my goal and about 5 more until I’ve lost all the baby weight. I’m still suffering from neck pain and I recently purchased an elliptical per my physical therapists’ suggestion.]

Looking for additional tips and support? Follow my group on Facebook: Hot Mama Health and FIT{mess}.
The URL is: www.facebook.com/groups/hotmamahealthandfitness/