Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain

Like you, I have to really watch my weight over the holidays as I gain weight very easily, especially when I indulge in sugary baked goods (which I love!). Here are some things that i'm trying to do as much as possible to stay on track over the next couple of weeks.
1. Load up on protein in the morning - i'm skipping the whole grain muffin/bread/oatmeal for a couple of weeks and just having cottage cheese or greek yogurt (I like vanilla which has a little extra sugar but not too much) in the morning. This allows me a few extra 'treat' calories later in the day. This is NOT a healthy long term approach as whole grains are important for optimal health but in my opinion its ok temporarily (plus i'm getting whole grains in later in the day)
2. Sip Soup - I wish I cooked more. If I did I would make a giant pot of vegetable soup and eat at least 2-3 cups a day to ward off hunger between meals and even as a quick snack before heading out to a party. Instead i'm using canned soup, mainly progresso light vegetable and vegetable barley, to fill me up with fewer calories. Yes, its a bit higher in sodium but it really helps me and I do everything I can to keep sodium down in the remainder of my diet.
3. Squeeze in exercise early - I'm lucky enough to live in LA where its sunny most of the time (although very rainy today). Over the holidays, in addition to my daily walks with the dogs and treadmill workout, I try to squeeze in mini workouts whenever I think about. Whether its dancing around the living room or putting in a great CD and doing 5 minutes of knee lifts, jumping jacks or pushups, it can all add up to working off a sugar cookie or two so I think it's worth it
4. Don't have the 'last christmas' mentality - it's not the last time you will have access to any of the treats you enjoy over the holidays. Don't feel like you have to get everything in to make it count. Have your favorites of course, in moderation, but try to spread them out - even if its saving a cookie for the next day if you've had a full meal. I don't agree at all with the idea of just letting go because it's the holidays - research shows that people who keep the weight off eat pretty much the same year round so find a balance between treating yourself a little bit and going overboard which will lead to tipping the scale in January.

Happy holidays!