With the holiday season underway, you may be thinking about how you’re going to get through without the typical 10 pound weight gain that most people experience.

At this time of year, there are goodies around every corner and it’s a massive test to your willpower.

Most people will indulge at least a few times, but the nature of these indulgences and their frequency are what will determine whether you’ll be starting the new year with a weight loss resolution.

Let’s go over a few of the top holiday season eating tips that you should remember so that you don’t see the weight gain most people do once Christmas wraps up.

Don’t Eat Standing

The first quick tip to remember with regards to holiday eating is that you should avoid eating while standing up. If you’re nibbling on food here and there, it’s going to really add up over time and in most cases, people won’t even realize that they’re actually eating.

It’s far too easy to stand there and snack while having a discussion with someone, so make it a general rule this holiday season that you can only eat if you’re sitting down at a table.

This will go a long way towards preventing mindless eating.

Bring Your Own Dish

Next, also make sure that you give some thought to bringing your own dish. If you’re going to a party where you know there will be many high calorie items being served, bring something healthy.

This way you know there will be at least one thing that you can feel good about eating and if you eat mostly it with the addition of a few other items, you should be able to keep your calorie level in check for the most part.

Plan Your ‘Cheats’

Finally, the last important thing to keep in mind as you go about the holidays is to make sure that you plan your cheats out wisely.

If you have two major Christmas parties to attend and know you’ll be indulging, plan for them.

Eat well the rest of the week leading up to them and then if you do indulge, it won’t be that big of a deal.  If you can, try and shed a pound or so before the event and then you’ll really be ahead of the game.

Cyclic dieting like this – tightening up for a few days and then relaxing for a day or so, will help you maintain your weight as over time, calorie balance will be achieved.

Prevention is the best strategy and by losing weight before the event, you’ll do damage control before the weight is actually gained.

So there you have the most important points to remember as you go about the holiday season. Plan your diet wisely and there’s no reason that you need to begin the New Year with an intense diet to try and burn off everything you’ve just gained.