The side effects of a 7,000 calorie Christmas dinner

Can you believe that many of us will consumer somewhere in the neighborhood of 7,000 calories on Christmas Day -- nearly three times the daily average for a male and four times the daily average for a female.

No wonder those elastic waistbands became normal in slacks and dresses in recent years. 7,000 calories in a single day is unreal -- the human stomach wasn't meant for that kind of punishment. What can you do about it? Not starting to develop diabetes and heart disease would be a nice start. Eat and be merry on Christmas Day -- just don't go overboard.

Eat a healthy helping of turkey and stuffing, but cut down on the sugary items like cookies and cake as well as items with a large amount of fat (as in, green bean casserole). Stay below, say, 3,000 calories -- are you up to it?