Something pretty interesting happens in the animal kingdom this time of yearsomething that you might recognize. As they do every year, all sorts of bears are preparing for their upcoming winter hibernation by padding themselves with plenty of extra pounds. Sound familiar? Sure it does. Because it describes half of the North American population.

While bears accomplish the porking up period by eating endless amounts of fish, berries, and plenty of natures other goodies, we humans balloon out by gorging on Halloween candy, splurging on Thanksgiving beer and turkey, and stuffing ourselves on endless Christmas dinners. Eventually, this is what leads to the New Years resolution of "finally getting to the health club" and the inevitable late spring decree of "I need to lose 20 pounds before I wear my bathing suit."

In an attempt to save all of us from the extra-20-pound blues, I will attempt to share with you some helpful, albeit annoying tips about trying to beat the curse of the holiday fatties.

Alcohol: Usually, the only thing that helps most of us get through the holiday haze of endless Christmas parties and family gatherings is booze, and lots of it. Of course, if you must (and lord knows, some of us MUST) drink, go for some of the drinks with fewer calories. For instance, a glass of wine (no, not the whine of your mother-in-law) amounts to about 90 calories per glass, while a half cup of egg nog, with the mandatory shot of rum, is about 215 calories, not to mention the added fat from the creamyummm, what is egg nog anyway?

Candy/Sweets/Desserts: It starts at Halloweena few extra candies here and there. You might have an extra candy apple or seven just to get you through another boring day at work. Then comes Thanksgiving and endless mounds of ultra sweet cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. And finally you get to the utterly orgasmic chocolate paradise that is Christmas. And while I may be making light of the situation, ultimately, you have to learn when to draw the line. When you are surrounded with people who prefer to indulge, learn to practice some restraint. Ultimately, this is the hardest part of any moderation of lifestyle and the bottom line is that for many of us, food is a comfort food. We turn to it during our most emotional times. Whether those times be happy, or traumatic. If you can learn to disassociate food with your emotions - youll have a lot more control over your eating habits.

Beef and Poultry- Not many of you are going to like what Im about to say. Red meat can be a killer. Can you say colon cancer? Can you say clogged arteries? Can you say excessive fat content? Well if you can say all these things, so can your doctor. In turn, your hospital bills are going to be sky high unless you take a moment to consider whether you really want to load up that plate with slabs of cow carcass. Skip the pot roast and grab some turkey. White meat is undoubtedly your healthiest choice this holiday season.

So as the holidays approach, dont fret about your eating habits. You may gain a few poundswe all do. But as long as you maintain confidence about your eating habits, and follow a few simple guidelines, you wont have as hard a time creating and sticking to that new years resolution list come January.