Holiday activities, including shopping, cooking and decking the halls, may be raising the stress level in your already busy life. To make sure your holidays are happy, you may need to make your self-talk (those conversations you have with yourself) more realistic and positive. Here are some examples of negative self-talk with positive answers:

I can't eat these special cookies because they will make me gain weight.

I will eat two cookies as an evening snack and savor every bite.

I've blown it at this meal so I might as well just keep overeating.

I will wait until I am hungry to eat again. I feel better when I don't overeat.

I did not have time to exercise today so I'll wait until next week to get back on track.

The shopping I did today was exercise. Tomorrow I will get back to my usual routine.

There is so much food to chose from and I'm afraid I will overeat if I start eating.

I will not fill up on foods that are not special. I will choose only my favorite foods and stop when I am still comfortable and not stuffed.

I don't have time to take a break. I have so many things to get done.

I will figure out what is not important to do so that I can take a break. I will ask others to help with the important tasks.

I always gain weight during the holidays so why would this year be different?

This year I will see how it feels to enjoy eating without overeating. The average holiday weight gain is only one pound and that will not be hard to take off.

The hostess will be insulted if I do not have the eggnog.

I will be sure to compliment the hostess on the party, but I don't have to have eggnog if I don't want it.

If I gain weight over the holidays, I will feel terrible in the new year.

I can't control my weight but I can control my eating. I make better choices when I pay attention to how my body feels rather than what the scale says.

I want this to be a perfect holiday and everyone depends on me to make it that way.

It is much nicer for the people in my life when I am not stressed out. I will only do what gives me pleasure and recognize that when I try to do too much, no one is happy.

For the next couple of weeks, enjoy the pleasure of friends and families gathering together in celebration, as well as the special foods served at these celebrations. Take some time for yourself, keep your thoughts positive and have a wonderful holiday.

Christine Gutelius, MA, RD, CDN, is a nutrition resource educator with the Eat Smart NY program at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County.

Omelet Muffins

Serves 12

12 slices wheat bread

6 eggs

1/4 cup low fat milk

1/4 teaspoon onion powder, garlic powder and/or other seasoning

4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

2 tomatoes, chopped (or 2 cups of any chopped vegetable, such as green pepper, broccoli or mushrooms)

Chopped parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray. Use a 3-inch round cutter or glass to cut out a circle from each slice of bread. (Save bread scraps to use for croutons or bread crumbs). Press bread circles into muffin cups. In a medium bowl, beat eggs with a fork. Add milk and seasonings and beat with fork to combine. Spoon egg mixture evenly into bread cups. Sprinkle grated cheese evenly over eggs in each cup. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool briefly. To serve, remove bread cups from muffin tin and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve for breakfast, brunch or lunch.