Now that we are in the thick of the Christmas holiday season, many of us are trying to stay away from becoming thick ourselves.

But it’s so hard, right? There are so many goodies and so little time!

First the bad news: Below are the average calorie counts of many holiday meals and treats according to FatSecret.com. But don’t fret, there are also some tips to help you fit or at least stabilize through the month and not feel deprived of all the good stuff.

Appetizer Calorie Counts:

• Bacon Wrapped Scallops (3): 140
• Chicken Skewer (1): 100
• Deviled Egg (1 half): 62
• Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs (4): 174
• Veggie Tray (no dip, 3 oz.): 25
• Veggie Tray (with 2 Tbl. Ranch dressing): 165
• Won Ton (meat filled, 1): 54

Beverage Calorie Counts:

• Coffee (black, 1 cup): 2
• Coffee (cream and sugar, 1 cup): 50
• Coke (12 oz.): 120
• Coke Zero (12 oz.): 0
• Cranberry Juice Cocktail: 137
• Cranberry Juice Cocktail Light: 46
• Egg Nog (1 cup): 340
• Egg Nog (low fat, 1 cup): 240
• Hot Apple Cider   (no sugar added, 1 cup): 117
• Hot Chocolate (whole milk, 1 cup): 190
• Red or White Wine (5 oz.): 125
• Sparking Apple Cider (1 cup): 117

Holiday Dinner Calorie Counts:

• Butter (1/2 tablespoon): 51
• Broccoli Salad (1 cup): 330
• Caesar Salad (1 cup): 184
• Corn (1/2 cup): 66
• Cranberry Sauce (2 oz.): 48
• Green Bean Casserole (1/2 cup): 71
• Ham (2 slices, 2 oz.): 92
• Mashed Potatoes (1/2 cup): 118
• Oriental Chicken Salad (1 cup): 102
• Parker House Roll (1): 75
• Prime Rib (5 oz.): 175
• Stuffing (1/2 cup): 176
• Turkey (white meat with skin, 4 oz.): 216
• Turkey Gravy (homemade 1/4 cup): 45

Dessert Calorie Counts:

• Chocolate Cream Pie (1 slice): 380
• Heavy Whipping Cream (2 tablespoons): 102
• Pecan Pie (1 slice): 503
• Pressurized Whipped Cream (2 Tablespoons): 16
• Pumpkin Pie (1 slice): 316
• Vanilla Ice Cream (1/2 cup): 145

Treats Calorie Counts:

• Almond Roca (3): 200
• Brownie (1): 129
• Butter Cookie with Icing (2 small): 82
• Candy Cane (1): 40
• Chocolate Covered Pretzels (8): 130
• Chocolate Fudge (1 piece): 90
• Dry Roasted Almonds (22): 169
• Gingerbread Cookies (2 small): 150
• Hershey Kisses (9): 200
• Lemon Bar (1): 142
• M&Ms (1/4 cup): 220
• Seven Layer Bar (1):  220

How to Stay Strong

Holidays are a time to celebrate, and including tasty food in your celebrations are a must for many families.

Many holiday treats and dishes are only served a few times a year, so allow yourself to indulge … somewhat. Here’s how:

• Before a big party, eat a high protein breakfast (cheese omelet), a light lunch (green salad) and drink plenty of water throughout the day. Eat an apple just before you go. You’ll lose a bit of your appetite, but not enough to spoil your dinner. Don’t starve yourself beforehand – you’ll regret it later.
• Choose to ignore food choices you can have any time of the year (mashed potatoes) and focus on the items you can’t.
• Be conscience of serving sizes. If that pie slice looks too big, cut it in half. Speaking of pie, choose whipped cream in the can over ice cream if you can or go non al a mode.
• If you find that your famished by the time you arrive at a party, try to fill up on veggies (go easy on the ranch dressing) first.
• Allow yourself to a few holiday treats but try to remember that holiday-colored M&M’s taste the same as the regular everyday variety.
• To fight off sweet cravings at work, pack at Fiber One chocolate chip bar. At just 140 calories, these are very tasty and will actually keep you quite satisfied with nine grams of fiber. Just limit yourself to one a day.
• For special beverages that come in red cups, go for non-fat instead of whole or two percent milk. Skip the whip, too. Starbucks whipped cream is delicious, but it’s the real stuff. It’s 110 calories that you won’t miss. You can shave off a few calories by asking for half of the chocolate syrup in your peppermint mocha as well.
• Chew sugar-free gum in between meals.
• When baking cookies, bake them well ahead of the holiday event and freeze them in an airtight container. If they are out of sight, they will be out of mind.
• Leave a bowl of fresh fruit and or vegetables on your kitchen counter so when you have a snack craving, you’ll go there first.