The secret in not gaining weight over the holiday seasonis by practicing three main things:  moderation; renovation and portion control. 

Start with portion sizes.   Many of us suffer from portion distortion. 

• 1 cup of green bean casserole is about the size of a tennis ball of your fist
  
•  3 ounces of turkey equals a computer mouse or a checkbook
  
•  ½ cup of mashed potatoes or stuffing would fit into a small cupcake wrapper or an ice cream scoop
  
•  ¼ cup of gravy equals 4 tablespoons.
  

Next, look for ways to renovate your recipes.   If you're hosting dinner or bringing a dish to someone else's house, consider trimming the fat from your recipes.

For instance:

• Make your mashed potatoes creamy with naturally low-fat buttermilk instead of butter.
  
• Pour your turkey pan drippings into a large glass bowl (or you can use a gravy/fat separator) and allow it to sit for 5 minutes so you can skim off a layer of fat. Use some of the fat in your gravy, not all
• Use whole-wheat bread, not white, for stuffing to increase the fiber and decrease the PointsPlus values (not to mention upping its vitamin and mineral profile).
  
• Slim down your pie by making a light cookie crumb layer instead of a traditional pie crust.
  
• Leave off the top (or bottom) crust instead of using both. Or forget all about the crusts and bake your pie filling in small ramekins for mini soufflés instead.