oh boy, I'm dreading winter! Last year was a terrible blow to my fitness endeavors. I'm trying to think positively and keeping fingers crossed it's not as bad as last year. I've recently stopped eating a lot of grains (bread, pasta, rice, muffins, scones, cornbread, etc) and I think that will help a bit if I can keep it up because winter is the time when I love to eat all the comfort foods. Mashed potatoes, home-baked bread, all the baked things. If I can stay away from those I'll be in better shape than last year. Other things I'm hoping will help:

--Last winter we joined a gym that is less than a mile from my house. It's not my favorite place to work out (music, ugh) but it's better than nothing and if the weather is really bad, it's easier to get to than my favorite place which is a bit further away. And I figure walking there through snow burns at least a few calories!
--I mentally collect home workouts for when I really can't get out. I like the books by Mark Lauren (You Are Your Own Gym) but there are tons of resources online for ways to use body weight, resistance bands, and dumbells. When all else fails, jumping jacks and jumprope will at least get the heart rate up.
--Shoveling snow is good exercise. I just have to be careful to do it correctly and not hurt my back.
--Broth, tea, and thin soups are good for feeling full and comforted without a ton of calories. I drink gallons of hot tea.
--When I can manage it, I walk to where I need to go. This isn't always possible because of time constraints but for instance if I just need to pick up a few things at the store six blocks away, I put on my boots and backpack instead of getting in the car. If the roads are terrible it's kind of a toss-up time wise and at least I'm moving.

As far as motivating, I like being comfortable in my clothes and I can't afford a whole new wardrobe. This is powerful incentive to stop gaining if at all possible. I don't really go to fancy events so I don't have a "must look fantastic for New Year's Eve!" kind of motivation, but sometimes my family goes to visit other family in warmer climes in late Jan/early Feb. Not wanting to look like a winter worm from the north on the southern beaches can work for motivation sometimes. Mostly though I focus on how I feel and although I love the immediate taste of cookies and pies and cakes and bread, I don't like the way I feel afterwards. Being mindful of my body is maybe the simplest and best technique of all.

I have the same problem! I love comfort food because its cold and nothing sounds better than grilled cheese and soup! I usually save my calories and have it earlier in the day to sustain me longer. I'll also do broth based soups rather than cream! Still satisfying. ALWAYS push myself to go and do some HIIT cardio too!

Get outside. People have this misguided idea that if it gets cold out we should stay in, but it's silly. With modern technology in outdoor gear, there is really no reason you can't go outside and be comfortable most days. You can take walks as long as it's not bitter cold or a blizzard. It's actually quite beautiful and peaceful! Snowshoeing, ice skating, hockey, snowboarding or skiing, cross country skiing... My gym even used to run an outdoor boot camp through the winter! The other great advantage to this is it makes the winter so much more fun!

As far as eating is concerned, there is no reason you can't indulge a little at Thanksgiving or a holiday party. Just look at your week as a whole and plan for it calorie wise. Be 100 calories under each the days of the week preceding. 6 days x 100 cals = 600 extra calories on Thanksgiving day! And if you take the suggestion of the Turkey trot, you can probably bring that up to 1000!

I. Love. Soup.

Bring it winter!

I love soup as well, but it has a lot of sodium and that can make you retain water.. and that makes you feel and look sort of fat. I do not add sodium to any food because most already have a ton in them already.

I would like to make soup. That has got to have less sodium.

My strategy: always wear a tight top at home. DON'T expand your clothes size. If you put on a pound, make sure you notice it as soon as you sit down. That way, it annoys me and it will be on my mind.

Also, IIFYM! I ate whole boxes of Chirstmas cookies last year and didn't put a gram on. Just skip a meal as a trade-off, do some extra walking/gym, and make use of the orange/nectarines/mandarines season!

I'm with lindustum on the importance of clothing since this is probably a better indicator of mild weight gain or loss than the scale. I bought my expensive fitted snow pants as a perfect fit at my normal weight. I have so little wiggle room if I legitimately gain even a few lbs I couldn't wear them comfortably. I refuse to buy new ones so saving myself money is my motivator. This might be a bit extreme but we certainly do tend to hide our bodies under more baggy clothing in the winter. Perhaps make it a point to try on summer clothing during the winter to keep your awareness up. This will also help you notice changes in composition if you find yourself less active in the winter. This kind of change might not actually be reflected on the scale but I know I would notice it if I threw on my bathing suit.