5 Ways to Gain Weight During the Holidays

Want to avoid holiday weight gain? Watch out for these five sure-fire ways to put on a few
pounds during the holiday season.

Forget portion control.

Repeat after me: "All things in moderation. All things in moderation." The best and worst thing
about our favorite tasty holiday treats is that they're, well... tasty. And naturally, the tastier a
food is, the more you want to eat. It requires a lot of will power, but make the vow to take just one serving of your absolute favorites and try to eat them slowly, truly savoring each bite.

Cheat. Just this once ... and this once... and this once....

Don't fool yourself into thinking holiday parties are one long "just this once" occasion. It will catch up with you. Yes, a half dozen Christmas cookies do count even if eaten standing up. Sadly, those chocolate Bon Bons are going straight to your hips ... even if they were a gift from your Mom and she really wanted you to try them in front of her. A calorie is a calorie

Overdo the spirits.

We're not talking holiday spirit here. Drinking too much alcohol not only piles on extra, empty
calories, it takes away many an inhibition ... including that little voice that tells you not to make a third go-round at the dessert table. Try drinking one glass of water for each drink and it should slow you down.

Take it easy. Really easy.

The mid-winter spread will most definitely creep across your mid-section if you give yourself a few weeks (or months) off exercise. But you don't have to leave the festivities to head to the gym. Simply take a brisk walk each day to keep your motivation going and your metabolism pumping.

Just give up.

The most sure-fire way to fail at holiday weight management? Don't allow yourself a few slip-ups here and there. Tell yourself you've blown it now, so it's all over. Come January 1, you won't want to even bother getting back on that diet if you look at things that way. Or, you could pick yourself right back up and start over again no matter what you've done over the last few weeks.

The bottom line is, even if you make all five of these mistakes today, tomorrow is a new day. And whether tomorrow is December 26 or June 8, any day is a great one to work toward becoming a healthier you.