Staying on track with a nutritious, low calorie diet to achieve weight loss and better health can be tough over the holidays. However, if you need help with diet struggles there are plenty of good tips to be had online. You just need to know where to look! In addition to that, you can get the holiday season, which includes gift giving and receiving along with festivities, to work in your favor.

At the time of writing this article Halloween and Thanksgiving may have passed, however there are still plenty of festivities with all too many opportunities to overeat yet to come. I found some excellent tips you may want to read for getting through the rest of the holiday season and the upcoming year for that matter. The need to be vigilant and to keep calories in check is a year-round problem. It may be worse over the holiday season at the end of each year but it doesn’t go away. Consider the challenges of eating in restaurants at any time of the year; special celebrations for family, friends, or co-workers; other holidays; traveling; and more.

You’ll find great tips on navigating through the holidays (and beyond) without gaining weight on the Epicurious site. Healthy-Eating Tips and Light Party Recipes for the Holidays
An article I posted earlier this week on this site also provides some great tips for preparing yourself for the coming New Year to be on track for weight loss success: Weight Loss Tips: Success Can be Yours! And you may want to take a look at my article from last year on getting through the holiday season (and other food-centered festivities throughout the year) 15 Tips to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

What about other sources of diet help? Given that it is the season for giving and receiving gifts, how about including you on your gift list? Or make a wish list so that others might know what you might like to receive. I have a number of reasonably priced products to suggest to get you motivated and on track for weight loss.

1. Get a pedometer!

I highly recommend having a pedometer in your arsenal of weight loss products. There are many research studies documenting how individuals who own and USE pedometers are more successful with weight loss than those who don’t. The reason for this is simple.

Health professionals encourage people to walk a minimum of 10,000 steps a day for better health and weight loss. Yet very few people do. Why? Many people think they are already taking that many steps. The only way to find out how your steps stack up is to get a pedometer and keep track! You will likely be surprised. I was. Learning that I needed to do more got me on track. I believe it can do the same for you.

I currently own the Omron HJ-720ITC Pocket Pedometer with Advanced Omron Health Management Software . Although I have owned many pedometers over the years this one is by far my favorite. It costs more than the average, however, I purchased it because I wanted better than average. I was tired of having pedometers that were inaccurate and/or broke easily. This pedometer seems to be right on target with respect to accuracy and it has a safety clip that prevents the pedometer from getting broken if it gets knocked off my belt because it won’t hit the floor.

The Omron pedometer has 925 customer reviews on Amazon with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. I would give it the same rating. It does take a little time to set the stride length accurately but once you have it should work very nicely! I haven’t used the software that comes with the pedometer for uploading as much as 42 days of stored data to a PC because I own a Mac. But honestly I like it a lot without putting that feature to work.

2. Try wearing a Weighted Vest with Pedometer

Granted I already own a pedometer, however, I would like to own a weighted vest to wear when I am walking or running. A weighted vest would provide more of a workout and greater calorie burn. It seems that it may also provide a workout for the back to strengthen the backbone, an added plus if you are at risk for osteoporosis like me.

I have my eye on the Cory Everson 10-pound Weight Vest with Pedometer . It is made with lightweight nylon and includes a layer of protective foam for greater comfort when worn. The vest can hold up to ten 1-pound soft gel weights that contour the body. And it has reflective piping for safety as well as a key ring with mesh for the pedometer.

3. Empower Cardio Core Hoop with DVD

First Lady Michelle Obama has inspired me with her hula-hoop workouts. I loved playing with the hula-hoop as a kid. If you have never tried one before be prepared for having fun. Exercise can be enjoyable!

The Empower Cardio Core Hoop with DVD can burn as many calories as doing cardio such as running! It can reshape your waist, help you to build and strengthen your core muscles, and get your heart pumping for a great yet FUN workout!

I don’t own this hula-hoop yet but it is on my wish list. This product has received an average of 4 stars out of 5 by four customers. Given that it is a sports hoop it is somewhat heavier than a regular hoop to provide more of a workout. This feature may make it a little more uncomfortable for some individuals. Otherwise, it seems to be a good choice!

4. Exercise DVDs

Getting a pedometer for yourself won’t do any good if you don’t actually use it. You may want to consider getting a walking DVD to have some encouragement along with tips on how to get the greatest benefit from your efforts. And if you’d prefer not to walk there are many other possibilities from dancing to yoga and more.

5. Omron Body Fat Monitor and Scale

I own and use a body fat monitor. The one I own is the Tanita BF680W Body Fat Monitor and Scale. If you’d like to read more about this monitor you may want to read a couple of my previous posts that go into great detail on how a body fat monitor works and why it matters. (Body Fat Scales and Body Fat and Fat Loss ) I still recommend this monitor if you can find it in stock. If not, you may want to consider the Omron Body Fat Monitor and Scale .

The Omron monitor has 421 customer reviews on Amazon as of this writing with an average rating of 4 stars out of 5. It also costs less than the Tanita scale.

Having a body fat monitor is not essential for weight loss but it can provide much needed motivation to stay on track! You will also have a better sense of whether or not you are taking off mostly fat tissue instead of lean body tissue such as muscle and bone as you lose weight.

6. Kitchen gadgets to speed up and simplify food preparation.

The more you prepare your own food, the more you will have control over eating a healthy, low calorie diet. A previous article I wrote covers some of the kitchen gadgets I own or would like to have. See Kitchen Tools and Gadgets for Weight Loss and Better Health
.
7. Get yourself a Kindle Reading Device for Weight Loss Support

This is a high-ticket item but one I’m sure you will fall in love with if you have a chance to see how it works. To learn all about it read: 8 Reasons to Buy a Kindle Reading Device for Weight Loss Support, Better Health, and Fun!

8. Diet books and healthful eating cookbooks

Whether or not you own a Kindle you may want to invest in a quality diet book or cookbook. I will be covering some of the best choices for the year 2010 very soon!

9. Sign up for an online food diary.

I use and recommend MyFoodDiary.com Getting a handle on how many calories you currently consume and making adjustments as necessary to lose weight and maintain that weight loss is very important for success. Recent studies have documented how individuals who chose to track their calorie intake with a food diary lost more than twice the pounds of those who didn’t. (Food Diaries Best for Weight Loss Success!)

I’ve shared some solid tips, resources, and products for you to get help with diet struggles. Hope this information gives you some new ideas and strategies. Go now and take a look at some of my recommendations! Having a healthier, slimmer body is possible if you take action!

Till next time watch those calories and eat healthy food!