I believe it is NOT what you do from Thanksgiving to New Year's that makes or breaks your fitness plan, but what you do from New Year's to Thanksgiving!! What you consistently do day in and day out is what really matters. Holidays are wonderful, fun times to enjoy with family and friends. We know there will be foods we don't eat normally and most of us will overeat. Let's just be honest! I see no value in berating yourself or in placing unrealistic demands on yourself either. Jesus Himself said He came that we might have and enjoy abundant, overflowing life (John 10:10). Special holiday treats and meals that bring to mind cherished childhood memories are part of this.

The most important thing is to enjoy the holidays with your family - if you look forward to a particular family favorite dish - eat it with relish and enjoy it thoroughly - don't eat it and then feel guilty or beat yourself up because you over-indulged. If you are going to eat - eat and enjoy. Get right back to your routine in the next day or two. A week of over-indulgence - like Thanksgiving and the day or two after (leftover turkey sandwiches are awesome!); Christmas eve and day and New Year's eve and day - a week or two out of 52 is NOT going to completely ruin all your hard work.

It's more about making good choices when you can and keeping a balance. If you eat a lot of carbs one day, try and balance with more protein the next.

That being said, here are a few tips to help you keep the damage to your fitness program and weight gain to an absolute minimum:

1. First of all, at holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter - focus on the meaning of the holiday. Don't let yourself spin out of control and make it ALL about the cookies, or the stuffing or the lasagne. Keep the reason for the particular season in mind. Keeping perspective is very important.

2. There are ALWAYS holiday parties. If you go there starving, you will definitely make bad choices. Here are some good strategies:

Have a high protein snack (a handful of almonds, a small protein shake, a few slices of turkey rolled in a leaf of lettuce) and 16 oz. of water with the appropriate amount of sea salt before you go.

Taking 8-16 oz. of water with the fiber supplement of your choice before going to a party is another helpful strategy to help you feel fuller and therefore be less inclined to binge! Two Konjac Root fiber capsules with 16 oz. of water works well.

Taking 2 CLA softgels with 16 oz. of water before the meal is also helpful in assisting your body in burning fat and blunting your appetite.

Using the herb Hoodia has been shown to help curb appetite and may be helpful in strengthening your resolve. One or two capsules depending on the brand with 16 oz. water works well.

3. Make sure that the foods you simply MUST have are really worth the calorie expenditure. Our traditional Thanksgiving dinner includes both my grandmother's and mother-in-law's stuffings. It just wouldn't be Thanksgiving for my family without both. (And neither is low cal.) That's ok. We only have those dishes once a year and I intend to enjoy them both. I don't "waste" my calories on chips, dip or candy. I can have them anytime. I concentrate on foods that make the holiday special and that I don't get any other time of the year. That makes it a real treat and worth the added effort to work off those calories.

4. The more active you stay, the better off you are. Try to increase either the amount, duration or intensity of your exercise sessions the week before the holiday to help your body compensate for the extra calories. If you normally do a 30 minute walking tape twice a week, try bumping it up to 45 minutes, three times that week. Add some intervals of brisker paced walking. Be sure to include strength training - muscle is your best friend for burning fat.

5. After an especially large meal, try to stay active rather than just collapsing on the couch. Take a walk if the weather permits, play with your children, dance - see what you can do to just help your body utilize those excess calories rather than just storing them.

6. A good strategy to help you digest more effectively and protect against cardiovascular damage caused by a high fat, rich or heavy meal is to take 1,000 mg. of vitamin C, 800 IU of natural mixed tocopherol vitamin E (above and beyond what you'd normally take) and double your digestive enzymes.

7. If one of your holiday meals includes high carbohydrate dishes (you know - sweet potato pie, stuffing, pie, cookies, lasagne), try a starch neutralizer. One brand is Phase 2 and it is a white kidney bean extract. There are several different formulas and brands but basically you take 2 capsules with 8 oz. of water before a high carbohydrate meal it helps block the absorption of some of the carbs so they are eliminated rather than stored as fat.

8. Also, when your diet is radically different, you may find you need some help staying regular. Fiber supplements are helpful here, so be sure to take yours daily. There are some herbal tea formulas (Get Regular is one) that also work well and, of course, making sure you still drink adequate water will be very helpful.

So go ahead, enjoy your holidays including the delicious food and use these suggestions. You will keep the damage to a minimum while not depriving yourself.

I believe it is NOT what you do from Thanksgiving to New Year's that makes or breaks your fitness plan, but what you do from New Year's to Thanksgiving!! What you consistently do day in and day out is what really matters. Holidays are wonderful, fun times to enjoy with family and friends. We know there will be foods we don't eat normally and most of us will overeat. Let's just be honest! I see no value in berating yourself or in placing unrealistic demands on yourself either. Jesus Himself said He came that we might have and enjoy abundant, overflowing life (John 10:10). Special holiday treats and meals that bring to mind cherished childhood memories are part of this.

The most important thing is to enjoy the holidays with your family - if you look forward to a particular family favorite dish - eat it with relish and enjoy it thoroughly - don't eat it and then feel guilty or beat yourself up because you over-indulged. If you are going to eat - eat and enjoy. Get right back to your routine in the next day or two. A week of over-indulgence - like Thanksgiving and the day or two after (leftover turkey sandwiches are awesome!); Christmas eve and day and New Year's eve and day - a week or two out of 52 is NOT going to completely ruin all your hard work.

It's more about making good choices when you can and keeping a balance. If you eat a lot of carbs one day, try and balance with more protein the next.

That being said, here are a few tips to help you keep the damage to your fitness program and weight gain to an absolute minimum:

1. First of all, at holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter - focus on the meaning of the holiday. Don't let yourself spin out of control and make it ALL about the cookies, or the stuffing or the lasagne. Keep the reason for the particular season in mind. Keeping perspective is very important.

2. There are ALWAYS holiday parties. If you go there starving, you will definitely make bad choices. Here are some good strategies:

Have a high protein snack (a handful of almonds, a small protein shake, a few slices of turkey rolled in a leaf of lettuce) and 16 oz. of water with the appropriate amount of sea salt before you go.

Taking 8-16 oz. of water with the fiber supplement of your choice before going to a party is another helpful strategy to help you feel fuller and therefore be less inclined to binge! Two Konjac Root fiber capsules with 16 oz. of water works well.

Taking 2 CLA softgels with 16 oz. of water before the meal is also helpful in assisting your body in burning fat and blunting your appetite.

Using the herb Hoodia has been shown to help curb appetite and may be helpful in strengthening your resolve. One or two capsules depending on the brand with 16 oz. water works well.

3. Make sure that the foods you simply MUST have are really worth the calorie expenditure. Our traditional Thanksgiving dinner includes both my grandmother's and mother-in-law's stuffings. It just wouldn't be Thanksgiving for my family without both. (And neither is low cal.) That's ok. We only have those dishes once a year and I intend to enjoy them both. I don't "waste" my calories on chips, dip or candy. I can have them anytime. I concentrate on foods that make the holiday special and that I don't get any other time of the year. That makes it a real treat and worth the added effort to work off those calories.

4. The more active you stay, the better off you are. Try to increase either the amount, duration or intensity of your exercise sessions the week before the holiday to help your body compensate for the extra calories. If you normally do a 30 minute walking tape twice a week, try bumping it up to 45 minutes, three times that week. Add some intervals of brisker paced walking. Be sure to include strength training - muscle is your best friend for burning fat.

5. After an especially large meal, try to stay active rather than just collapsing on the couch. Take a walk if the weather permits, play with your children, dance - see what you can do to just help your body utilize those excess calories rather than just storing them.

6. A good strategy to help you digest more effectively and protect against cardiovascular damage caused by a high fat, rich or heavy meal is to take 1,000 mg. of vitamin C, 800 IU of natural mixed tocopherol vitamin E (above and beyond what you'd normally take) and double your digestive enzymes.

7. If one of your holiday meals includes high carbohydrate dishes (you know - sweet potato pie, stuffing, pie, cookies, lasagne), try a starch neutralizer. One brand is Phase 2 and it is a white kidney bean extract. There are several different formulas and brands but basically you take 2 capsules with 8 oz. of water before a high carbohydrate meal it helps block the absorption of some of the carbs so they are eliminated rather than stored as fat.

8. Also, when your diet is radically different, you may find you need some help staying regular. Fiber supplements are helpful here, so be sure to take yours daily. There are some herbal tea formulas (Get Regular is one) that also work well and, of course, making sure you still drink adequate water will be very helpful.

So go ahead, enjoy your holidays including the delicious food and use these suggestions. You will keep the damage to a minimum while not depriving yourself.