While people are fighting for x-amount of money for eating worms on Fear Factor, most of us are dealing with the fear of weighing ourselves in holiday season. Well, after reading “Health” – a woman’s health magazine, I have learned several tricks to control the temptation of stuffing myself with all the comfort foods at the parties, including drinks – the ones that can get me tipsy.

1. Snacking – you heard me. Toss out the obsolete grandma wisdom (no disrespect here grandma) - no snacking before dinner. Grab a handful of almonds or other healthy nuts before heading out. Nuts have healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that can help you fight hunger and you won’t be drooling when you see the Mac & Cheese, pulled pork, and mashed potatoes provided by your hosts.
2. Be at the Center Stage: Well, don’t be a clown, but be talkative and make as many friends as possible. Pour yourself a glass of Barolo, walk around and greet people. While the glass makes you look sociable, your goal is to keep your focus away from all the treats while sipping the only glass you will have for rest of the night. Well, maybe you can have a couple more since it’s a holiday season. But don’t you start grabbing glasses left and right. Enjoy the conversation and you may meet someone incredible as well.
3. Pick Your Battle – Before start scooping those delicious creamy pasta (fine, meaty too) onto your plate, walk around the whole dining table and look at all the food provided. I am not going to tell you to stay away from grease food or sweets. But, pick three of your favorite dishes that you are dying to try and grab a scoop of each. Then fill up the rest of your plate with colorful steamed veggies that people rarely notice. At the end of the night, you will be happy and guiltless.
4. Dip and Stab – Ok, great, you got a plateful of spinach, arugula, raw broccoli, bell peppers, etc for the perfect dinner starter. But you are only half way done! What’s next to the salad bar? Italian, Russian, French, and all other different kind of savory dressings. You will be pounding your head against the wall and wondering why you still can’t shed the extra weight even if you stick with vegetables. Well, stacking your plate with vegetables is only half way to stay fit. Decorating your plate with grease and fatty dressing will “compensate” your healthy dining. So, put a small scoop of your favorite dressing in a party cup, dip your fork into the cup and just barely get a touch of the dressing before you dig into your salad. Do that for every other bite. You will get your sweet and sour taste and avoid the extra fats simultaneously.

 Good luck! Don’t let the weight scale ruin your holiday season!