Everybody loves the holidays for the cheer and fun they bring. They dread dieting through the holidays because of all the good food and drink that is consumed during this time.  However, according to doctor and nutrition specialist Melinda Jampolis on CNN.com the average person gains about 2 lbs. during the holiday season, and those with weight problems may boost their weight by as much as 10 lbs. Here are some diet tips on how to avoid weight gain and unhealthy eating during the holidays.

Avoid the alcohol

More than a couple of glasses and you are gaining those calories faster than you can down a shooter. Be careful with the amount of alcohol you consume, cocktails, beer and wine all have a lot of sugar in them which will definitely not help tip the scale in your favor. A neat little diet tip I have for you is to advise you to stick to drinking clear alcohol like white rum or vodka and pick red wine over white wine. Also never ever drink on an empty stomach.

Never arrive hungry for a party

This is really the worst thing you can do for maintaining your weight and restricting the calories. If you are famished you are a lot more likely to binge and eat more than the normal amount. You are also more likely to go overboard with alcohol and desserts. Eat a good healthy breakfast and a nutritious lunch and you will be less likely to overindulge at a holiday dinner or party.

Set some ground rules

Make sure you tell yourself to watch your portion sizes, eat on a small plate, chew slowly and count to ten before going for a second helping. Often, our brain takes a little time to tell us our stomach is full and giving yourself a little gap before your second helping makes you realize you really don’t need any more food. If you do end up eating a little more than you should then make the next meal a light one to compensate for the excess calories.

Make healthy pledges

Sign up for some personal training sessions at your gym, try out that new group exercise workout class, and subscribe to a Shape ’or‘ Fitness’ magazine Perhaps pick up a new sport that involves a good amount of cardio vascular activity.

There’s plenty you can do besides diet tips learnt here, it’s really a matter of how badly you want to stay healthy and maintain that weight.

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