A few more Holiday Tips...

Your Strategy: You plan to use sheer willpower during large family dinners.

More Tricks to Try:

• Eat with a small group when you can. One study found that dining with six or more people can cause you to eat 76 percent more, most likely because the meal can last so long.

• Wait for all the food to be on the table before making your selections. People who make their choices all at once eat about 14 percent less than do those who keep refilling when each plate is passed.

Your Strategy: You stave off feelings of deprivation by allowing yourself just one "cheat" day a week.

More Tricks to Try:

• Plan in advance to eat a little more and be a little more flexible at this time of year, when you face daily temptations. For instance, rather than inhaling four sugar cookies on your cheat day, allow yourself one as a dessert when the mood strikes. Then make one little switch during the day to account for those calories—maybe skipping that morning latte.

• Instead of wasting calories on foods that you can have at any time of the year, pick items that are truly unique to the season, like your grandmother's candied yams.