Photo: Allison Fishman

As we head into the holiday season chef Allison Fishman, owner of The Wooden Spoon, a cooking school in New York, shares the best ways to prepare your favorite holiday meals and desserts without adding to your waistline and without scrimping on taste.

First and foremost, "Prepare your favorites. It's not the time to skimp," Fishman explained. If you don't, she added, "As my dad would say, you're going to be sitting there with a 'broygis punim,' [that's sad face in Yiddish]. This is family, this is Thanksgiving. Let loose and enjoy." But there is room for a little diet-friendly compromise. "If pumpkin pie's your favorite thing in the world, I'm not going to tell you not to have it, but you could make crustless pumpkin pie. [The crust] contains a tremendous amount of calories, fat -- leave it off. The only food that should go into your mouth is food you absolutely love."

That's Fit: How do you go about changing your cooking style for health considerations?

Allison Fishman: I grew up with mashed potatoes that were made with a container of sour cream. Now I make mine with buttermilk. Buttermilk is naturally fat-free. I think they're a little bit gross and heavy now that I've got the other version.

Haven't decided which Thanksgiving recipes you'll be trying out this year? Whether you're counting your calories, trying to avoid a binge or just stick to your normal healthy eating habits, we've pulled together a list of light, low-fat and vegetarian recipes for you to try out this holiday season.

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Got a favorite Thanksgiving recipe you want made-over? Nutritionist Tanya Zuckerbrot will revamp your favorite meal with a healthy twist. Plus, check out her low-fat pumpkin pie recipe.

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.

Last year, women in the UK spent nearly a billion dollars on swimwear. That's not surprising -- what is, however, more than a bit shocking, is the fact that 45 percent of those purchases have yet to see the light of day.

That's right -- according to recent research, about 250 billion pounds (nearly $500 billion) was spent on bikinis that have never and possibly will never be worn because the people who bought them don't feel comfortable enough with their bodies to don the merchandise in public.

What gives, ladies? Are we buying these swimsuits with the hopes of being inspired to slim down by their presence in our closets? Or are we just hoping we'll work up the courage to bare all once the inevitable trip to the beach becomes a reality?

Wait -- that's not all. Here are some other startling bikini facts:

Just in case you indulged a little too much last week at all those Memorial Day barbecues, today is a chance at redemption. It's National Running Day, and celebrating is easy -- just lace up your sneaks and hit the road!

Making this day particularly interesting is the fact that it's the very first National Running Day. Road racing clubs and organizations all over the country are joining forces to encourage Americans young and old, fit or fat to get out and run. According to Active.com, president and CEO of New York Road Runners Mary Wittenberg said, "Everyone can run. That's the message of this day."

OK, let's say you want to do more than just take a leisurely jog around the neighborhood to celebrate. Or perhaps you've never run a day in your life, but you're interested in getting started (and what better opportunity will you ever have?). What can you do?

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In case this video compels you to book a fit vacation, I thought I'd include these links for my favorite healthy vacation spots!

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I'm writing to you from Jamaica, where I've been enjoying a week at several beautiful Sandals resorts. The sun is bright, the waves are warm, the healthy food is plentiful and the endless amount of free athletic activities mean I'm sure to leave this place at least a pound or more lighter than when I arrived. Am I trying to lose weight? No! Is it likely to happen, though? Probably!

Sandals is a chain of "couples only" resorts located in posh spots around the Caribbean. They're all inclusive too, which basically means you get to eat, drink and play as much as you want without shelling out extra dough. This all-inclusive thing removes lots of vacation-related stress, I assure you.

Most folks believe gaining at least five to 10 pounds per week of vacation is a rule, and my job is to convince you that it's not. Not if you come to a place like Sandals, anyway. As readers of this site, I know you're health conscious and eager to pursue and maintain your fitness levels wherever you go. Sandals allows you to do that.

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Just after the Super Bowl, I asked you how you felt about eating on special occasions. Do you stress about every calorie? Do you try to eat healthfully, but still take small portions of your favorites? Or do you not worry about it all? Here's what you had to say:

• 43 percent of you forget about the calories. After all, it's only one day.
• 39 percent of you take a balanced approach. You don't let it stress you out, but you watch your portion sizes so you don't go overboard.
• 17 percent of you count every calorie.

There are always going to be special occasions. I'm sure a lot of you have dinner plans to celebrate Valentine's Day this weekend. And, as most of you know, it's okay to treat yourself once in a while. So, on those rare special occasions, order what you want. But choose healthful options when possible and watch your portion sizes. Besides ... it's more romantic if you share a dessert, anyway!

While I rang in the new year, wrapped up in my warmest sweater and avoiding the outdoors at all costs, Beyonce and hubby Jay-Z spent the time frolicking on the beaches in the Caribbean in a skimpy bikini (well, Beyonce did, anyway. I'd rather not see Jay-Z in a bikini, no offense or anything).

B took some much-needed time out of her busy schedule to show off her sexy curves and play on the water -- she was spotted tearing up the waves on a jet ski and jumping on a water trampoline. Good for her -- a couple of hours at those activities can help her burn around 500 calories.

Sure sounds like a fun way to celebrate the new year. And she looks fantastic. Not that I'm jealous or anything.

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Queen Latifah has decided to stay on as spokesperson for Jenny Craig, and it's a good thing, because the star is looking to get her post-holiday butt back in gear. What better way than to embrace the weight-loss program that helped her shed a few in the first place.

"I'm glad I re-signed [with Jenny Craig] because I had a little fun over the holidays, as most people do," says the host of Wednesday night's People Choice Awards.

Apparently, the 38-year-old indulged in everything while in Trinidad recently. "It wasn't that I wasn't eating healthy stuff," she explains. "It was just a lot of it. There's always a beach barbeque." Time for some regular workouts and swimming, she says adding, "I will knock this weight back down. I know it."
Want to get your butt in gear but don't have the funds for Jenny Craig? Do it for free with America Takes It Off.

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Welcome to Walking the Walk, a feature that takes a deeper look at commonly shared diet and fitness advice. Every other week, I'll choose one piece of advice and practice it for seven days. Then I'll report back on what I discovered about making it work in real life and how it affected my own personal fitness -- and how it ultimately can affect your own efforts.

For the first time ever, I can proudly say I didn't pack on weight over the holiday season. In fact, I've managed to lose about eight pounds since Thanksgiving. I owe it, mostly, to my ban on sugar and chocolate.

Still, I have a lot of work to do. Take, for instance, my abs. They are very sad abs, abs that must be stuffed into too tight undergarments to look good in holiday wear. They're just crying for attention.

We all know that spot training alone doesn't work. After all, you could have the most gorgeous set of six-pack abs in the universe, but if they're covered with a thick layer of flab, who's going to notice? True spot reduction comes from a healthy diet, aerobic exercise and strength training.

That said, I'd really, really like to squeeze into something nice and a little smaller on Christmas. But that's just over a week away, so I'm going to work these abs like crazy every day as an experiment and see what happens. If it works ... hurray! If not, well, a lesson learned for all of us.

Last week, you told us that -- for the majority of you -- Christmas cookies were your biggest holiday weakness. But if you had a few more than you'd planned on over the past few weeks, don't beat yourself up over it -- you may have already burned them off in all your hectic Christmas activities.

Assuming a Christmas cookie has 90 calories ...

• An hour of singing Christmas carols burned off one cookie.
• An hour of writing Holiday cards burned off one and a half cookies.
• An hour of baking burned off two cookies.
• An hour of shopping burned off two cookies (and no one does just an hour of shopping -- if they do, I am so so jealous).
  
• An hour of decorating burned off three cookies.
• An hour of dancing burned off three and a half cookies.
• An hour of shoveling snow burned off four cookies.
• An hour of splitting wood for the fire burned off four and a half cookies.

See? Those holiday cookies don't seem so bad now, do they?

This is the third part of my interview with trainer to the stars Gunnar Peterson. He dished about his celebrity clients, gave us tips on working out faster and smarter, and now, we're wrapping up the interview with tips for fitting into that sexy little dress ... by New Year's Eve!

Trying to get ready for a holiday party or hot New Year's Eve date? Gunnar suggests dropping carbs like bread, rice and pasta from your dinner (but don't drop them completely from your diet), getting plenty of sleep, staying hydrated and pushing yourself in your workout with your goal in mind. Fuel yourself for your workouts with some protein a couple of hours beforehand, and stay hydrated throughout your workout -- you'll get more out of it in less time.

If you're going strapless or backless, add some pull-ups into your routine. Gunnar is a big fan of assisted pull-ups using rubber bands, which allow even those who can't do a single pull-up alone to complete several reps. "It gives you a great feeling of accomplishment," he said, "which gets you fired up." Also, throw in some rear shoulder movements, like the reverse fly -- it'll help define muscles and give you better posture.

This morning, I encouraged you to start a new tradition with your family -- a healthy one. So instead of chugging egg nog and gossiping about Aunt Rita's new facelift, don your winter coat, hats, mittens and snow boots and head out to the great outdoors. Here are five activities you can do as a family:

• Go tobogganing. The going down part? Exhilarating. The going up part? Exhausting. You're sure to work off those extra calories you're planning on eating at Christmas dinner -- or perhaps you've already eaten them.
  
• Build a snowman. Extra points if you can make it look like someone famous. Though I'm thinking Amy Winehouse might not work, seeing as the hair is bigger than the body.
  
• Have a snowball fight. Play nice ... or not. It depends on your family dynamics, I guess.
  
• Make snow angels. Come on, when was the last time you did that?
• Play Wii. OK, the outdoors isn't for everyone. If the whole clan ishappier in front of the TV, so be it -- just make sure you're getting active at the same time.
  

Have a healthy family tradition of your own? Do share.