Are your holiday eating habits already out of control? Can you feel the pounds climbing on as your energy levels fizzle? Are you feeling overwhelmed, and it’s getting harder to cope with everyday challenges? It’s not too late to turn things around for the season. December doesn’t need to be miserable.

That said, how do you know if all these issues are caused by your holiday eating habits or if there is something else behind your struggles? Before you try to rework your lifestyle, learn the signs that will tell you if what you’re eating is behind your grief.

Check Out the Following Signs of Problematic Holiday Eating Habits

Discover the signals that can seem normal at this time of year but that are actually hints that your holiday eating habits are working against you. You may be surprised at how many you’ve already worked into your daily routine without knowing it. Once you understand what they are, take steps to control them whenever possible. You’ll be surprised at the difference it makes.

You Take More Food When You’re No Longer Hungry

Have you ever found that you take seconds at the dinner table when you’re not really hungry anymore? Have you ever reached for a cookie offered to you (or at the treat table at a party) when you recently ate and your snack or meal was satisfying? Are you eating because the food is there, not because there’s a need for it? This is one of the most common holiday eating habits and is also easily among the most destructive to controlling your weight and health in December.

Be more mindful about the way you eat. Make new holiday eating habits that include considering the way you really feel before you head back for more. Do you really need that cookie, or was the one you had earlier enough? Simply taking that extra moment to evaluate your hunger can save you thousands of calories every week.

You Give Up Once You’ve Overeaten

A particularly destructive part of the holiday eating habits list has to do with giving up once you know you’ve crossed the line.  Here’s how it happens. You just had a huge dinner and a piece of pie. You know you had a pretty lunch, too. You’re probably already at least 1,000 calories over your maximum for the day.  Now Christmas cookies are being served.  Why bother even paying attention to what you’re eating anymore? You’ve already ruined the day, right?

It’s extremely easy to think this way.  You’ve gone so far beyond where you should have stopped, it doesn’t seem to matter if you just go for it and eat everything else too.  The thing is that it does matter.  Just as everything you eat matters before you hit your limit for the day, it all matters afterward too.  Even if you’re 1,000 calories beyond your maximum target for the day, remain conscious of what you’re eating. Saving yourself another 1,000 unnecessary calories can still make a big difference!

You Reward Yourself with Food

Have you ever told yourself “I earned this” when it came to eating something you otherwise wouldn’t? Including this among your holiday eating habits is a slippery slope. Justifying poor eating habits can lead you to continually eat badly throughout the entire month. The result can be a considerable amount of weight gain – and harm to physical fitness and mental health – that can take far longer to repair.

When you work hard, reward yourself in other ways. Learn to view food in the same way you do for the rest of the year. Certainly, you can enjoy Christmas treats, but build holiday eating habits that don’t allow you to go overboard…too far.