A Few Tricks to Easier Self-Control

Finding ways to feel full with fewer calories is a trick that can help you sidestep nutritional mischief and added pounds, especially during the tempting holiday season.

But what are the best choices to help you pull a fast one on your stomach?

Reach for high-volume foods rich in water, fiber and, yes, even air. Evidence shows these foods help you feel full with fewer calories.

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Welcome to Week Two of the Lean Plate Club Holiday Challenge. For those new to this idea, it's simple: Maintain your weight from now through New Year's. Each week, you'll find a food goal and an activity goal to assist in your efforts. Plus, on our Web site at http://www.leanplateclub.com/holidaychallenge, there are healthful recipes, tools to help you succeed, and new products. This week, see snazzy scales and measuring cups to help you stay on track.

Plus, on the new Lean Plate Club Bites blog, you can share your successes -- we'll cheer you on! -- and find commiseration about any slip-ups.

Holding the line on weight is always important so that you don't increase your risk of diabetes or other weight-related health problems. But it takes on special meaning at the holidays, when food temptations are as common as corner Santas.

"People already overweight or obese are at particular risk for packing on the holiday pounds," notes Susan Yanovski, co-director of the Office of Obesity Research at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

As part of a study of holiday weight gain, Yanovski and her colleagues examined a group of healthy adults and found that overweight and obese people were at greater risk of gaining five or more pounds from Thanksgiving to New Year's than their leaner counterparts.