Tip: When it comes to dessert, go light and go for a contained amount. When you make a dessert, make one that can only be served in individual portions. If you’re having a party for eight, make sure you only have eight individual desserts. Then there’s no leftover cheesecake to wake up to.

Have a safe and wonderful holiday season.

Tip: Score points with the host or hostess by offering to bring hors d’oeuvres of your own. Now, here’s the sneaky part. Bring something that you know you can eat and fill up on – without filling out. Take a festive basket, line it with a holiday cloth napkin, and fill it with fresh veggies. No time to slice and dice? Buy the pre-cut variety at your local supermarket. Put a small bowl of a low fat dressing in the center of the basket. Snack away.

Tip: Play the Good Samaritan and assign yourself the Designated Driver. Then you have a compelling reason not to drink. If you really want a glass of wine, keep an expensive bottle at home and enjoy a glass at home when you return from the party.

Tip #4: Trim the alcohol.

A glass of wine can be enjoyable with dinner, but let’s face it: Alcohol adds more calories to your Turkey Day feast. On top of that, spirits can weaken your willpower, especially when consumed on an empty stomach.

Save the first toast for when the turkey is served and sip four ounces instead of the usual five or six ounces. Use a smaller wine glass to help you stay on track.

Tip #3: Trim the amount of food you eat.

We stuff ourselves silly on Thanksgiving because we’re afraid we’ll have to wait another 12 months before we can indulge in the whole turkey thing again.

Challenge yourself to eat at least 25 percent less this year, and the calories and fat won’t be so astronomical. Consider serving your Turkey Day on smaller plates. This is the easiest way to consume 25 percent less without much of an effort.

Check back tomorrow for Tip #4.

Tip # 2: Trim the amount of food you serve on Thanksgiving.

Make an executive decision to serve fewer dishes. It isn’t mandatory to have mashed and sweet potatoes, nor do you have to serve both whole cranberry sauce and the gelatinous kind that fans out like an ostrich’s tail. And what about those pies? How many varieties have to be served for it to be Thanksgiving? (Does anyone actually eat mincemeat pie?)

Better Bet: Serve only one dessert.

Check back tomorrow for Tip #3.

Tip # 1: Carve out an earlier time to eat.

When Thanksgiving dinner is served at 2 or 3 p.m., we tend to skip lunch in an attempt to make room for a few extra dinner calories. Has this ever really worked? Not in my house. By the time dinner finally rolls around, the smell of roasting turkey has permeated every pore of my skin, and I am transformed into an uncontrollable eating machine. To avoid this, have a light lunch to help you keep to more civilized portions. Or better yet, move up the start of dinner to high noon on the East Coast, that’s immediately after Santa brings up the rear of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Check back tomorrow for Tip #2.

Beware: Not all cereals are created equal. Your cereal should contain:

* Whole Grains (contains “100% whole grains” or “whole grains” are the predominate source of grains listed in the ingredients)
* At least 2 grams of fiber per serving
* No more than 2 teaspoons of added sugar (8 grams of sugar on the Nutrition Facts Panel) per serving

Find out which cereal brands make the nutrition grade.

Salge Blake’s Snack Advice: Pack a couple of apples daily as snacks, add them sliced as part of your dinner salad, and bake them for a sweet treat.

Discover the best varieties for snacking, baking and cooking.