Allie's Guide to Holiday Parties

'Tis the time of the year when people from every nook and cranny of the earth gather together to celebrate the various holiday seasons that are upon us. I, myself, am a Christmas girl and nothing brings me more pleasure than hopping from party to party in search of wine, mistletoe and hideous Christmas sweaters.

I've realized, though, that in the last 2 years of Christmas hopping I've developed quite the strategy for staving off unwanted holiday weight.

#1 - Survey the land


Look and see what is being offered. This will help you make your decisions very easily. If all the good stuff is waiting for you at the table, lay off the apps a little. They're appetizers for a reason, don't make yourself a meal.

#2 - Eat what you enjoy


I eat my fair share of deli meat but given the choice, I always picked the cured meats. I don't know what it is but they have a hold on me. I'm not advising you to choose cured meats because there's a serious of issues attached to those that we won't even get into. What I'm saying is, there's no need to eat all of the meat because it's there. I chose two slices of the salami and moved on. Don't eat something just because it's there. Pick the foods you enjoy and you'll be much more satisfied.

# 3 - Eat what you love... IN MODERATION


Now, if you're the type of person that loves EVERYTHING at the buffet table then you're going to have to find your control switch. I firmly believe in what I call the "Pie Plate". This may be new to some of you because you're used to what I call the "Bikini Model Plate" 1/4 Protein + 1/4 Starchy Carbs (Bikini top) + 1/2 Vegetables (Bikini Bottom). This is a great model for healthy eating but realistically speaking I find it easier to follow my Pie Model (pictured above). If you slice a pie into several pieces you may have about 8 or more different sections. In terms of serving food it assumes that you'd sample a little bit of everything, maybe a couple tablespoons or so, and have a variety of items on your plate. I swear by it.

#4 - Don't forget the reason for the season!



Enjoy spending time with family and friends. Bask in the glow of golden spoons that your professor has graciously put out for chili night! Find ways to enjoy the party that don't include food.

#5 - When all else fails, drink wine!


No not really... well maybe... no just kidding! Enjoy the time while you can because soon everything will look like this...


and food will be the least of your worries.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!