At this time of year many of us are thinking about how we can avoid that nasty "five pound" weight gain that the Experts talk about. Believe me this is not necessary, in fact you can maintain your weight during the holidays very easily.

The time up to Christmas and between Christmas and New Year’s is a wonderful time for getting together with family and friends. However, it is also a dreaded time in so many people's minds and often times many of us just give up to those extra "five pounds" and say "Who Cares I Will Lose It in the New Year". Rather than making a New Year's resolution to lose weight, why not make a Pre New Year’s Resolution not to put any on.

Here are some suggestions:
- Make sure you get a good night’s sleep the night before a party. Sleepless nights are directly linked to an increase in the body's production of a hormone called Ghrelin, which is a hunger hormone.
- Keep up your exercise program, and in fact, exercise in the morning before any holiday dinners or parties.
- Drink plenty of water; make sure you drink an 8oz glass of water before a big meal. Also, drink water in between an alcoholic beverage.
- Find healthier recipes for holiday parties with tasty substitutes for high fat ingredients.
- Fill half of your plate with healthy veggies.
- Bring a healthy dish to a party that is tasty and that everyone will enjoy. It will be easier for you to eat wisely when you have support.
- When getting ready for a party, usually we tell ourselves if we starve ourselves all day we can eat more later that night, but actually, it is important to eat every 3 to 4 hours, at the same time of day if possible, it lowers insulin, causing less cravings and less body fat.
- If you want to lose weight do not eat 3 hours before bedtime. So for example if you go to sleep at 11:00 p.m. your last meal or snack should be at 8:00 p.m.
- You do not need to deprive yourself of enjoying the wonderful food during the Holiday Season just remember to make those healthy choices and keep at the back of your mind that in The New Year you may want to lose 10 lbs. but not 15 lbs. by putting 5 lbs. on during the Holidays.