Disclosure: Diary of a First Time Mom is proud to partner with Denny’s as a #DennysDiners Blogger Ambassador. Stay tuned for exclusive content and menu news. Although we’re being compensated in some form, all opinion remain our own.

Dear Diary,

Tis the season to gain weight. Halloween candy, Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas cookies and New Year’s eve champagne all add up to a wider waist line. From now through January, my family will celebrate the season with food–lots of delicious, mouthwatering meals. When we’re not around our dining room table, we’ll head to restaurants like Denny’s, which recently debuted its holiday menu filled with sugar and spice and everything nice.

As soon as we walked through the door, Rudolf worked his magic and drew Caitlynn closer. He had her at pancakes and whipped cream, and her face lit up as bright as the famous reindeer’s nose.

Caitlynn immediately knew what she wanted to order. We also split the Milk and Cookies milkshake. But I wanted to order something a bit lighter for my main meal. Fortunately, Denny’s offers Fit Fare® menu items, which are loaded with flavor but not calories. Using a key, you can select something light, lean or packed with protein or fiber.

Breakfast options include egg whites scrambled together with fresh spinach and grape tomatoes, plus two turkey bacon strips, an English muffin and seasonal fruit.

And a loaded egg white omelette  filled with fresh spinach, mushrooms, sautéed zucchini and squash, diced tomatoes and melted Swiss cheese.

So this holiday season, I’ll work to stay fit by making healthy choices at table and when I get up. Here’s how:

Eat Out

It’s not how much you eat out but what you eat when you go out. Thanks to the Fit Fare® menu, I don’t  have to stress about what I’ll order. If I ate a few candy bars from Caitlynn’s Halloween sack, I can balance my diet by ordering a light, lean entree.

Work Out

My gym membership has collected dust recently. Time to shake it off and shake things up. By packing my workout gear and keeping my gym bag in my car, I’m more likely to make the stop when I get off work. I signed up for a gym with child care, so I don’t have an excuse if I can’t secure a babysitter.

 Visit a Farm

Check the local listings for fall farm festivals. Picking apples and running through corn mazes burns calories and creates fun, family memories. Be sure to purchase the apples you picked to make a mug of cider when you get home. Or continue the fun and bob for apples!

Go Leaf Jumping

Rake the fallen leaves into a big pile and dive in! Jumping in leaves is a fall favorite for our family.

Take a Walk

Go on a nature walk at a local park or even in your backyard. Make a list of items to collect along the way, like acorns, pine cones and cloves, that you can use to craft throughout the fall.

Hey DFTM Fam–How are you staying fit throughout the fall?