If you’re trying to lose weight this holiday season, there are several foods you should avoid if at all possible. While some of these dietary pitfalls are obvious–candy, cookies, etc.–some may come as a surprise. That’s not to say we don’t know these foods aren’t the healthiest ever, just that we may not have thought about how damaging they can be to our efforts to lose weight.

Here are the top five foods you should avoid in order to keep your weight down during the holidays:

Eggnog

What drink better brings to mind the holidays than eggnog? Regular eggnog is a drink you need to avoid, however. It’s not just the calories, even though they are extremely high for the amount you’re drinking.

It’s also the high saturated fat content that makes eggnog an unhealthy heart choice.

If you drink your eggnog with a little extra kick, the alcohol giving you that kick is nothing but empty calories without any nutrition. Guess where those calories will end up? You got it. Your waistline.

If it just wouldn’t be the holidays without eggnog, look for healthier, lower-fat recipes to make yourself or even buy low-fat eggnog from the store.

Stuffing

Another staple of the holiday meal is stuffing. It, too, should be on your “avoid” list. It’s no surprise to most people that stuffing, made mainly from bread crumbs, is high in carbs and therefore calories as well.

What does come as a surprise is the fat content. Stuffing is baked inside the turkey, where all the turkey fat drains down to absorb into the bread. When you combine high calories and high fat, stuffing becomes a real diet killer.

If you can’t give up on stuffing altogether, some varieties of dressing made on the stove instead of in the turkey can reduce some of the calories from this dish.

Spiced Nuts

Spiced nuts may not be on most people’s radar as a food to avoid. After all, nuts are healthy, right? Generally, they are healthy in small portions. However, nuts tend to be high in calories.

The spices that make these nuts so delicious also work against your ability to just say no to another handful–and another, and another. Before long, those tiny nuts have added up to a huge calorie count.

Cinnamon Buns

If part of your holiday tradition is to have cinnamon buns for your special holiday breakfast, you might want to start thinking of a new tradition. Cinnamon buns are high in fats and simple carbs, which break down quickly into sugar.

Sugar causes your insulin levels to rise quickly, which in turn signals your body to store fat.

Cinnamon buns just aren’t a diet food any way you look at it. Consider replacing the cinnamon buns with a bowl of oatmeal, possibly with fruit mixed in to give it an extra “yum” factor in a healthy manner. If oatmeal’s not your thing, a slice of whole grain toast with some protein makes a healthy meal that will keep you both energized and unworried about your diet.

Chocolate Truffles

Most people know that chocolate isn’t the most diet-friendly food out there. Chocolate truffles can be deceiving, though, because of their small size. The idea that “one or two won’t hurt” is hard to avoid.

When chocolate truffles come with over 100 calories per piece, one or two can actually hurt your weight loss efforts.

As a substitute, try a cup of hot chocolate with low-fat milk to curb your chocolate cravings.  Avoiding these five foods over the holidays can help you reach your weight loss goals.

If you need a little extra help with burning some of the fat you’ve gathered during the holidays, check out Phen375. Read our review of this natural fat burner here.