Eating healthy during the holidays seems like an impossible challenge. There are so many delicious treats, parties, shopping marathons in malls filled with tantalizing scents, gift baskets filled with exotic cheese and meat, rich egg nog, family dinners with platters overflowing with fattening foods - who can stick to a healthy eating plan with all of those temptations?

Most people don't even try. They say, "I'll just start my diet fresh in the New Year," and then proceed to stuff themselves with food non-stop from Thanksgiving until New Year's Day. No wonder people usually gain weight during the holiday season!

It doesn't have to be that way for you. If you'd like to create a healthier balance between enjoying the holidays and still keeping your weight down (or even losing a few pounds), check out the easy tips below:

In the first part of this article, we explored some healthy, low-calorie options you can choose at various fast food restaurants.  So far we've covered burger joints, sub shops, Chinese, and Mexican restaurants.  Continuing below, we'll explore healthy fast food options at steak houses, chicken restaurants, and seafood restaurants . . . plus a surprising twist on "healthy fast food" that you may not have considered before.

When you need to eat on the run, you may find yourself at a fast food restaurant and wonder if there are any healthy options available. "Eating healthy fast food" may sound like an oxymoron - doesn't one contradict the other? Not at all!

Below are some of the best choices when eating at a fast food restaurant. Note that options will vary in different eating establishments and in different parts of the world. We've done our best to cover sub shops, burger joints, Chinese and Mexican restaurants, steak houses, chicken places, seafood restaurants - the most common fast food places found almost everywhere today.

In most American households, Thanksgiving dinners have no shortage of high calorie, high fat, high sugar desserts available. There's nothing wrong with having a bit of these desserts if you want to - but if you're looking for a way to stay on track with a weight loss plan, you may be interested in some lower calorie options like those below:

A traditional Thanksgiving dinner can easily contain 1,500 calories or more (that's just one person's plate; not the entire table). However, there are plenty of ways to cut down the amount of calories in your holiday feast without sacrificing flavor or enjoyment.

Below are some easy ways to do that:

Halloween is one of the more fun holidays, but it can be extremely difficult to enjoy the "tricks" while also avoiding all the "treats" if you are trying to lose weight. It is possible to still have a good time and indulge just a tiny bit without overdoing it on calories. Take a look at the yummy treats below and keep them in mind at your next Halloween party. Bite-Sized Candy Bite-sized candy bars are miniature versions of their full-size cousins, but with much fewer calories. If you're craving chocolate but don't want to eat too many calories, most bite sized candy bars have 100 calories or less.

Restaurants are notorious for sneaking in unhealthy ingredients. Some people think that the only way to remain truly healthy is to avoid eating out at most restaurants altogether. Or perhaps you can only eat at restaurants that are geared solely towards maintaining health. This simply isn't true!

The truth is that with a little research and smart thinking, you can enjoy most restaurants from fast food joints up to four-star establishments and still maintain a balanced diet.

Here are some important tips to keep in mind as you continue to enjoy eating out:

One of the biggest obstacles to healthy eating is a lack of time, which is what discourages many people from making the leap to eat much more healthily. Because fast food and junk food appears to be much more readily available than healthy options, many people simply succumb to the temptation and eat poorly during their busy days.

What many people do not realize is that it only takes a little bit of pre-planning to ensure that meals and snacks are healthy during the day. The following are some tips which will help you opt for the healthier eating choices during your busy, stressful day.

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My mom makes the most amazing Christmas cake in the world; it's been a tradition in our family for as long as I can remember. First, she mixes up a light, fluffy, vanilla cake mix, pours it into the pans and then pops it in the oven. After it's been baked, she stacks the cake in two layers with whipped cream spread generously between each layer. She then pours on red and green Jell-O, which gets soaked up inside the cake. Next, whipped cream is smothered all the way around for frosting. And finally, she garnishes it with red and green sprinkles. A few red and green-striped candy canes are stuck in the top as the finishing touch, and off it goes to the refrigerator so it can be served chilled later.

Now let me tell you, as a bodybuilder, I have a lot of discipline. But when that moist, delicious, red and green, Jell-O-filled, whipped-cream covered cake is sitting on the table in front of me on December 25th, it takes every ounce of my willpower to keep from calling it a "VERY high carb day" and devouring numerous very large slices.

Despite the temptation, I don't "pig out" nor do I deprive myself. Instead, I'm content with eating my single piece, savoring every mouthwatering bite, all the while repeating my mantra, "Nothing tastes as good as being lean feels."

Whether you love or dread the Thanksgiving holiday, one thing for sure is: it's hard to stick to your diet. A plate (or two) heaped with turkey, gravy, buttery mashed potatoes and all the trimmings can blow any progress you've made.

There are many things you can do to stick to your diet and still enjoy a Thanksgiving meal -- and believe me, sticking to plan or not overdoing it feels A LOT better than stuffing yourself silly. Here are some "turkey day" tips to get you through Thanksgiving: