The cheeseball at the office party, the double-fudge brownies at the neighborhood cookie exchange, the sticky buns at your book club holiday brunch. Nothing says “hello, holiday weight gain” more than a buffet lined with our favorite foods.

Trouble is, it isn’t just one buffet. From Halloween to New Year’s, we are tempted with the foods that are hardest to resist—candy, pies, chips and dip.

Kim Ledden, registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator at Bedford Regional Medical Center, counsels diabetics on how to manage their condition during the holidays. But her advice is useful to anyone who wants to avoid putting on pounds.

“When we talk about holidays, we talk about recipe modifications and preparing food in a low-fat manner,” Ledden said.

Pitch-ins and parties don’t have to be avoided, just planned for. “Bring something to the party you can have,” she said. “If you’re just watching calories, bring a veggie tray, a low fat meat tray or vegetable salads prepared in a low fat manner.”

Cari Littrell, registered dietitian at Dunn Memorial Hospital, said eating a light snack before the party can stave off what she calls, “the eyeball urge of oh, boy, that looks good.”

“Games or activities help so you’re not so focused on the food,” she said. “And try to stick with more whole foods and vegetable dishes.”

Dips made with high fat dairy products and mayo are another dieter’s downfall, but Ledden said substituting greek plain yogurt for the sour cream cuts out lots of fat and calories.

“In taste and texture it’s not that much different from sour cream,” said Ledden.

The goal of holiday eating should be a balance of filling up on low fat, healthy choices and enjoying but not overindulging on the high fat, high calorie foods.

Portion control is another strategy both dieters and healthy eaters use.

“It’s always good to reserve the right to have a bite or two of dessert,” she said. “Forbidden foods drive you to overeat. It’s OK to have a half-portion and fill up on other low fat things.”

EAT THIS NOT THAT

It’s your choice. To make it easier this holiday season, INstride provides calorie comparisons of some of the season’s most popular foods.

Baked turkey breast vs. baked ham

Serving size: 3.5 ounces

140 calories and 6 grams of fat (turkey breast)

180 calories and 10 grams of fat (ham)

pumpkin pie vs. pumpkin cheesecake

Serving size: 4 ounce slice

300 calories, 11 grams of fat (pie)

410 calories and 26 grams of fat (cheesecake)

Yeast roll vs. biscuit

Serving size: 2 ounces

160 calories, 2 grams of fat (yeast roll)

220 calories, 9 grams of fat (biscuit)

Mashed potatoes vs. stuffing

Serving size: 1 cup

223 calories, 9 grams of fat (mashed potatoes)

356 calories, 17 grams of fat (stuffing)

Fruit cocktail vs. vanilla ice cream

Serving size: 1 cup

46 calories, 0.2 grams of fat (canned fruit cocktail in light syrup)

274 calories, 14 grams of fat (ice cream)

SOURCE: KIM LEDDEN, REGISTERED DIETITIAN AND CERTIFIED DIABETES EDUCATOR AT BEDFORD REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER