WeightLoss Tips

The holidays are supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but for many weight-conscious women, they're anything but merry. That's because they spend the five weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's navigating a dietary minefield, dodging festive yet fattening foods, like sugar cookies, pecan pie, and buttery mashed potatoes.

"But depriving yourself will only leave you feeling frustrated," says Sharon Richter, R.D., a dietitian in New York City. "Eventually you'll give in, and that one taste of stuffing will lead to a second or third helping."

In fact, a recent study in the journal Appetite found that women who followed strict diets were more vulnerable to temptation-and weight gain-than those who indulged on occasion. So this year, we're suggesting a novel new mind-set that will benefit your waistline and sanity: Eat the foods you love.

The trick, of course, is to indulge in moderation. Follow these simple rules for shoring up your willpower and curbing your appetite and you'll be able to relax and truly enjoy yourself at those seasonal soirées-and develop habits you can use all year long. In addition to fending off winter weight gain, you just may get a jump-start on your 2010 slim-down resolution.