Holidays often mean lots of time spent with family and friends and usually involve lots of food. Why is a healthy weight important? Check out my blog post below for more on this. What should you do if you're watching your weight over the holidays? Here's a countdown to my top 10 tips. Number ten avoid diet plans. Don't tell yourself you go on a diet after the holidays. This all-or-nothing thinking often leads to a cycle overeating than not eating enough and then over eating again Choose healthy eating over dieting. Number nine, don't skip meals. People sometimes do this to save calories but it often backfires and may lead to overeating. Number eight Eat a small snack before going to a party. If you go hungry you'll end up eating anything especially things that are less healthy a good snack includes both fiber and protein. Some examples include veggie sticks with the bean dip, low-fat Greek yogurt with berries or an apple with a tablespoon of peanut butter. Number seven bring a healthy dish with you. That way you're guaranteed there something you can eat. For healthy holiday recipe ideas check out ELLICSRkitchen.ca Number six, make it count there will often be a huge variety of delicious items available but choose a small portions the one you really enjoy for example there's lots of different desserts on display take a small portion and the one that you enjoy leave the others behind. Number five make one great plate when you go for second helping it becomes more difficult to keep track of how much you're eating. When you make one plate, you can keep a better eye on portion sizes. Try to make half of your plate vegetables or salad then you can fill the rest of your plate with some the higher calorie dishes that you enjoy. Number four step away from the buffet. Position yourself in a part of the room where you can focus on conversation rather than constant nibbling. This will help you to prevent mindless eating. Number three drink water. This will help you to slow down you're eating and also avoid extra calories from alcohol juices and other high-calorie beverages. You can also try to add extra flavor by drinking soda water with the squeeze on lime or splash of cranberry juice. Number two get active this will help you to burn off some extra calories and keep you feeling happy and energized over the holidays. Aim for 30 minutes a day to reduce your cancer risk and feel great. Number one have fun take the focus off food and plan a fun activity for your family and friends What's your favorite holiday recipe? Tweet us at ELLICSRKitchen.