With Christmas looming it may be sensible for those of us who are predisposed to put on weight easily to plan things a little so as to minimise damage to our waistlines without of course lesseing our enjoyment. A big ask? Well not really, as long as you know how.

The challenge is to balance energy in (food and drink) with energy out (physical activity). If we are able to increase our physical activity a lot we may not even need to restrict the amount we eat, but it is probably a safer bet to reduce the amount we eat a bit and at the same time moderately increase our activity.

So how can we enjoy delicious food without eating too many calories? There are two ways. The first is to eat the low fat, high carbohydrate/fibre diet recommended by health authorities. It contains about 55% carbohydrate, 15% protein and 30% fat (ie. about 30-40 grams of fat a day). Because carbohydrate is found in fruit, vegetables and cereal, which are filling, it is harder to overeat if more than half the daily food intake contains these types of food.

But what about those people who were born to crave higher fat food? This is where new research gives a second way of approaching the problem.Researchers at the Nutrition and Dietetics Unit at Monash University have discovered that it is possible to increase the fat intake to 40% of diet and still lose weight, providing the type of fat used is monounsaturated fatty acids, found in olive oil and macadamia oil.

A good example of such a diet is the Mediterranean diet, where high energy olive oil is combined with low energy fibre rich vegetables. Again it is hard to overconsume calories on such a diet. A Mediterranean diet also lowers cholesterol and improves control of blood sugar levels, which is of particular interest to diabetics. All this for a meal that is not only tasty but far more suited to the hot climatic conditions of our summer than a roast dinner.

As regards physical activity aim for at least one hour a day during the holiday period. This can be anything from going for a walk, to gardening or to playing cricket in the back yard.

The last thing is to watch your alcohol intake. The article on this page on the World Health Organisation recommendations on alcohol consumption is also very conducive to weight control. However it is advisable to avoid fatty food whilst drinking as it is more fattening when taken this way. For example, beer with chips or nuts is a fattening combination.

Have a happy Christmas.