Holiday eating tips

With Thanksgiving just days away, the holiday eating season is about to go into full swing. It would be impossible -- and no fun -- to try to banish all sweets from your diet from now until the new year, but there are some smart choices you can make to lessen the damage to your waistline. Here are a few tips:

1) Don't drink your calories. It's so easy when it's cold outside to hit the nearest Starbucks for a hot chocolate, but resist: a tall hot chocolate with whipped cream at Starbucks has 290 calories; a venti with whipped cream has 440 calories! Instead, opt for Swiss Miss diet hot cocoa (made with water) -- it has just 25 calories (some other Swiss Miss varieties have 160 calories, so be sure to read the label). If you do find yourself in a Starbucks, skip the whipped cream and ask for non-fat milk. That will knock at least 80 calories off your total.

2) Remember portion control. There are few days when I don't have a hankering for chocolate. But instead of buying a package of chocolate -- which I know I'll finish quickly -- I choose a single-portion item instead. That way, when I'm done, there's no more left to tempt me. My recent favorite: A Russell Stover marshmallow-chocolate Santa that has 140 calories (it's 69 cents at CVS).

3) Look for reduced-calorie sweets. At this time of year, it's easy to find candy canes. A regular size candy cane has just 50 calories. Candy corn, another seasonal favorite, is a good choice, too. Twenty-two pieces have 140 calories.

4) Boost your exercise. One easy way to fight weight gain is to step up your time at the gym. Last week, I spent 60 minutes on the treadmill Tuesday morning at a speed of 4.1 miles per hour. I upped it to 65 minutes on Wednesday and 70 minutes on Thursday. Gradually increasing my minutes allowed me to make progress without too much risk of muscle strain or shin splints, and the extra time meant that I boosted my total by about one-third of a mile each day. Over a month, that can really add up.

5) Know that the buffet will always be there. If you go to a party and there's a big spread on the table, don't feel compelled to pile everything on your plate at once. Instead choose a few healthy options, such as shrimp, deli slices of (lean) meat, fruit or veggies (skip the dip), and then move away from the table, preferably to the other side of the room. If you want more, go back once.

6) Alternate spirited drinks with water. This one can be hard to follow if you're having a good time and everyone around you is imbibing. But try to alternate each glass of wine, beer or hard liquor with a glass of water. Not only will you reduce your chances of a nasty hangover in the morning, you'll be less likely to make the bad food choices that drinking can encourage.

7) Forgive yourself, and give yourself a day off. It's a hard concept for anyone trying to lose weight, but you need to give yourself some breathing room. If you mess up one day, don't write off the whole week -- just start fresh with your weight-loss commitment in the morning. And be sure to give yourself a (planned) day or two off between now and Jan. 1 to fall off the bandwagon and enjoy the holiday spirit (and food). But remember, you'll need to hop back on board the next morning.

Happy holidays!