When it comes to weight loss, alcohol is usually a no-no. Learn how to drink smart with these tips.

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Some folks head out for dinner on Christmas Eve. You one of them? If so, watch your drink, say the nutrition experts at Good Housekeeping magazine. Yep, gotta pay attention, because your bartender might slip more alcohol in your glass than you really want. Well, maybe you do want it. It is a tough economy, after all, and it's nice to occasionally get a little more bang for your buck. But do you want more calories, too?

Research says that when you order a cocktail, wine or draft beer by the glass, bartenders usually pour 22 to 43 percent more than a standard serving. Why? Because if a drink seems abundant, customers are less likely to be put off by the high cost. Wait. If they're pouring more, isn't it costing them more? Is there really any benefit to padding a high-cost drink with more alcohol? Hmmm. Doesn't matter. It's the calories, man. You don't need them.

Do this: Have just one drink. It'll do your waistline good. Your pocketbook too.

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Few things are more refreshing on a summer's day than a cold drink on a hot patio. But alcohol is normally a no-no for dieters. Simply put, they're full of empty calories, particularly if you fancy sweet cocktails.

eDiets recently put together a list of sweet-but-not-sinful summer cocktails that you can enjoy without packing on too many calories. On their list of healthy drinks:

• Strawberry Lemonade Martini
• Berry Blast Spritzer
• Less Guilt Margarita
• Summer Breeze Punch
  

What's your favorite summertime drink? Mine is a low-cal Mojito, made with one part white rum, two parts club soda, flavoured with lime, mint and just a touch of sweetener.

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Especially considering the holiday spirit, frivolity and cocktails are not uncommon among large gatherings of friends and family. But if you're a calorie counter, or on a strict diet, you may want to educate yourself on the potency of alcohol before indulging in the fun.

For starters, the stronger the proof the more caloric content it has. An example includes 80-proof vodka which has 64 calories per ounce. Compare that with 82 per ounce found in 100-proof vodka. Add in heavy mixers and you could end up with a latte-sized cocktail.

The original article has a list of suggestions for cutting calories on your alcoholic beverages. These include water and club soda as mixers, which provide virtually no collateral damage. Other low-cal mixers could be light lemonade, sugar-free syrups, or light cranberry juice (which goes great with vodka, by the way). Of course cutting out mixers altogether saves all the hassle of added calories. Read on for more tips concerning health-conscious cocktails.

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People drink more hard liquor during the month of December than any other month of the year -- that's amazing! I don't know if it's the festivities, the family and friends, or the stress, but all those extra drinks are not only relaxing and fun but they're fattening too.

Also during this time of year people tend to pass on beer and wine and go instead for fancy mixed drinks, which in addition to having more calories the alcohol can lower our inhibitions and lead to more eating and snacking. Your best bet is to pass on those fancy mixes and stick with wine or beer instead, but if you must indulge then you might as well know which ones are the worst.

Which holiday cocktails are the most fattening? Click on the images below to find out:

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Ok, so this holiday season, Egg Nog is out -- it's really high in sugar and saturated fat and relatively low in, well, any sort of nutritional value. Ok, so what can we drink this holiday season to feel festive? AOL Body has done up a handy list of naughty and nice Christmas drinks:

Here's what you should drink more of:

• Champagne
• Wine spritzers
• Red wine
• Beer
• Vodka or beer with Soda
• Mulled wine
  

Here's what to avoid:

• Hot toddies
• Fruity martinis
• Fancy drinks like pina coladas, daiquiris and so on.
  

Want to know why? Click here.

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Sometimes when I'm out for a drink with friends, I'm just not into the bitter taste of beer or wine -- I'd prefer something fruitier, something that's tasty ans sweet but has a bit of zing too. That's when I order a Margarita. Liquid calories add up really quickly -- I know that a glass of wine has about 100 calories and a beer has about 150 - 200 calories -- but I tend to turn a blind eye when it comes to fruity drinks because I know they're probably pretty bad for me, both in terms of the calories and the alcohol content. So I'm wondering, how many calories are in a margarita?

A) 240 cal
B) 400 cal
C) 550 cal
D) 740 cal

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The average serving of one ounce of 80-proof alcohol contains about 90 calories. Ouch. And that's before mixers. Ouch. According to the linked article, a Pina Colada has more calories than a Big Mac. That hurts.

This may make a dent in your plans for holiday revelry.

Interestingly, while beer is usually singled out as the alcoholic beverage most likely to expand your waistline, drinks like vodka, gin, rum and whiskey actually have more calories than beer -- calories that are stored in the abdomen. Mix that spirit with orange juice (56 calories) or, worse, Coca Cola (105 calories), and you're headin' for trouble.

Not that this will keep you from drinking, but for those who are trying to watch their weight this holiday season, there are a few guidelines you can follow to keep an eye on those calories. Try drinking "on the rocks," for instance, and skip the extra calories from a mixer. You should also avoid drinks with several types of liquors and additives, like a Long Island iced tea.

For a little extra fun, see how much of this you and your friends retain at the beginning, middle, and end of your night out -- loser buys the next round!

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