The holidays are once again upon us - and for many that means extra calories. Whether it's turkey with all the dressing, holiday pies or parties with lots of snacks and drinks, overeating can lead to extra pounds that can be difficult to get rid of in the new year.

Luckily, it doesn't have to be that way if you follow a few simple tips from the nutrition experts at MyBestHealthPortal.com.

• Make sure that you eat normally before a party. If the party is in the evening, eat breakfast, lunch and a snack before leaving your hotel or home. Do not starve yourself all day long attempting to save up all your calories for the party. You will be famished by the time the party begings and tend to overeat. If you eat normally, you probably will find that you are not tempted to go overboard and you will be able to control yourself at the party.
• Start with the healthy options at holiday partys. At the party, you should start by eating some of the healthy offerings. For example, choose vegetable sticks or fruits. If you fill your stomach up with healthy foods, you will be less likely to binge on other fattening foods.It can be tempting to eat everything on the table, when presented with a variety of options. Instead of eating a large slice of cake, for instance, you can select a small sampling of bite-sized portions of several desserts or appetizers. This way you can try a variety of foods without overeating, and stuffing yourself.
• Do not overload your plate. Eat with your stomach and not your eyes. Many people get caught up with the overwhelming variety of holiday foods and overload their plates. Consider taking small portions of each, if you must try all the offerings.
• Do Not Drink your calories away. Liquid calories don't fill us up like solid calories do, so it is very easy to consume extra calories without knowing it. Limit caloric beverages. They include regular sodas, fruit juice drinks, some specialty coffee drinks, lemonades and sweetened tea, energy drinks and alcohol. If you're looking for some flavor, choose diet soda, unsweetened teas, coffee drinks made with low-fat milk and sweeteners, light beer, wine spritzers or mixed drinks made with diet mixers.
• Choose nutrient dense foods. If 80 percent of the time you choose nutrient dense foods (whole grains, lean proteins, fresh fruit and vegetables, or low fat dairy) then 20 percent of the time you can choose "fun" food. Balance this with daily physical activity.
• Disobey the old parent rule to finish everything on your plate. You are grown up now. Contrary to popular belief you DO NOT need to finish everything on your plate. learn to eat slowly and wait for yourself to be full, and then push the plate away.
• Get up off the couch and start exercising. At this time of year, it's imperative to expend more calories since many people want to have holiday rich foods. Try to add an extra workout to your weekly routine. Plan fun physical activities such as hiking, family football games or a fun game of tag with the kids. Include small activities in your daily routine such as taking the steps, parking further away or taking laps around the mall before starting to shop.
• Above all, use your calories wisely. Unfortunately, along with gifts, many of us receive an extra 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. Use your calories wisely by choosing foods that you don't have a chance to enjoy the rest of the year. Don't waste calories on cheese platters, potato chips or chocolate chip cookies - these foods are around all year long.