Diet your way to party perfection

Snacking

Get cunning with your eating habits; don't reach for that chocolate bar or the biscuit tin when the 4pm munchies hit. If you're hungry, you need to eat a meal not a snack. Researchers at State University of New York At Buffalo, USA, found people who saw their afternoon treat as a snack ate 87 per cent more food for their evening meal than those who ate the same food at the same time but called it a meal. Include some protein in your choice and you'll stay satisfied for longer. Good choices include a couple of oatcakes with low-fat humous or an open tuna sandwich.

Cleansing inside and out

If you really want to get serious about cleansing your system and achieving that all-important flat tummy for your little black dress it's time to look to your bowels and try colonic irrigation, says Galina Imrie.

In her book, Always Look After Number Two, she says: 'If you feel bloated, constipated, sluggish, tired and worn out, and your complaints are being routinely dismissed by your doctor, who does not understand why you won't just take a laxative or two and get on with it, then this is for you.'

And it's not just an internal cleanse. Galina adds: 'Getting rid of waste is a cathartic, purifying feeling; a kind of a cleansing ritual, which helps bring together the body and the spirit in a desire for better health.'

Exercising

So you're eating fresh and seasonal fruit and vegetables, no longer 'snacking' and you are downing water by the gallon, but if you really want to see results you've got to exercise too. A great place to start is walking. Get off the tube, bus or train a stop early and walk the rest of the way to work; walk up the escalators; take the stairs and not the lift; use your lunch hour to take a walk round the neighbourhood; just get your body moving! Joanna Hall's book, The GI Walking Diet, advocates investing in a pedometer and trying to walk 10,000 steps a day. But if you're already an avid gym bunny-bunny then this might be a little tame for you. If you want to go hardcore, try Bikram yoga - a unique series of 26 Hatha Yoga postures and two breathing exercises performed in a heated room.

The series of postures has been scientifically designed to work every part of the body in the correct order. Each pose prepares the body for the next pose, and the sequence maximises oxygenation and detoxification of the entire body.

Lesley Tough, Make-Up Product Manager at Estee Lauder, loves the classes for a quick body boost before an important party. She says: 'I first tried Bikram Yoga as I was looking for a new way to tone up and get flexible,' says Tough. 'It's quite an unusual concept, but once you get your head round the fact you are in a very hot room, and are going to sweat lots, it's fun. You feel cleansed, healthy and fantastic after every session, and my toning and fitness levels have definitely improved. Originally, I had planned just to try it as a quick-fix measure before a friend's wedding, but now I am a genuine Bikram convert.'

After a week (or two if you want to push the boat out) of following these diet and fitness guidelines, you'll be glowing inside and out and ready to party 'til dawn!