I am sitting in my family's  house right now eating leftover holiday cookies ... help! Even nutritionists don't always practice what we preach. So I thought I'd post a little info as how to get back on track after your holiday gorge and get ready for your New Year's eve party dress.

The past month has been a diet disaster… holiday parties with too much cheer, overindulging on tempting goodies in the office, getting together with your family and eating, eating, eating! Now the countdown is here to fit into your little black party dress for New Years Eve -  6 days left! Yes, you can do it (assuming you haven’t done major damage over the holidays).

While I usually don’t promote rapid weight loss, if you follow these tips, you should be able to lose 2- 3  pounds in the next 6 days. The heavier you are, the quicker you will lose. Keep in mind that any weight you lose over 1-2 pounds in a week will be mainly from water. But whether the loss is from water or fat, your dress will definitely fit your better!

Tips to fit into your little black dress:

1. Write down what you eat. Studies have shown that those people who keep food records have more success with losing weight. Who wants to write down that they ate chocolates from their co-workers desk or had 3 slices of pizza for dinner?

2. Dispose of all problem foods that are left over from the holidays. This means the chocolates that you received in your Christmas stocking, grandma’s homemade cookies ….

3. Don’t skip meals. This will only slow your metabolism down and lead to overeating at your next meal.

3. Try to eat more meals from home.  This way you can control what you are eating. If possible, bring lunch to work. The best lunch choices would be leftover protein (~ 4-5 ounces and a big portion of veggies) or a salad with lean protein and low fat dressing. Curtail your restaurant dining for the next 6 days. Restaurants generally mean more calories (larger portions, more temptations such as bread, alcohol and dessert)

4. Stock up on healthy foods in your apartment/house. This way you will be less likely to dial for dinner or snack on junk.

5. Limit your sodium intake. Sodium holds onto water. Cutting back on sodium can help you lose at least a pound or two of water weight. This means cutting down on processed foods.

6. Avoid alcohol for the next week. Not only does alcohol contain empty calories, it can decrease your willpower to watch what you eat and cause more cravings for junk food the day after indulging.

7. Don’t eat after 8 pm. When it comes to weight control, it really doesn’t matter what time you eat. So theoretically, it shouldn’t matter if you eat a late dinner as long as you are on track with your calories. However, in my experience, people have an easier time losing weight if they eat most of their calories earlier in the day.

8. Limit carbs, especially processed carbs. While I generally don’t advocate a low carb diet, cutting back on carbs can help you release water weight. You will feel less bloated.

9. Add in a few extra long sessions of exercise. Not only will this burn off some of the holiday calories, it will help you feel better physically and psychologically.

10. On the day of New Years Eve, avoid gassy vegetables and carbonated beverages. Both of these can distend your stomach and intestines. Distended abdomens don’t look good in party dresses!

CHECK OUT MY BLOG City Girl Bites http://citygirlbites.com/blog/   for 1200 calorie quick weight loss meal plans. I will be posting these meal plans Sunday 12/12/27.

Happy New Year everyone!