You spend your entire year eating clean, exercising and working your hardest to look and feel your best. And then the holidays roll around.

According to this Real Simple article, holiday weight gain is real, and starts as early as October (thanks, Halloween candy). Throw in the yumminess of Thanksgiving and all of the December holidays into the mix and you’ve earned yourself and extra 5-7 pounds – which studies show can take more than five months to lose.

Talk about a holiday buzzkill.

Instead of starting your new year with weight to lose, keeping you in that dreaded cycle of “up five pounds, down five pounds” it would make a lot more sense to find a way to enjoy the holidays without struggling to button your pants at the end of it all. At Dr. Gena Chiropractic, a leading Plantation family chiropractor and wellness center, we believe balance is the key to life, but keeping the scale even and ensuring your health is a priority before that second helping of pie makes all the difference.

Here are our top tips for eating well throughout the holidays!

1. Stay Green

Veggies, veggies and more veggies. The healthy accompaniment to any main dish on your holiday table should be where you reach first. Loading up on veggies will help to fill you up with the good stuff, leaving only a little room for the decadent bites. “Eat a plate of veggies first at your next holiday party, and you’ll be less inclined to binge on the ooey-gooey calorie-laden options,” Dr. Gena recommends.

2. Do not skip meals

You’ve done it. We’ve done it. Everyone has done it – skipping meals earlier in the day to “save up for a big dinner.” This does nothing for you except cause you to overeat later, throw off your metabolism and blood sugar levels, and leave you feeling worse after the dinner you’ve saved up for. Start your day with your typical healthy breakfast, make sure to load up on lean protein and greens for lunch, and just before heading out to your holiday event, grab a healthy snack like berries and nuts to keep your cravings down and your blood sugar stabilized.

3. Drink wisely

Getting into the holiday spirit with some holiday spirits doesn’t need to be avoided entirely – but you should stay mindful of the amount of calories each cocktail contains. Drink a glass of water in between each cocktail to minimize alcohol intake and avoid dehydration.

4. Indulge wisely

We get it. That dessert table looks good – real good. It looks like the kind of thing you’ve dreamed about all year long while shunning sugar and deserting dessert. You shouldn’t give it all up and then live with regret, but you also shouldn’t eat yourself into a dessert coma. “Pick the one dessert that you know you love most – your grandma’s famous cookie recipe, the family flan that everyone goes crazy for – and leave it at that. You’ll feel so much better for having some restraint while still giving yourself a taste of the holiday dessert classics,” Dr. Gena suggests. 

And of course, in between all of the holiday fun and flavor, remember to keep moving. Regular cardiovascular exercise will help keep your body in harmony. At Dr. Gena Chiropractic, located just minutes west of Fort Lauderdale, your health is in your hands – but our hands are here to help.

Happy Holidays!