Now that Thanksgiving is only weeks away, and decorations are already firmly in place in department stores, it's impossible to ignore that the holidays are coming -- and the few extra pounds that always seem to accompany the holiday season whether you like it or not. Which is why, then, that this week has been declared the official start to to the pre-holiday diet -- you know, that mad rush to lose a a little extra weight before party dresses and egg nog start making a regular appearance in our life.

It's not just you and I, either. Studies show that 58 percent of women will make an attempt to slim down before the holiday season -- mostly because they want to look their best for the their office party but also, I suspect, because they don't want to feel quite so guilty when they polish off another rum ball at the neighbor's open house.


And how do we intend to do this? The majority of women -- 71 percent, in fact -- take the sensible approach to dieting by eating three healthy meals a day. But there's still a worrying 10 percent who will skip meals to lose weight. But they needn't bother -- apparently 17 percent of holiday slimmers will gain it all back by New Year's Eve, just in time for another round of dieting called the January Detox.

'Tis the season to be merry, and being merry usually involves copious amounts of food and drink. While there might be a salad or veggie tray at your disposal, it's more likely that the spread at your next holiday party will be stocked with unhealthy stuff, like egg nog, cookies, cheese and junk food.

What's your Holiday party weakness? Here's what you told us:

• 27 percent of you have a soft spot for Christmas cookies.
  
• 24 percent of you are crazy about chocolate -- but what else is new?
• 14 percent of you say alcohol is your vice.
  
• and seven percent of you said all of the above -- here, here!
  

Thanks for sharing!

Here at That's Fit, we're constantly telling you what we think about things, but sometimes it's nice to know what you think. So from time to time, we'll ask you a question. Don't be afraid to speak up -- we love feedback.

Christmas parties are in full swing and while I try to only indulge in rich foods when it's a special occasion, it seems that this month is just a non-stop barrage of 'special occasions.' I don't know about you, but I'm finding it hard to avoid my vices lately, probably because I have so many. How about you?

'Tis the season for bloating. Starting with the onslaught of Halloween candy and ending -- hopefully -- with a New Year's celebration, many of us are about to eat, drink, party, indulge, and ditch our dutiful exercise routines. We'll be stuffed, stretched, filled to the brim, and -- yuck! -- bloated. I hate that.

On any given day, women are especially vulnerable to bloating, because gastrointestinal ills occur up to six times more often in women than in men, say the experts at Redbook magazine. Give us girls some holiday cheer, and the tummy troubles really ramp up. We can minimize the stress on our systems, though, by understanding why we bloat and how we can prevent those bothersome bulges. Check out these three thoughts.

• Holiday over-do in progress. Raise your hand if you over-do it at holiday meals. Many of us do, with hard-to-digest, rich, fatty foods -- gravy, stuffing, pie with whipped cream, even peppermint -- which cause indigestion. Redbook says you should ease your symptoms with an antacid such as Pepto-Bismol, Maalox, Tums, or Rolaids. I say head this stomach stuff off by avoiding the over-do. If you simply must indulge, make it small -- think you can succeed at the three-bite rule? Also, keep your body upright for a few hours after a feast, instead of curling up for a nap.
• More eggnog and hot cocoa, please. If your belly aches and bulges after these treats, it's probably because you can't tolerate lactose, the main sugar in dairy products. The trick for a settled stomach is to find your own lactose limit and respect it. You can also opt for lactose-reduced milk.
• Belly up to the bar. Besides the overload of calories you'll consume by knocking back too many cocktails this season, you'll likely be left with a bad hangover after an alcoholic indulgence. And maybe a scary condition called acute pancreatitis, caused by an excess of alcohol. One symptom is bloating -- others include pain in the upper abdomen that worsens and wraps around your back. See a doctor right away if this occurs. A better option than alcohol -- since we women don't tolerate alcohol as well as men -- is sparkling water. It's better for the diet overall.
  

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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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Ahh, egg nog. It's one of my favourites but it's not one of the healthiest aspects of the holiday season, as I explored here and here. But what's an egg nog lover to do? Change it up, according to eDiets.

They've got a selection of egg-nog recipes, like eggnog French toast, egg nog smoothies and egg nog cinnamon oatmeal. Sounds delish. But? All the egg nog recipes call for fat-free egg nog -- I've never seen such a thing in my grocer's dairy section but will keep my eye out.

Click here for the recipes.

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Egg nog and Christmas go hand in hand. Well, at least for me they do. Growing up, the promise of gifts under the tree was always the highlight of Christmas, but having a carton of Egg Nog in the fridge was almost as exciting. And as I got older, egg nog was just as exciting because now I could get in in my latte from Starbucks and I could help myself to my mum's special rum-infused egg nog too. My point? I love egg nog.

But like all good things, it's pretty obvious that egg nog isn't the healthiest beverage out there. I mean, it's pretty much just cream with some sugar. If you're an egg nog fan, this can be a disheartening realization. But what about so-called light egg nog? It's got to be low-cal, right? What do you think?

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For me, participating in a cookie exchange at Christmas is bad news. I always tell myself I'm joining because I want to collect a bunch of different kinds of cookies so I can freeze them and bring them out when company is over, but who am I kidding? Those suckers are gone by Christmas Eve. And really, I don't get enough company to justify 12 dozen different varieties.

Diet guru Julia Havey recently put together a list of the worst holiday diet disasters. Here are her picks:

• Egg Nog. One serving is 460 calories!
• Cheese balls. They're pretty much all fat. Ick.
  
• Pecan Pie. It's 500 calories per slice, and that's without ice cream
• Candied yams. They'll pack a sugar punch, especially if they have marshmallows.
  
• Canned Cranberry Sauce. It has 200 calories per half cup, and zero nutritional value. Make your own
• Stuffing. You can make healthy stuffing, so do it instead of relying on Stove Top

What's your holiday vice?

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Yeah, yeah. We've all heard about alcohol being comprised of empty calories that pad your waistline without giving you anything back (except the nagging feeling that you must hop on that table and let everyone in the room know just how fabulous your are at dancing when you really aren't.) We'd all love to take that advice to heart but for some of us, giving up alcohol just isn't something that's going to happen anytime soon. But that doesn't mean that you can't make smart choices when you do drink. AOL has come up with a list of the most and least fattening drinks.

Among the worst ones? Egg nog, hot toddies (when was the last time you had one of those?), fruity martinis, margaritas and mixed drinks like Singapore slings. The best ones are all non0sugary ones: Champagne, wine, wine spritzers, highballs made with soda or sparkling water and beer, surprisingly. Of course, everything in moderation, right?

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Christmas just isn't Christmas without a glass of eggnog, if you ask me. Thankfully, I can have eggnog and not feel guilty, according to this article, which lists healthy beverages that will warm up those cold winter nights without having unhealthy consequences. Other drinks that made the list? Mulled wine, apple cider with cinnamon and hot cocoa. Yummy!

However, In order for these drinks to be healthy, you need to make a few moderations to them. Cut the fat and sugar and you should be okay. In the case of hot cocoa, dark chocolate is better than milk chocolate. And, as usual, everything must be consumed in moderation -- if, for instance, you consume 7 or 8 glasses of mulled wine, you'll do yourself more harm than good.

Are there any other healthy holiday drinks out there that you would recommend?

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