Try these tricks to avoid the dreaded holiday weight gain

When you gaze into your crystal ball, do you see yourself on New Year's Day smiling because you fit comfortably into the same clothes you're in right now?

That scene doesn't have to be a figment of your imagination if you work out a holiday survival strategy.

In the next four weeks we'll be tempted by the season's best, virtually erasing the dietary promises we made just days ago to be good this year.

We've learned from the past and can use it to our advantage. We know at which holiday get-togethers our taste buds will be bewitched to the point of scuttling all our good intentions so we can plan ahead to avoid last year's dietary descent.

A promise-keeping strategy that works well for me and has for more than decade is to eat something in my normal food plan before I leave the house for a celebration that involves tempting holiday fare.

I've found that when I'm hungry, I make bad spur-of-the-moment decisions. Just as going to a grocery store on an empty stomach and without a list leads to poor purchasing choices: "Hmmm, how did I plan to fit these chocolate-covered graham crackers into my weight maintenance plan this week?"

Keeping healthy foods in the house can help you resist temptation later.

Pears, for example, are in stores right now and will be for weeks to come. Two-percent cheeses have never tasted better and are packed with healthy appetite-suppressing calcium. So, before getting ready for your shindig, sit down to a fresh pear and an ounce or two of cheese. By the time you get to that party, taking smaller portions or graciously turning down something (like that omnipresent nut-crusted cheese ball) will be easy.

For sit-down holiday meals, I always let my plate be my serving-size guide. Almost all dinner plates have an interior rim that creates a circle smaller than the outer edge of that plate. I fill my plate to that inner rim, carefully choosing servings, since I have limited space on my plate. Do not layer upward - that's cheating.

Last year I tried something new and intentionally ate holiday meals with a smaller salad fork, instead of the larger dinner fork. It forced me to slow down and I found myself satisfied by meal's end every time. No need for seconds and no one seemed to notice my silverware switch.

Finally, share a dessert with at least one other person, and enjoy a cup of coffee at the same time. I am always surprised how good an ultra-sweet dessert tastes after a swallow of good coffee. By splitting a dessert, I can limit those calorie-dense delights and that coffee seems to bring on a sense of fullness more quickly.

Knowing your personal history will help you create your own promise-keeping strategies and get you through the holidays without worrying about feeling like a 10-pound Knackwurst in a 5-pound casing when trying on that new sweater that was supposed to be "just your size."

Try this recipe: Green bean casserole has always been a Mauer family Thanksgiving favorite. I don't mean the one made with canned green beans, cream of mushroom soup and topped with fried onion rings. This year instead of serving my casserole for dinner, I'm using it as the base for leftover turkey.

Leftover Turkey and Green Bean Casserole

2 pounds frozen French-cut green beans, defrosted and drained

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ cup grated onion

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ cup skim milk

16 ounces nonfat Swiss cheese, torn into strips or shredded*

1 cup fat-free sour cream

1 cup reduced-fat sour cream

½ teaspoon fresh-ground pepper

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

3 cups chopped cooked turkey breast or mixed light and dark meat

Vegetable oil spray

3 cups crumbs made from packaged herb-seasoned stuffing cubes (see note)

Place oven rack in lower-middle position and heat to 350 degrees. Lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 2-quart casserole dish with vegetable oil.

Add butter to a 5-quart nonstick saucepan and place over medium heat. Add onion and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, until softened. Add flour and stir and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk skim milk, and then stir Swiss cheese into flour mixture.

When cheese melts add sour cream, sugar and pepper; stir until smooth. Remove from heat. Add green beans and turkey to cheese mixture, tossing and stirring until coated. Set aside.

Spread green bean and turkey mixture evenly into prepared casserole and distribute stuffing crumbs over the top. Lightly spray stuffing crumbs with vegetable oil. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbling and stuffing crumbs are slightly browned. Serve immediately.

Serves eight.

LeanNote: Purchase sufficient stuffing mix so that you will have enough unused mix leftover so you can turn it into 3 cups of stuffing crumbs using a food processor or a blender.

*Only nonfat, processed Swiss cheese product will work. Regular Swiss cheese will come out stringy; definitely not smooth. If you can't find nonfat processed Swiss cheese, use 1/2 pound processed American cheese product and 1/2 pound regular Swiss cheese.

Nutrition values per serving (white meat only): 475 calories (18 percent from fat), 9.5 g fat (4.5 g saturated fat), 55.6 g carbohydrate, 4.7 g fiber, 37.7 g protein, 86 mg cholesterol, 709 mg sodium.

- Don Mauer

• This Don Mauer classic originally ran on Posted Wednesday, November 17, 2004