Thanksgiving is looming, and for some of us, that means the beginning of a month-long battle against holiday weight gain. According to Esquire magazine, the average Thanksgiving dinner has over 2000 calories, and even more if you indulge in seconds. That’s more calories than most people require for an entire day—all packed into one meal.

If you’d like to commit to a healthier holiday season, consider the following helpful hints.

• Nix the alcohol. Instead of packing on carbs with beer and wine, indulge in low-fat eggnog, sparkling cider mixed with Perrier or a diet carbonated beverage. You could eliminate 200 calories or more—just like that.
• Go gravy and butter-free. Mashed potatoes, stuffing and turkey can be enjoyed as-is, without a heaping ladle-full of gravy over each. Make a decision to save sauce and butter calories—and indulge in a small dessert. Can’t give up the gravy? Try making it with low-fat broth and skim milk, instead.
• Make your own cranberry sauce. The canned version is full of sugar, and has been stripped of nutrients. Fresh cranberries, though, are chock-full of vitamin C, dietary fiber and manganese.
• Include fresh vegetables. “Traditional” holiday veggies are often cheese-covered, battered or soaked in butter. Complement this year’s turkey fixings with a fresh vegetable tray or steamed asparagus for a fresh change of pace.
• Remove skin from poultry. While it’s tasty, fat calories make up 75 to 80 percent of chicken skin. Do yourself a favor and take poultry skin off of your Thanksgiving menu.

For more great tips on cutting holiday calories with helpful ingredient substitutions, check out:

Health Castle’s 5 Easy Recipe Substitution Tips for Your Favorite Holiday Recipes,

Mealtime.org’s Healthy Holiday Substitutions, and

FabulousFoods.com Trim Your Holidays.