No More Party Pounds

Cookies, cocktails and multicourse meals make the holidays feel like one long eating spree. This year, just remember these seven guidelines and you’ll come out the other side slim and energized— with no food FOMO.

- Jacqueline Andriakos

WHEN THIS SEASON HITS, you’re eager to click open e-vites. Sip cocktails. Bake yourself into a sugar coma. But once the fun fades? You’re craving cookie-free cabinets and elasto-waist pants. “The holidays feel like a drawn out special occasion, when really they’re single days, and so much of the excitement involves food,” notes Lisa Shaub, a Weight Watchers personal coach. “Then you say, ‘I’ll get back on my A-game on Monday.’ Then it’s ‘next week.’ Then it’s ‘I’ll be better in January.’” But starting the new year in desperate diet mode is no fun. Instead, have a food master plan and learn to hit the reset button faster so you can enjoy more and regret less.

Make a treats short list

If you can’t imagine not tasting your aunt’s pecan pie…and the buttery mashed potatoes recipe you reserve for the big family feast…and the chocolates you love that your kids sneak into your stocking, decide up-front to have them all. “It’s helpful to make a specific list of your top three cherished must-eats even before the holidays are in full swing,” says Jonathan Ross, a fitness professional and spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise. “This way you already have some boundaries in mind, and it’s much less likely to turn into a food free-for-all.” It also helps you be more aware of when you’re eating out of tradition instead of actual pleasure, adds Shaub. “I hear clients say, ‘I only see gingerbread houses once a year. I have to eat it,’” she says. “But when you get selective and pick favorites, you sometimes have that realization of ‘Jeez, do I even like gingerbread?’”

Give yourself an early (fitness) present