If the above scenario applies to you, don't worry – you are not alone. There are so many people who hate Christmas because this is a financial and dietary disaster that it is a wonder that there are no clubs of the Anonymous Christmas Haters. Honestly, Christmas is not so bad, if you manage to keep track of your spendings and of your daily input of calories. It is not easy but certainly it is not impossible. Here are some simple tips that will help you have a healthy Christmas:

• Consume less oil, sugars and salt. Christmas meals are heavy meals but there are so many recipes that are both delicious and healthy, so there is no excuse. If eating not fat meat is your usual habit then why make an exception during the Christmas holidays? Sugars are also a very common sin at Christmas but if you manage to eat more fruit that cakes with bad carbs, it will be a victory for you.

• Eat vegetables and fruit, not cakes and steaks. Having a piece of cake and a steak is OK. What is not OK is to have them all the time. If you take one steak only but with a lot of vegetables as dressing, you will be full at the price of less calories. However, have in mind that not all vegetables are OK for dressing. For instance, fried potatoes or rice isn't a great idea because it is both salty and oily. Also, some fruits, for instance bananas, are high calorie and it is needless to say that they also must be avoided.

• Eat unsalted nuts. Nuts are another typical Christmas food. Although you can't eat tons of them, they are high caloric food. It is worse if they have lots of salt on them, so unless you absolutely hate unsalted nuts, give them a try. You might discover that they are not so bad!

• Avoid excessive alcohol. If food were the only Christmas enemy to your diet, it would have been marvelous but unfortunately alcohol is something worse than fat steaks and sweet cakes. Alcohol has so many calories that even if you don't eat anything, which is hardly a good idea, by drinking you can also gain weight. If you drink water while you have your glasses of wine or whiskey, this will partially neutralize the negative effects of alcohol.

• Eat small portions but regularly. This rule is always important but it seems that at Christmas time it is even more important. When you have been starving the whole day, you will eat a lot, when you finally get at the table. So, if you are going to a party, have a small snack before that, so you will not arrive hungry at the party. This way you will eat less.

• Don't eat before going to bed. Again, this is a rule that one must always keep to but as you guess, Christmas is a challenge. Having a heavy family dinner and then going straight to bed is a guaranteed way to put on weight. And if you do it several times in a row, no wonder that you have gained a lot of weight.

• Clean the table when done with dinner. If you have guests for Christmas, it might sound a little bit rude to clean the table right after the meal is over because they might take this as a sign to leave but if you leave the table as it is, you will soon notice that you are go on eating not because you are hungry but because you see the food in front of you and can't help.

• Be more active, don't spend your day in front of TV. You are hardly expected to run ten miles a day during the Christmas holidays but spending the whole day in front of the TV is the worst that can happen after a heavy dinner the night before. In this aspect women are more privileged because when they cook and serve food, they exercise a bit.

There are many other tips that will help you have both a merry and a healthy Christmas. You see, there is no need to starve on Christmas. You can still have delicious meals and avoid putting on weight that will stay for you long after Christmas has gone. It is hardly a comfort that on average people put on 5 lbs (2kg) every Christmas. Well, this is not that much but why put up with it when you can avoid it?