Eat too many Christmas cookies? Don't let a holiday slip turn into a diet slide.

During the holiday season, we're faced with an overabundance of treats and parties and drinks and other diet derailers. If you're trying to lose weight, it can be a real test of your will power. But it doesn't have to be. The trick to surviving the holiday season while dieting is to ease up on yourself for goodness sake.

Many people who try to lose weight do so by restriction and being super-strict with themselves. Then one little slip -- an extra cookie, too many appetizers or one too many glasses of egg nog -- sends them into a food-related guilt spiral. You know how it goes ... "Oh, I ate two pieces of pie. I have no will power. I can't do this. I can't lose weight. I might as well give up." Ugh! Lighten up!

Letting food -- even unhealthy holiday treats -- have so much power over you is never a recipe for success. Food is just food. So what if you had two pieces of pie or overindulged on holiday cookies? It wasn't the best choice, but it certainly doesn't destroy all the efforts you've made up to this point.

While you're trying to lighten up your body, lighten up on yourself, too. A slip is just that -- one isolated less-than-healthy choice. Forget about it, and keep moving forward with your healthy living plans. An "all or nothing" mindset is a definite diet destroyer. Remember that exercising and eating right are choices you're making for a lifetime of health ... no small slip can outweigh all of your good choices.

AOL Health has more holiday diet destroyers to look out for.