office parties focus on food and drink. Everyone overeats at this time -- be they fat or thin. It is no wonder that you can gain 10 pounds or more over the Christmas season! Thin people overeat but they accept the fact without punishing themselves.

They eat, enjoy what they eat and then it is over their normal eating and exercise pattern continues.

Weight conscious people tend to be locked into the "diet mentality''. They try to eat as little as possible -feeling deprived if they don't have a goody, guilty if they do and punishing themselves either way. When they do overeat it often turns into a stuffing, gorging or bingeing, which goes on for the whole season.

Whether you like to throw or attend parties, moderation in all things is the key. Don't deprive yourself completely, but be selective with food and drink.

Exercise is the only thing that you can't get enough of! Here are some survival tips that may work for you: Accept the fact that you will overeat just like everyone else. But, remember, what you eat is your choice.

Establish better control over your eating, by determining what triggers cause you to overeat: the particular foods, the behaviour, the situations and the emotions. Develop strategies to deal with the triggers.

Determine if you are a person who has to totally avoid problem foods or whether you have to eat the food you crave. Some people find, that avoiding problem foods does not work for them. If they don't eat the food they crave, they eat other foods all day and eventually cave in and eat the food they crave anyway! So, it may pay to eat a small amount of the food you crave in the first place.

See what works best for you, learn to manage your eating to the best of your ability, plan for and enjoy special treats but don't go overboard.

Keep your food intake as normal as possible. Do not skip meals because a festive dinner is planned for that night. Your body burns calories more efficiently when they are spread throughout the day; so, eat at regular intervals. Don't go for longer than five hours without food.

Minimise your hunger by eating a mid-afternoon snack. It is common to feel hungry between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Be prepared -- don't fall into the early evening hunger trap that can lead to chain nibbling.

Position yourself away from the food table, so you are not tempted to munch away at the food.

Circulate -- set a goal to talk to everyone in the room -- you can't eat while you're talking! Be selective -- have some of what you want -- not everything just because it's there.

Choose your drinks sensibly. Alcohol gives you extra calories and makes you more relaxed so you eat and snack more. Have a sparkling water or diet drink inbetween. Or better still, try the de-alcoholised beers and wines or the sparkling grape juice.

Choose foods that are lower in calories, fat, and sodium. Check both the calorie and fat content of the foods you eat -- fat free does not mean calorie free, so watch your portion size of fat free foods.

Be a healthful host -- make over your party recipes and dips with fat free or reduced fat ingredients, such as fat free cream cheese or sour cream, etc., and use low fat cooking techniques.

Incorporate activity into your socialising and holiday activities. Get up half an hour earlier and go for a walk, ride or just do some fast dancing. Be as active as you can as often as you can.

Enjoy this Christmas season -- but put food in perspective -- eat and enjoy it! Have anything you want but not all of anything you want! For a copy of this leaflet or our reduced fat Christmas recipes, such as lite cassava or farine pie, call 236-0224 ext 385 or 259.