Eat, Drink & Be Merry - - Without Guilt

Indulge without blowing it.

Look at any holiday buffet and you may actually feel your fat cells growing larger. There's so much temptation, you may think your only option is to either throw in the towel and eat yourself silly or go home and lock yourself inside until January.

You can enjoy yourself without blowing your healthy diet with the right attitude. It's OK to treat yourself and even cut down on exercise if you need to, but you'll enjoy yourself more if you don't eat yourself into a coma and completely ditch your workout routine. Use these strategies to avoid getting sucked into a holiday eating frenzy.

Don't let the buffet table win! To deal with the temptation of calorie-laden party foods, first give yourself free reign to choose from everything on the buffet table. When you restrict certain foods, you may find yourself fixated on them, which leads to overindulgence. Allowing plenty of options will help you make intelligent choices about what you'll actually eat, thus freeing you from worry, guilt and extra pounds. Prepare for holiday functions by:

* Eating something before the party so you're not starving
* Giving yourself time to peruse the buffet and have some water before you dig in
* Deciding what and how much you'll have before you fill your plate
* Choose things you can only get this time of year (i.e., you can always have potato chips -- why waste good calories on that?)
* Avoiding liquid calories by limiting the number of alcoholic drinks you have and by drinking a big glass of water between drinks.
* Enjoy every bite knowing you indulged yourself without going overboard

Happy Holidays!