4 Ways to Keep Your Diet on Track During the Holidays

Keeping your fitness or weight-loss goals in sight over the holidays can feel like a lost cause. Admittedly it's a challenge, but what's life without challenges? With a bit of forethought, and some help from your favorite electronics, you can find lots of ways to minimize the damage. Here are a few to get you started.

1. Bring an Alternative

Which holiday dish is your personal kryptonite, the one you can't stay away from? Make a healthier version, and bring it along as part of your contribution to the meal. Use the S pen on your Galaxy Note5 to annotate the recipe with your own healthy tweaks, as needed.

2. See Stars

Logging meals in the S Health app tells you how you're doing for calorie intake, so it's both a planning tool and an accountability tool. Looking through these comprehensive lists can be time-consuming during the holiday craziness, so plan ahead. Before the holidays, look up and "star" the foods you'll encounter—you can do it with half a brain, while watching TV—so it's easier to find them later.

3. Stay Active

Fitting your regular workout into all those family obligations can be hard, but any activity is a positive. You'd be surprised how many calories you can burn just by being the first to volunteer whenever there's an errand to run or something to tote. Set up the S Health pedometer on your Note5, then set it to show on both your lock screen and home screen. At a glance, you'll know how much walking you've managed through the day.

4. Give Yourself a Nudge

Sometimes the biggest problem is just reminding yourself to walk away from the table...or the bar, or the dessert tray, or whatever your weakness happens to be. So remind yourself. Set your Tab S2 or Note5 to deliver periodic reminders. When you hear the chime or feel it vibrate, walk away. Your waist will thank you later.