The mouth-watering, delectable food of the holidays is irresistible: the turkey and mashed potatoes and the pie are impossible to pass by. However, equally hard is realizing in January that you went up a couple jean sizes.

Obviously, we blame the calendar for our overeating during the holiday season. Whose bright idea was it to put two huge holiday seasons back to back? We hardly get through our leftovers of turkey and pumpkin pie when the Christmas trees and Menorahs get pulled out and it’s time to eat again. Plus, don’t forget we are required to speed through our Halloween candy, lest it grow stale.

Unfortunately, the calendar issue is non-negotiable, hence the reason we try to convince ourselves that there is ample time to work off all the extra food after the holidays.

In fact, the necessity of having to exercise and eat healthy in January sets us up with a perfectly legitimate New Year’s resolution. So why not add another piece of pie to the plate?

But that’s not such a good idea after all. Binging during the holidays and taking your stomach on a roller-coaster ride over a period of four months can be very detrimental to your health. Your body gets in the habit of taking in and dealing with all the holiday food and it takes a while for it to recover, making the process of resuming normal eating patterns that much harder.

The vision of an immediate return to healthy eating hardly ever becomes reality.

Overeating affects enjoyment of the holiday. The classic argument that turkey contains a chemical, tryptophan, which makes you sleepy is quite true, but turkey does not contain enough of the chemical to be the only cause of drowsiness. In reality, the huge meal that always goes along with the turkey is what makes you sluggish and tired.

Whatever the cause, lying around on the couch for the afternoon leaves one unsatisfied. You are ultimately left with an empty feeling at the end of the day, dampening the season’s excitement.

However, it’s one thing to talk about abstaining from overindulging. Actually resisting the apple pie and Santa-shaped peanut butter cups is another story. It’s not easy, especially during a season Americans relate to indulgence.

Here are a few points to help you: remember that the food will still be there tomorrow (you don’t have to stock up all in one day), eat little snacks throughout the day before the big meal so you will be less inclined to eat a lot, and make yourself make the healthier choice once in a while – go for the Tall Peppermint Mocha instead of the Venti or pick the thinner slice of pie.

So enjoy the various treats of the holidays, but to truly enjoy the spirit of the season, try to eat in moderation.