The Christmas party season is upon us and despite wanting to look fabulous for the festivities, you've decided to put your diet on hold. After all, who could actually lose weight in the run up to Christmas?

Over the next four weeks, we're going to help you get gorgeous. Don't panic, we won't make you eat beans and drink nettle tea all day. This is about getting smart with what you already eat. You can still have mince pies, wine and chocolate - just slightly healthier versions. So, pick out your Christmas party dress and throw away those big pants. It's time to sparkle like a Christmas fairy...

The rules
Most portion sizes in the diet are given. Some are more general - a handful here and a portion there. These are mostly used for fruit and veg where portion size isn't very important. A fruit portion would be a medium-sized piece of fruit such as an apple, pear or orange, a small banana, two small fruits such as plums or mandarins, a big slice of melon, half a mango, a teacup full of berries, cherries or grapes, or a small tin of fruit such as Frutini.

You should add enough vegetables to fill you up - for example, half a pepper plus half an onion plus five florets of broccoli. Veggies are filling, have next to no calories and are good for you - so eat lots. Salads and green veggies are free - the more the merrier.

It's fine to have tea and coffee (with skimmed milk and sweeteners if you want) on this plan but stop at four or five per day. Limit diet fizzy drinks to an absolute max of two cans or 500ml per day and try to cut these out completely if possible. With water, on the other hand, more is best - drink one to two litres per day, every day.

How to make smart choices when...

• Portion size
  Just because you're in a restaurant doesn't mean you have to eat everything on the menu or everything you're given. Remember the portion sizes on this plan and eat just until you're satisfied. Why not get a starter and then share a main course? Or order two starters if the restaurant serves huge portions.



• Healthy choices
  You know that a salad with dressing on the side is healthier than a plate of chips, so be strong and make that choice. Go for lean protein (chicken or fish over lamb, for example), healthy cooking methods (grilled instead of fried, stir-fried instead of deep-fried) and beware of ingredients with incredible calories - creamy sauces like korma or carbonara can happily be replaced with Tandoori dishes and tomato-based sauces.



• Don't go out hungry
  Have a snack (fruit, yoghurt and so on) before going out so you're not starving and tempted to eat anything and everything.

Having a takeaway
The same rules apply here as for eating out - every decision counts. Swapping pepperoni for chicken and extra chilli isn't going to ruin your day and it could save you hundreds of calories. Think portion size, eating to satisfaction and smart choices.

Going for a drink
Alcohol is a double-whammy when it comes to diet. Not only does it provide zillions of calories, but it can also give you the munchies. When you're trying to lose weight, it makes sense to cut back a bit, but that doesn't have to mean total abstinence. If you're going for a drink - which, let's face it, you probably will over the holiday season - here's the damage:

Remember, women should drink no more than two or three units per day; men no more than three or four units per day. Max.

Ready meals
Again, the rules above apply. The beauty of a ready meal from the supermarket is that you can read labels and make an informed choice. Your best bet is to go for a meal with less than 400 cals per serving, but do compare different meals to get the best deal for calories, fat and sodium - the lower the better, really. Portion sizes can be big, especially if you get the bagged meal-for-one or meal-for-two. Store anything more than a portion in a Tupperware in the freezer or fridge for the next night.

Start the diet now:

• Week 1
• Week 2
• Week 3
• Week 4
• Party day!