It creeps up every time. The end of November brings two things: the Davis Cup final and Thanksgiving. Bring on the food, drink, and festivities of the holidays. With all the overeating, drinking and added stress of the season, it can be a dangerous time for your health. Articles and TV news shows often say holiday weight gain can be as much as 5–7 pounds. But a study from the National Institutes of Health is encouraging: It found that from before Thanksgiving until after New Year’s the average person gains only about a pound. Here’s the bad news: Study subjects who checked in later in the year had not lost that pound. Doing the math, that adds up to 5 pounds in five years, and 10 pounds in 10. Here are a few tips to help you prevent this year’s pound. For more ideas, check out WebMD's Healthy Holidays guide.

Satiated, Not Stuffed
The holidays are about mingling over munchies, sipping on drinks, sitting down to huge meals, and double the desserts. And that’s just on big days like Thanksgiving. There are also the holiday party calorie fests and goodies that make their way into the workplace. It’s all tough to resist, so here are a few guidelines for different situations.

Hors d’oeuvres: First you must survey the spread, then fill a small plate with just a little of the stuff you know is bad for you and a lot raw fruits and vegetables and whole grains. After your trip to the appetizer table, hang back or go to another room with your plate to avoid more munching (especially if you know you’re going to be sitting down to a big meal).

Mealtime: At the main event, take small portions of everything you like and only go back for seconds of the stuff you know you won’t get for another year. If there are three different types of pie for dessert, don’t have a full serving of any of them; just have a taste of each.

Surprise Sweets: There’s no way to avoid the tons of treats that pop up during the holidays. My best advice is to go into each day with a plan, having ideas for a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner, and then only allow yourself one holiday snack per day.

Keep Moving
Sitting idle in overstuffed pain is part of many holiday traditions, but before you undo the top button and plop down this year, think of that pound compounded over years.

Celebrations: What better way to feel good after some gorging than hitting the courts? Schedule some time at an indoor facility and play a round robin or some doubles with the family. If the whole family isn’t into tennis, try going on a walk, doing some outdoor sports, or playing tennis on the kids’ Wii.

Everyday: Many people get so busy during the holidays that they skip working out altogether. Don’t let this be you. Time on the court and other exercise will help you relieve stress, keep your fitness maintained, and give you a little extra wiggle room when it comes to that second helping of mashed potatoes.

You Time
Take some time to take it easy this holiday season. It might mean you have to be diligent about scheduling to get everything done in time to relax. Start early and divide up the tasks of cooking, shopping and decorating. And if you’re one of the delinquents who lets someone else in the household do all of the prepping and stressing for the holidays, step up and help out. It’ll lead to a much more relaxing, enjoyable season. Happy holidays!