Numbers Game: Answer

In a recent Men's Health article, Registered Dietitian Cheryl Hartsough revealed that the average person consumes an additional 460-900 calories a day, every day, between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.

The biggest culprits aren't holiday family meals astronomically high in calories, but the barrage of food we encounter in our daily lives throughout that six week period.

Vendors send cookies and sugary popcorn as a "thank you" to offices, friends invite us to holiday parties, potlucks at work result in piles of (usually unhealthy) food, dinners with friends we haven't spoken with in months fill up our social calendars -- the list is endless.

The result? We are exposed not just to more food, but more high-calorie, high-sugar, fat-laden foods.

And don't forget alcohol! Two five-ounce glasses of red wine, for instance, add up to 250 calories. Being liquid calories, they do not contribute a feeling of being full, either, so they do not take the place of 250 calories we would have gotten from actual food.

One of the worst mistakes you can make over the next few weeks is to attempt to "ban yourself" from eating certain foods. Trying to make it until January 1 without a single slice of pie or sip of eggnog is a recipe for disaster.

Don't get so hung up on what you are eating during the holiday season. Instead, focus on how much you are eating.

Huge potlucks are especially tricky. Eight desserts compete for our attention, and we think that having "a little of each" (so as to not offend our coworkers) is harmless. Wrong!

When it comes to desserts, choose one or two and serve yourself a small portion of each. Pick the ones that truly call out to you and ENJOY them. Don't serve yourself a cup of fruit salad -- instead of a small slice of that irresistible chocolate cake -- if three of the four fruits in it are your least favorite.

Prior to that, fill up most of your plate with healthier appetizers and entrees.

If someone contributes guacamole the the office holiday party, for example, put more heart-healthy guacamole on a few chips instead of a slight dab of it on two handfuls of chips.

The fiber and fat in the avocado-based dip will fill you up faster and also contribute nutrients not found in Tostitos.

If you know you'll be attending any sort of event with unlimited food offerings, have a light snack before heading out (a handful of nuts, a small apple with a tablespoon of peanut butter, a Lara, Pure, or Clif Nectar bar, etc.)

Starving all day in anticipation of a potluck or buffet will undoubtedly increase your risk of binge eating and unnecessary extra calories.

Above all, be prepared. Chocolate, cookies, candies, and other treats will soon become daily fixtures at your office. Fight back with a diet-friendly desk. Stash healthy snacks like trail mix, dried fruit, natural food bars, whole grain crackers, and low-calorie treats (like Soy Crisps) in your drawers.