Thanksgiving is past (maybe the leftovers aren't though). Start a Controlled Eating PlanH for CHRISTMAS today!

Here's one way to do it courtesy of the EATING LESS Newsletter from September 2010, link at the site for all archived newsletters. This one is targeted at buffets, but the idea is sound for all major eating occasions. Practice beforehand. Have a plan:

QUESTION TIME

THE PROBLEM:  It's only September and already I'm worried about Christmas and I really hope you can help. The reason is that I've worked really hard this year to lose the weight I gained last Christmas and I'm afraid it's just all going to go back on again this year. I'm fairly safe at home, it's the buffets at the parties are what really do me in. It's on my mind already and I'm thinking about going away somewhere to avoid it all but that's not something I'm going to want to do every year. MY ANSWER: I think it's great that you've brought this up so far ahead because this means you've got lots of time to practice, to get into training for The Buffet Table Challenge. I wonder if you've ever used the technique of 'Plans' described in Chapter 6 of EATING LESS, because that's what will help you most.       What you do to make a Plan is simply to decide what and how much you intend to eat, preferably just before you start eating. Try to picture it, and as you make that Plan, keep in mind how you will expect to feel after you've finished eating that amount, for the rest of the evening and even the following morning. So it's something like, "do I want to eat so much that I feel bloated, uncomfortably full and miserable, or do I want to eat less and feel energised, happy and in control?" So you make your Plan with that - what sort of experience you intend to create afterward - in mind.       Assuming you've made a moderate Plan, the real challenge will be keeping to it, because when you've finished eating a significant amount smaller than usual, you will almost certainly feel an addictive desire to eat more. Keeping to your Plan will depend on your management of that feeling of desire.       The more you can use any opportunity to practice making and keeping Plans over the next three months, the less anxious you'll be feeling and the more control you'll have when the parties begin.