Get Back On Track: If you’ve spent the day eating more of Aunt Sally’s fruit cake then you care to admit (And you don’t even like fruit cake!), enjoy the indulgence, then get back to eating healthy as quickly as possible. “Many people give themselves permission to completely trash their diet during the 6-week holiday period, making it that much harder to get back in shape after New Year’s” says Hermann. Try not to throw up your hands in defeat if you’ve overdone it.

Continue to focus on eating as healthfully as possible, no matter the amount of calorie-fests. Remember, it’s important to set examples for your kids during these holidays. They take their cues from you. If you train them early on how to avoid the holiday weight gain it will take them through many more Christmas seasons.