I know, the Christmas cookies are everywhere. There are candies, special coffees, extra treats….all temptations to indulge.

So before you dive into that third cookie, ask yourself, “Do I really want to eat this? Will I be upset and sorry later?” If the answer is, “No, I’ll be upset later,” here are 10 tips to help you resist too many treats. It’s not that you can’t indulge! But you need to stay in control of the eating rather than the eating controlling you!

1) Don’t go hungry to party events. Drink a glass of water or eat a small piece of fruit before you go. A ravenous appetite makes it hard to resist the seductive presentation of holiday foods.

• 2) Find the vegetable tray and stay close to it. If you feel the urge to nibble, hang out next to the low cal options and nibble away!

• 3) Bring a low cal food item to an event. If you bring something you like that is low cal, you know there will be something healthy to choose from among all the items.

• 4) Don’t have food items on your desk or out in a public area. Seeing is inviting. If the candy is on your desk, you will probably eat too many pieces. Hide it in a drawer, cupboard and bring it out for guests.

• 5) Walk away.  Remove yourself from the source of the temptation. Don’t stare at it and try to exert willpower. Move away!

• 6) Press pause before you eat. Yes, it is the name of my book but it works. Stop, think and decide. Tell yourself you can have the food item. But ask, “Will I be sorry later?”

•  7) Focus on the people at an event and not the food. Try to mingle and involve yourself in conversation versus isolating yourself at the food tables.

• 8) Try not to eat because you feel uncomfortable or anxious. Food events are social events and people eat to decrease anxiety. Prepare a strategy ahead of time, “If I begin to feel anxious or uncomfortable, I will…”

• 9) Try to not eat because you feel out of control. The holidays can be overwhelming. Sometimes we grab food because we feel out of control and it is momentarily comforting. But when you eat out of control, it only adds to the feeling.

• 10) If you overdo it, don’t get crazy. Just regroup after the event and cut back at the next few meals. Too many people say, “Oh I really blew it so I might as well continue to eat.” That’s the wrong approach. Instead say, “OK I blew it but I can get back in control and cut back on the next few meals.”