Holiday Spread.(managing weight gain)

In the Eat of the Moment

There have been times when I'm mindlessly lunging for the tenth piece of caramelized bacon when I would have been grateful for a man with a bullhorn shouting, "Ma'am, back away from the food ." More realistically, these strategies may help social overeaters: * Be a seeker of light Many of us find it more comfortable to overeat under the cover of darkness. "Try moving to a part of the room that's warm and bright," says David Heber of UCLA. * Weigh the consequences A thought such as "I'll gain weight" usually doesn't work; the caveat has to be something that speaks to the here and now, says Larina Kase, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. "Try 'My clothes will feel tight,' 'I'll feel uncomfortable dancing,' or 'I'll get a stomachache tonight and won't be able to sleep.'" * Do the math "Calculate how many extra calories you'll need to burn off at the gym," says Rachna D. Jain, a psychologist in Bethesda, Maryland. (Hmm, two mini empanadas = maybe 300 calories = about an hour on a treadmill .) "Sometimes this can help you decide that eating the extra food isn't worth it." * Ask the big question: Am I full? "This sounds so simple, but when you are at a party chatting, you are not likely to be paying attention to feelings of fullness," Kase says. "Things like wearing a fitted skirt can help you recognize when you are full." A woman can also cue herself that she has had enough, Kase adds, by bringing mints to signal the end of eating. * If all else fails, seek out the mistletoe According to believers in feng shui, mistletoe is one of those items that change the energy of a room. "If you hang mistletoe in the kitchen, it will shift attention away from snacking and overeating," says Carole Hyder, author of Wind and Water: Your Personal Feng Shui Journey (Crossing Press). "Instead, you'll look for nurturance in the form of a kiss."

ALCOHOL

ALCOHOL There will be drinks. Lots of drinks. And I'm afraid those calories count. There are several problems with alcohol for those trying to watch their weight. First, liquid calories are not filling. Second, alcohol is ...