The average American gains five pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's. Staying away from all of the tempting treats can be a challenge even for the most disciplined person.

Rachel Tramonte knows that gaining weight doesn't have to be inevitable during the holiday season, "I try to keep it heavy on like the proteins and stay further away from the creamy stuff, the green bean casseroles and pecan pies."

Enjoying some of the traditional holiday foods is a gift you can give yourself, just be conscious of what you eat and how much. Rachel advises, "It's all about portion control. I always know that the leftovers will be there so, I can always go back for more the next day."

Jeanne Struve, a registered dietitian at Southwest Florida Regional Medical Center says, "A lot of times the serving that is listed on the nutritional facts label is not the serving that we're eating.we're eating a lot more than that."

It's important that you don't overdo the "healthy eating" so that you feel deprived because feeling deprived can result in binge eating. "It's the holiday's so you can't deprive yourself of anything but just keep it smaller portions and you get to have it all," says Rachel.

You don't have to cut out all the tasty treats that are floating around this time of year. You just have to make the right choices. And when you make the right choice, you're going to feel a lot better about you.

Jeanne Struve explains, "Don't worry about yesterday and don't worry about tomorrow, just worry about what you're going to do today. Take it one day at a time."

IF you can navigate through all the food temptations around the holidays, plan a non-food treat as a present to yourself to celebrate that you have met your goal of weight control.