Ok, I admit it. I probably ate too much yesterday. And if you're like me, you are regretting the food choices you made. However, there's hope for me and you.

Recent studies have show that seasonal weight gain can exceed up to 10 pounds. but, if you overeat this holiday season, experts advise you get back on track immediately and not to disregard your healthy eating habits until the new year. Instead of washing down your turkey or ham with alcohol or soda, try drinking water instead.

"It's normal and expected that most of us are going to overeat over the holidays," said St. Louis dietitian Diane Zych.

For most healthy people "it's a blip on the screen," she said. "But for people who struggle with their weight, it's a very dangerous time, it can really throw them off target."

"A pound you can't remove is a pound for life," he said. "Beyond that, if you eat a huge amount of food, work it off and walk it off, walk around the block," he said.

It would take 27 minutes of walking to burn the 97 calories in an 8-ounce serving of cola. A really fast mile would burn 125 calories, Popkin notes.

But that barely dents the 2,000 to 3,000 calories in an average Thanksgiving meal.

Three ounces of white turkey meat is only 130 calories, but a serving of sweet potato casserole is 330 calories; stuffing is 107; a slice of pumpkin pie is more than 300, while a piece of pecan pie is 500 calories.

On previous Thanksgivings, Patty Wade, 61, would have helped herself to a piece of that pecan pie, along with a large serving of corn casserole and potatoes. But things are different this year.

Wade, a senior analyst for a St. Louis hospital, has lost 55 pounds since March, and doesn't plan to regain any of it despite dealing with three Thanksgiving celebrations and four family birthdays this month.

Now, she restricts herself to a reasonable portion of meat, vegetables without high-calorie sauces, and a few bites of dessert. She's bringing dessert to Thursday's feast, a "really good yellow cake that doesn't require icing."