A traditional Christmas meal with all the trimmings is estimated to be a whopping 1,500 calories! Add that to the gut-busting 3,000 calories in a Thanksgiving meal and all of the treats you "tricked" yourself into eating since Halloween – and it’s no wonder the average American gains two to three pounds throughout the holidays.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Tim Pontti, R.N., a nurse and health educator with the Alegent Creighton Health Weight Management Center, helps patients navigate the tricky holiday season while maintaining – or even losing – weight.

"There is never a good time when life has calmed down and is going easy," said Pontti. "You’ll always be able to find an excuse. At some point, realize that this is your life – so make it happen!"

Pontti's tips for making your holidays healthier:

1. Have a plan. You have to have a plan going into these holiday celebrations – something that you stick to. Divide your food into three categories:
   
   Gotta have it: This is the one thing that, no matter what happens, you have to have and are not willing to give up. Maybe just try having it in a smaller amount.
   Negotiable: These are the foods you want to have, but can substitute ingredients to make it in a healthier way.
   I could skip this: These foods are those you don’t really like that much anyway, so just skip them completely.
   
   
2. Load up on fruits and veggies. You get good nutrition from fruits and vegetables, but don’t take in a lot of calories. So if you load up on these healthy options, you’ll be full and satisfied without lots of calories … so long as you don’t prepare them with a lot of butter, fats and sugars.
   
   
3. Avoid the diet mentality. During vacations and holidays, we tend to do whatever we want and plan to get back on the wagon Monday. It’s not just about the food, it’s about the mindset – and often, Monday never comes. Take the emotion out of food choices – you don’t need to be all in or all out.
   
   
4. Start a new healthy tradition. When we talk about the holidays in the first place, traditions often seem to revolve around food. Someone had to start that unhealthy tradition, so why not start a new, healthier one?
   
   
5. Plan more activity. Include activity in your plan – not necessarily exercise, just some sort of physical activity in which you move your body. On the day of a meal, before the food starts coming, exercise or do something deliberately active to get closer to the goal of maintaining or even losing weight through the holidays. You could even intensify your activity to give yourself more wiggle room at the celebration.