and the season of gluttony begins

In the past, a friend at work has given me some Hershey kisses every time she noticed a new flavor being offered.  I can't remember how this tradition began; I believe it was when we were in the same department and discussed our love of chocolate.  She surprised me today with a lovely little Fall gift that included a bag of pumpkin spice kisses.  When one of my co-workers commented that I probably wouldn't eat them, she just said that she knew that I'd been losing weight so if I didn't want to eat them it wouldn't hurt her feelings.

I don't work as closely with this friend as I did in the past, and haven't shared with her that I'm avoiding processed sugar.  This wasn't an example of her trying to sabotage my efforts like some people do; she was simply being kind.  Fortunately, the pumpkin spice flavor didn't sound very appealing to me so it didn't bother me to give them all away.

Immediately after this, another friend brought in home made peanut butter cups.  Oh. My. God.  Now that bothered me.  I adore Reese cups, and homemade ones looked heavenly.  I didn't eat any, though.

And so it begins.  The  season of overindulgence.  Sadly, I'm almost dreading the next several months because of all of the focus that there will be on food.  Parties at work. Family gatherings.  Food everywhere.

I'm sure there are very few people who aren't concerned about weight gain during the holiday season.  First there is Halloween and all of the sugar that entails.  Then thanksgiving.  Then Christmas.  Don't forget New Year's!  Depending on what study you read, the average person gains somewhere between 1 and 10 pounds during the holiday season.  I'm fairly certain that my personal average is at least 10 pounds.

This year needs to be different.  There is no reason that I can't end the holiday season weighing less than I do now.  At the very least, I'd be happy to maintain.  A gain is not acceptable.  My concern is not simply managing to accomplish this, but managing to do so without being bitter, stressed, and feeling deprived.

The unhealthy and unproductive thought process of "everyone else is overeating/It's the holidays/It's only once a year/a few won't hurt/why can't I indulge like everyone else" needs to shift to "I can enjoy the company of my family and friends, the focus of this season shouldn't be on food, I will feel better if I eat healthy, this is not depriving myself of anything, but giving myself the gift of good health.

Any suggestions for enjoying the holiday season while maintaining healthy habits?