You. Yes, you. Put down the extra slice of pie. Now.

The holiday season is rapidly approaching, literally in 24 hours, which for many is synonymous with unwanted weight gain. However, that does not give you the excuse to gorge yourself with food whenever the opportunity presents itself. That doesn't mean you have to be a stick in the mud at holiday parties and be miserable because you've restricted yourself all of the delicious holiday treats. So go and have yourself that extra helping of mashed potatoes and stuffing…or maybe an extra slice of pie, or two…if you want to gain those unwelcome pounds only to bitch and complain about it later. Restricting yourself is only a recipe for disaster, even for those with the strongest will power. So how do you indulge during the holidays without packing on the pounds? Portion control. It’s as simple as that. There’s no secret, no diet pill, nothing except for simple common sense. I won’t sugar coat it, it’s not easy and actually quite the bitch. But if you think about it, how many times a year do you turn down dessert or fried over grilled? The holiday season should be no different. Just think of Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and all of the holiday parties in between as one of your cheat meals for the week. When you allow yourself a cheat meal any other time, you don’t stuff yourself until no return do you? No, you don’t, so this should be no different. There are only a few simple rules and guidelines to abide by in order to still enjoy the holiday festivities, but not let it ruin your diet.

First things first: eat breakfast. It is such a common mistake that people make, of which I used to be guilty of myself, in order to save calories for later. That is your first mistake. You should be having a protein rich breakfast in the morning year round anyways, and Thanksgiving shall be no different. Firstly, it’s going to boost your metabolism, so you’re body will be able to actually metabolize the food your eating later. But most importantly, you’re body won’t go into starvation mode and feed on your muscle rather than fat. When it does this, I can guarantee you that you will both physically and mentally enter a “binge mode” and want to eat everything in sight because you haven’t eaten all day. Not only will you be bound to over eat, mentally, you will be unable to make healthy choices that you would be able to otherwise. So it's either an extra 300 calories at breakfast, or an extra 650 at dinner. Your choice.

The holiday season can also be tantamount with forgetting to exercise. For those who are slaving away in the kitchen for 10 hours a day, I get that the last thing you want to do is hit the gym for 2 hours. But do SOMETHING, and for those who aren't cooking all day long have NO excuse. Go for a hike, do some yoga, lift some weights. Even if you aren't going hard like you usually would do at the gym, just move your ass doing something…I don’t care what it is. More than likely, you’ll feel so good after getting a workout in, that you may not even fully indulge later…completely saving your waistline.

Now that you've made proactive attempts at not making the holidays a full on gorge-fest before you hit the table, here’s what you have to do once you finally sit down to eat.

Unless you are cooking the meal yourself, if you are dining at someone else’s home, chances are they may not be as health conscious as you, so you might not have much of an option of what to eat. But you do have an option of what NOT to eat. You don’t have to try out every single dish just because you think it’s rude not to. All you have to do is make healthy choices. If you've decided to have a serving (and yes, I stress a serving, as in singular) of candied yams, don’t indulge in the mashed potatoes, or visa verse. Pack on the vegetables, unless they are all dishes smothered in butter and creamy sauces. Refrain from smothering your turkey in gravy. Be mindful of your starches…don’t load your dish with potatoes, pasta’s and breads. And for god’s sake, practice portion control!

Now it’s time for dessert, and yes, you can indulge in dessert. If you really have a sweet tooth, try limiting your food intake during the main course. But either way, stick to one slice of pie opposed to two (and that doesn't mean one enormous piece), and eat it sans whipped cream. Little things like not adding the whipped cream or chocolate syrup, will really play a difference in whether you pack on the pounds or not.

So please, for the sake of your waistline, just be smart and make healthy choices. You do it all year round, make the holidays no exception.