It takes a superhuman effort to say no to everything you'll be offered in the coming weeks, so instead, try for moderation. Follow these guidelines and you'll ensure minimal damage

Guideline No. 1: Portion control is everything.
Many people lose weight and keep it off with the simple strategy of portion control. Eliminating or even limiting certain foods is brutally hard during the holidays. So do the next best thing: Eat reasonably small portions, limit the foods you know you should limit, and don't stuff yourself.

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Guideline No. 2: The next best thing to behaving perfectly is behaving well.
Most of us know by now what our 'trigger' foods are and the effects certain foods have on our mood, appetite and energy. If you can't abstain from problem foods all of the time during the holidays, abstain from them most of the time. 'Most of the time' is a lot better than 'none of the time.'

Guideline No. 3: Get off the diet mentality.
This is the corollary of Guideline No. 2. If you think of yourself as being 'on' or 'off' a diet, you're going to get into trouble. Why? Because as soon as you go off, you go off, as in 'deep end.' Don't set yourself up for this disaster. A taste of Aunt Goldie's pie doesn't mean you've 'sinned' and definitely doesn't mean 'What the heck, I might as well eat the whole thing.'

Guideline No. 4: Don't skip meals.
A common strategy during the holidays is to skip breakfast - and lunch - because you know a big meal is coming, so you 'save up' the calories for the celebration. This strategy backfires, because you come to the meal starving and end up eating way more than you ever intended. Which leads us to ...

Guideline No. 5: Never arrive hungry.
You know what foods you need to stay away from. Well, those foods are a lot harder to resist when you're starving and your blood sugar is in the pits. An ounce of prevention goes a long way here. A glass of tomato juice, some whole-grain crackers, a slice or two of cheese or a rice cake with some peanut butter will keep your appetite at bay. Try any of them an hour or so before the big holiday dinner and watch your willpower soar while your waistline stays in place.

Guideline No. 6: Go to the buffet line with a small plate.
A full salad plate looks like a lot of food and psychologically 'feels' the same way. You can always go back for seconds, or even thirds; but all of this slows down the eating process, giving you more time to feel full. And more often than not, the larger portions of food you would have eaten if they had been on your plate will wind up staying on the buffet table.

Guideline No. 7: Bring snacks while shopping.
Prowling the mall for hours leaves everyone starving and vulnerable to the usually bad fast-food choices. If you come prepared to roam around with some crunchy, healthy snacks such as celery, carrots, or even nuts - just don't scarf down fistfuls of peanuts - you'll be less likely to succumb to the call of the food court.

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