During the holiday season from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve families spend time together, workplaces have office parties, Christmas programs are held at schools and at churches, gifts are exchanged, and lots of holiday goodies are baked. 
With all the events that happen in such a short amount of time, people can experience stress and depression.  Once stress and depression start to set in, it’s hard to stop it.  It is better to prevent stress and depression before they start.   The following paragraphs include several tips for reducing stress and depression.
Acknowledge your feelings and reach out.  It is normal to feel sadness and grief when you recently lost a loved one or can’t be with family during the holidays.  It is okay to cry.  You do not have to force yourself to be happy because it’s the holidays.  If you are feeling lonely look for community or religious events to attend as they can offer support and companionship.  Volunteering is another way to lift your spirits while helping others.
Be realistic and learn to say no.  This year’s holiday party does not have to outdo last year’s holiday party.  As family dynamics change, traditions may have to change with them.  In addition to being realistic, sometimes you just have to say no.  You do not have to attend every party that you are invited to.
Set aside differences.  While you may not agree with the life choices that certain family members make, the holidays are not a time to bring them up.  Be understanding of others if things don’t go as planned, they may be feeling the effects of holiday stress/depression as well.
Set a budget and plan ahead.  During the holidays plan out a budget for food and gifts.  To work with a limited budget try to make your gifts instead of buying them.  Also try a family gift exchange instead of buying something for everyone.  If you are hosting a holiday meal ask each family to contribute a side dish so that you don’t have to make everything.  Plan a menu and then make your shopping list so that you don’t have to run to the store for last minute ingredients.
Set aside time for yourself.  Don’t forget to take some time for yourself over the holidays.  Reading a book, getting a massage or going for a walk are great ways to relax and release stress.
Seek support.  If you are feeling unusually sad or anxious reach out to a family or a friend.  You do not have to face those feeling alone.  If the feelings of despair or helplessness continue to grow stronger, it may be time to seek professional support from your doctor or mental health professional.

Halloween is behind us, but Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve are just around the corner.  That means pumpkin pie, sugar cookies and homemade candies are coming!  Add in some turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, prime rib, cheese balls, the list is endless of delicious foods that are going to make an appearance on your table in the next 60 days.
At this time of year, making wise food choices can be a real challenge to maintaining your weight. The key to not gaining weight through the holidays is to make healthy eating the first choice.  Telling yourself that you cannot enjoy a holiday meal is not realistic. Instead, focus on moving more and making healthy eating choices the goals.  Here are a couple ideas:

• Take a brisk walk every morning, especially during the holidays, to proactively burn calories before they add inches to your waistline.Break a sweat for 30 minutes!
• At home, keep fresh fruit on the counter and stock the refrigerator with colorful vegetables in single serving packages.Eat them!
• At the restaurant, ask for baked or broiled fish and low-sodium entrees. Take half of your meal home for the next day.
• Try eating on smaller plates and keep snacks hidden.Out of sight, out of mind.
• Substitute fat-free yogurt in dips and sauces instead of cream cheese or sour cream.Low-fat cheese is an easy way to reduce calories and fat.They will never know the difference!
• Limit alcohol.A glass of wine can have the same calories as four cookies? A beer can be equivalent in calories to a slice of pizza.
• Stay away from the candy dish.Better yet, don’t have one on your desk at work.
• Don’t skip meals before heading out to a holiday party.Instead have small servings of low-calorie foods throughout the day so you are not hungry when you arrive at the party.
• Survey the buffet table before you start grabbing food.Indulge in one or two little treats.
• Monitor stress levels through the holidays so that you do not binge eat because you are over tired or overloaded.If you make an unhealthy choice, get right back on track at the next meal.

By making healthier food choices over the next two months, you can enjoy Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s … and not gain ten pounds!

The holidays are approaching fast!  With the holidays comes the yummy goodness of turkey dinner, prime rib roast, soups, pies, and homemade candies and cookies.  While you are dreaming about that also think about this:  the average Thanksgiving dinner contains about 3,000 calories, while the traditional Christmas dinner can top out over 7,000 calories.  Both of these meals contain more calories than you should consume in one day which is about 2,000 – 2,500 calories. 
There are ways to lighten up holiday meals without sacrificing our favorite dishes.  The following are some easy swaps to use in recipes:

• Instead of whole milk… use skim milk, unsweetened almond milk, or light soymilk (when making puddings/custards do not use the almond milk or soymilk because they don’t “set” like dairy milk)
• Instead of whole eggs… use egg whites, or fat-free liquid egg substitutes
• Instead of sweet potatoes… use butternut squash
• Instead of granulated white sugar… use a no-calorie granulated sweetener (no-calorie granulated sweeteners may alter the taste of a recipe so try substituting for half of the sugar)
• Instead of full-fat dairy items and condiments… use the reduced fat versions
• Instead of white flour… use whole wheat flour

There are also other ways to keep calories low.  Try to keep the number of side dishes to a minimum so that people aren’t tempted to try everything.  Another way to minimize calories is to use portion control and take smaller servings.  More ideas and recipes can be found online.