Ward Off The Holiday Weight

I was watching Good Morning America yesterday and caught these great tips from DOCTOR OZ. Some are kinda common sense but others are pretty creative!

Every year 50% of Americans gain at least 2 lbs during the time between Thanksgiving and New Years, with 10% of the people gaining 5 lbs! The worst part of this statistic is that the large majority of these people DO NOT LOSE THIS EXTRA WEIGHT come the new year.

1. Write down everything you eat. Keeping a food journal is always a good idea, but especially during this time of year. It's easy to keep popping little things in your mouth at holiday parties, but the shear hassle of having to write each thing down should SLOW YOU DOWN.
2. Weight yourself frequently. As I've previously recommended 1-2 times a week is ideal.
3. Always have emergency 100 calorie snacks on hand in your purse or car. If you are ever racing to a holiday party or event where you know there will be endless unhealthy food and you are RAVENOUS make sure you take a minute to have a string cheese or a hand full of nuts FIRST. This will prevent you from attacking the buffet like a wild animal.
4. Want to bring a dessert to a holiday party? BUY instead of BAKE. When we BAKE we tend to EAT A LOT along the way... snacking on chocolate chips, licking the extra batter off the spoon, and sampling a few cookies at the end. If you buy something prepackaged from a trusted bakery you can leave it in the wrapping, bring it straight to the party, and leave it there when you home.
5. Always keep a CLUB SODA handy at a holiday party. You can mix it in with wine or alcohol to make a spritzer thus decreasing the alcohol content AND the calories.
6. During this 5 week period of extra eating between Thanksgiving and New Years, try to add 20 extra minutes of exercise to your daily routine.