All I Want for Christmas is to Gain 10 Pounds

Sparkly holiday tips to avoid the weight gain while still making jolly during this oh-so-festive season.

The holidays are finally here! Has it only been a year since these joyous days visited our hearts, homes & tummy? My, how time flies - and speaking of time, it's time once again to fondle our way through the river of cakes, pies, cookies and turkey thighs.

Unfortunately, for those that reside in the Land of Sugarplum Dreams, they soon wake up on January 1st - just in time to freak-out by the higher numbers etched on their weight scales. The average American tends to pack on from 5 to 10 pounds during the holiday season. It's a wonder that we all don't end up with a lump of coal in our stockings, isn't it? Here is an expanded snapshot of how those unwanted pound unfold:

At the beginning of the holiday season, we start out Diet Sane, Diet Tough & Diet Ready to resist adding the fatted feasting goodies onto our hips & thighs. Our armor is shiny and contains no dents, for we have been polishing it well for many months in preparation for the Holiday Battle of the Bulge.

However, by the time that the holidays are spended, the only thing left of our Diet Armor is a few tiny strips of what resembles shredded tin foil. And not only has our Diet Armor exploded, so has our tummy - along with the numbers on our trusty weight scales.

So we move onward, marching to the next phase: New Year's Resolution Time with 'lose weight' at the tip-top of our list. Wouldn't it be peachy king to have something else etched at the top of that list? Something like, 'plan unforgettable vacation' or 'try not to be so perfect'.

The great things surrounding the holidays include the contagious spirit of friends, family and the reason for the season. The downside of the holidays is that the star of the show tends to be food - lots of pretty, delicious looking, scrumptious foods that are high in fat and calories, such as creamy fudge chocked with nuts, delectable cakes and beautiful pies that stand as tall as the wooden soldiers around town square amid the bustle of the holidays. Therefore, the solution to avoid Weight Gain resides within your level of Willpower and Diet Sanity. Here are a few tips that may help:

Using Your Good Diet Sense to Prevent Weight Gain

Rather than run to the hills to avoid Holiday Weight Gain, dig in your heels and face the Holiday Magic head-on. Set aside an amount of calories for special goodies in your daily diet. A few examples of how that might work are:

- 100 calories will generally 'buy' the following: about 1 and 1/2 ounces of roasted chestnuts, a medium-sized cookie, 1/24th of a cake, a small muffin, almost one ounce of sugar-coated almonds, almost an ounce of fudge, an ounce of jelly beans, an ounce of peanut brittle;

- 200 calories will generally 'buy' the following: a small slice of cake, a small slice of pie, a little over an ounce of most nuts, a large muffin, a large cookie.

Because many holiday goodies are homemade, it's very difficult to note the calorie content. When preparing your prized recipes, simply add up the calories contained in the ingredients, then divide the total calories per the number of servings the recipe produces. Your friends and family will appreciate knowing the number of calories because most individuals - whether thin or fat do make an effort to control their food intake during the holidays. It's only when they become overwhelmed that they toss all Diet Sense into the wind. Click here for common ingredients used in holiday baking and their calorie content.

Opt for fruit, nuts or seeds over sugar-filled goodies.