The holiday season isn’t all about the feast. Most of the time, it’s all about being with your friends and loved ones and spending time with them on this special season. If you’re focused on your health but you’re scared that with Christmas just around the corner–and you’re aware that ‘Tis the season for gaining weight, don’t fret. We’ve come up with a few tips and reminders on what you need to do in order to put a stop to your yearly fear of breaking your healthy diet. Now, you can have healthy holidays!

1. Socialize more, eat less.

Instead of staying in one corner and focusing on the food that’s on your plate or the table, socialize with your friends or family. The more you participate in their chats about random stories, the less you’ll end up overeating because you’re focused on the conversations and not the contents of your plate. After all, it’s normal to enjoy the company of your family and friends. Why not use this time to talk and spend time with them? There’s no actual need to eat your heart out!

2. Don’t say yes to everything.

If a relative of yours sees that you’re sitting in one corner, not having fun or not participating in any conversations, the person is more likely to offer you something to eat just to please you! It would even feel rude not to say yes, but sometimes, you have to learn to say, “Thank you, I’ll have some in a bit.” Don’t refuse outright, but feel free to delay and they might just forget about it later. Don’t panic and immediately hand them over your still-half-full-plate.

3. Be aware of your portions.

Think buffet style, wherein there’s a lot of options and you don’t want to put a whole lot of it on your plate all at once because you won’t be able to finish them. (Nobody wants leftovers! So make sure that you’re not putting too much on your plate in one sitting.)

4. Lay low on the sauces.

Surprisingly, some sauces can contain more calories than the main course. It may seem like the food won’t be 100% amazing if the sauce isn’t poured like it was soup, but you might want to avoid putting too much.

5. Don’t drink too much.

This is very understandable that social drinking is very common during the holidays. But you might want to put the cork back earlier than the usual if you don’t want to ditch your healthy lifestyle. While it’s not always bad to participate in social drinking, too much of everything is not good. Always remember that discipline is the key in order to keep your health in check.

While these tips may not completely avoid the possibility of eating or drinking more than the usual this holiday season, it’s great that you can be reminded of the things you should and should not do. It’s always up to you to manage your food intake. It’s always your motivation and discipline that will make the actual difference. Don’t let a couple of refills and portions get in the way of your health progress! Healthy holidays are possible, with the right choices.