Don't Let Holiday Sweets Derail Your Diet

From Christmas celebrations to New Year's parties -- the holidays can derail a diet.  But, there are ways to get through the season without putting on extra pounds.

The average person gains seven pounds over the holidays from Halloween to New Year's.

Registered dietician Amy Goodson said there is still time to avoid the post-holiday hangover and to not pack on extra weight.

"People always go to the holiday party starving because their thought is if I skip meals all day I can eat whatever I want at the party," said Goodson.

Goodson said people should eat something with protein before heading to a party and that they will be less likely to graze.

Goodson added that when it comes to holiday cocktails to stick with red wine and ignore the eggnog -- which can contain 18 grams of fat and 400 calories per glass compared to just 110 calories in five ounces of wine.

For those out shopping the post-Christmas sales -- look for healthier options like salads or wraps when eating on the run.

Finally, Goodson said to watch out for BLTs -- bites, licks and tastes.

"You can quickly rack up the calories because typically the foods we're biting, licking and tasting are higher in calories and higher in fat," said Goodson.

Eat better now and your New Year's resolution can be something other than losing weight.

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