Ways to avoid holiday weight gain

1. DON'T SAVE YOURSELF FOR THE MEAL It might be tempting to bank calories and carbs by eating less the day before a big holiday meal or by making the feast your only meal of the day.

But doing so only sets you up for a pig-out, says Keri Gans, a registered dietitian nutritionist in New York City and author of _The Small Change Diet_. "If you've been following a

healthy eating plan, then continue doing so right up until the day. If you start to reduce your intake, that will only make you that much hungrier the day of, which makes it harder to make

smart decisions,” Gans says. Speaking of smart decisions: Eat a high-protein breakfast , especially on on holiday mornings. A stack of research shows that doing so can help control cravings

throughout the day and reduce overeating later. Unless you typically follow an intermittent fasting plan, “have a healthy breakfast as you normally would, focusing on consuming at least 15

to 25 grams of high-quality protein,” Kirkpatrick suggests.That's the amount found in, say, a three-egg omelet with chopped veggies or a cup of plain whole-milk Greek yogurt with fresh

fruit and nuts — not the amount found in a bagel or bowl of cereal. 2. PICK A STRATEGY — AND STICK WITH IT​ When you have a holiday party to attend or a big family meal planned, "there

are two ways to approach the day,” Gans says. “The first way is to eat whatever you want and make sure to get back on track immediately the day after.” [As in: No big plate of leftovers

allowed.] The second way, she says, is to simply be more mindful. “Choose your favorite dishes and watch your portions. Whatever fits on one plate, enjoy — but no second helpings.” Other

tricks to help avoid carb loading: Fill your plate with vegetables and salad before moving on to the entrees and desserts. And “eat until no longer hungry, but not to fullness,” Kirkpatrick

says. “I tell my patients that if they want to eat everything on the table, it's fine. But choose small amounts of each item.” And be especially light on dishes that have been doctored

up almost beyond recognition (any recipe that calls for a can of soup, for instance). 3. PLAY THE WAITING GAME If you're tempted to go back for seconds, wait a full 15 minutes before

doing so, suggests Dawn Jackson Blatner, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Chicago and the author of _The Superfood Swap_ and _The Flexitarian Diet_. After 15 minutes, if you still want

more, zero in on the foods you love — as opposed to simply like — and try to chew each bite as much as you comfortably can. In a study of people at an all-you-can-eat buffet, published in

the journal _Obesity_, those who chewed an average of 15 times per bite of food had lower BMIs (body mass index, a ratio of weight to height used to estimate how close a person is to a

healthy weight). “Giving a 15-minute pause, and chewing more, slows down the tempo of the meal, giving your body and mind the time to truly register fullness,” Blatner says. “It also allows

you to enjoy your food more, rather than rushing through it."