Prevent Holiday Weight Gain, Thanksgiving to New Years Day!

Holidays! Holidays! Holidays! Christmas! Christmas! Christmas! Family gatherings are all out for Holidays! The gifts, the parties, beers and all foods! But its a no no no for me to really weigh much for the season. But its family time for everyone, so here are some tips for you to put control.

-- Have a seat during meals: Eating while seated at a table with nice plates and utensils can lead you to consume about a third less than if you munch on the fly. Eat more slowly, so you have time to notice when your body sends the all-full signal.

-- Sniff out peppermint: People who regularly smelled peppermint ate 23 percent fewer calories per week. Pop a piece of sugarless mint gum or sip some peppermint tea and take a whiff to outsmart a craving.

-- Pack a snack with protein: Try a small container of nonfat plain yogurt or a lowfat string cheese to stave off hunger. Exercisers who had two glasses of skim milk right after toning and another two an hour later lost 2 pounds of fat in 12 weeks. (They lost four times more fat than those who drank soymilk -- holy cow!)

-- Spoon up a satisfying soup: Filling up on a minestrone or another healthy soup can help you eat less of your entree. More of a chowder fan? People who indulged in a fat-based soup before a pizza dinner ate 20 percent less overall than those who had a broth-based soup with the same calories.

-- Spice things up: Preparing your meals with garlic and pepper may prevent overeating. Overweight people who added zero-calorie spices to their dishes dropped an average of 30 pounds in six months, compared with 2 pounds in the control group.