Make this your healthiest holiday!

"I will start my diet after the holidays," you hear it all the time and it frustrates me! First, I don't believe in diets, I believe it is a new lifestyle. Holidays to me are a challenge and they can be for you, too.  I am not talking about what not to eat, more about different decisions that will make you feel satisfied and still have a great time at the party. 

Make this your healthiest holiday with some of my tips:

• Bring the healthy dish (veggies, fruit, healthy dip, whole-grain pasta salad,etc.)- This will secure a healthy option to eat.
• Eat smart throughout the day to make sure blood sugar levels stay leveled and you don't end up eating more than planned.
• Eat a small snack before the party, for example: almonds, fruit, part-skim cheese stick, glass of milk, nut butter, whole-grain toast, or a small salad.
• Use small plates and small portions.
• Drink lots of water, it makes you feel full without the calories.
• One glass of a fun drink of choice. You can enjoy the once a year drink, more than one may over do it! Also drinks can come out to 100 calories or more, for example: egg-nog comes out to be around 500 calories!
• Make half your plate with vegetables.- I use vegetables, instead of chips, to try dips. An example: I wanted to try the buffalo chicken dip, so I put it on celery sticks.
• Eat "special holiday" foods that you only get around this time of year and keep the "ordinary" party foods for another time. An example: I will eat my friend's christmas chex mix that she only makes this time of year.
• Tell someone you are trying to make smarter choices, it would be harder to disappoint them than disappointing just yourself.
• Eat the hoagie, but take out some of the bread in the middle and add more lettuce and tomatoes on it.
• Desserts around this time are too good to give up, so enjoy them. Instead of eating a whole serving of each dessert, share with someone and eat just a fork-full of each (or a bite).
• Socialize away from the food table.
• Make a tradition to sign up for a holiday run, take a walk, or make an active game for everyone to get moving and to stay away from the food for a little.