Healthy Holiday Eating - How to Gain Control, Not Pounds

If you're a weight-controller, being surrounded by wonderful foods during the holidays can be difficult. For weeks diet rules disappear as we indulge in delicious confections, late nights, and oversized armchairs. By season's end, oversized is what some of us need.

But who wants to go through the holidays nibbling on carrots and yogurt? While you probably won't lose weight now, you can enjoy and eat well without gaining weight.

Here are 2 tools that can help …

• Make time for exercise. In fact, extend your time and distance or increase your pace to burn more calories. But don't leave it to chance. It's a busy season, so find a block of time each day to get up and get moving for 20-30 minutes. You'll find it's time well spent, giving you more energy, a sense of well-being and improved sleep and digestion.

• Make every bite count.  Keep a pencil or palm computer nearby and record everything you eat. Buy a good calorie counter and estimate your intake.

Sound obsessive? Weight control experts advise that moving thoughts from your head to the written word allows you to look more realistically at what you're doing. It's a small exercise that works: Studies show people who adopt this habit usually don't gain weight during the holidays and some actually lose weight.

This Health Tip Of The Month was brought to you by Personal Best - meeting your goals for good health.

To get the HealthWise Health Tip Of The Month sent to you through email, simply fill out the online form.