1 - Avoid pre-meal munchies: Eat a toasted whole-wheat bagel or a bowl of oatmeal. You won't show up hungry and the whole grains are complex carbohydrates that take longer to digest.

2 - Fill up and burn extra calories: Drink a tall glass of ice water along with your meal. This will leave less room for eggnog and stuffing. You'll burn a few extra calories as your body warms the water temperature.

3 - Buffet strategy: Fill up on veggies first, then stand or sit a good distance from the table.

4 - Take a post-meal walk. Research indicates that physical activity after a big holiday meal may the lower levels of fat in the blood.

Focus on the big picture -- a few holiday indulgences aren't going to burst your belt. It's the overall calories you eat and the overall calories you burn during the whole holiday period that count.

Other tips:

1 - Park way out in the parking lot: you could get in 20 minutes of walking this way.

2 - Watch your stress: How about a massage? Practice "belly breathing" a few minutes a day. Sitting in a comfortable chair, take a slow, deep breaths five to 10 times.

3 - Sleep well: Sleep deprivation can result in lower levels of the hormone leptin, which helps regulate hunger.

 

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