As Christmas looms on the horizon once more, your festive cheer may be tainted by the thought of piling on the seasonal pounds. A sausage roll here, a mince pie there and, before you know it, the top button is being loosened and that sequinned skirt doesn’t look quite as tantalising. 

Us Brits put on up to two pounds over the Christmas period but, with this being an average, some of us will gain much more. It makes sense then to try and lose a little weight before Christmas, so you won’t be speed-ordering the latest fad diet book come new year.

And it doesn’t have to be super restrictive. Depending on how much excess weight you’re carrying, it’s possible to lose half a stone in six weeks by cutting around 500 calories a day, which is about the same as two flat whites and a few biscuits.

Sounds achievable, but research has shown boredom to be one of the main reasons people abandon their diets. To ensure that the novelty doesn’t wear off, switch up your slimming strategy each week and, by the time Christmas rolls around, you’ll have a half-stone buffer to see you through the festive season. And, with a bit of luck, you won’t put it all back on again, even if you do have an extra slice of figgy pudding.

On the first week of pre-Christmas weight loss… try the 16:8

This is a really simple way to begin, no thinking about what you eat, just when you eat it. The 16:8 fasting protocol helps you cut your calorie intake by reducing the window in which you eat to eight hours. Some people find an earlier window, say 9am to 5pm, works best, others like to push breakfast back to midday and stop eating at 8pm. However, a 2023 review of research found that an eating window starting before noon led to greater weight loss than one that began after noon. Having brunch at 11am and dinner by 7pm is workable for most people – and remember, you can have black tea, black coffee or water until 11am without breaking the fast.

Make it easier by … making your brunch protein-rich

Whatever time you have your first meal of the day be sure to include plenty of protein as this activates the body’s signals that curb appetite, which reduces cravings later in the day. Great choices are eggs, lean meat, fish or the old classic, beans on toast.

On the second week of pre-Christmas weight loss… try increasing your water intake

Increasing water intake has been shown to aid weight loss by increasing satiety, reducing hunger, and helping the body remove waste efficiently. One study found that drinking an additional 1.5 litres of water a day led to just under half a pound of weight loss per week. Drinking more water will also help reduce the calories you consume from other fluids, indeed a US study found that the average person consumes 22 per cent of their calories in liquid form, such as milky coffees, smoothies, soft drinks and alcohol. So, stick to water only this week and you should hit the 1 lb weight-loss target. If you are on a roll with the 16:8 from week one, keep it going this week too for even faster results.

Make it easier by… setting an alarm

Drinking an extra 1.5 litres of water is 6 x 250ml glasses. Have one before each meal and then set an alarm to have one mid-morning, another mid-afternoon and one more about an hour before bed. 

On the third week of pre-Christmas weight loss… try calorie shaving

Calorie shaving is a way to cut excess calories from your diet without calorie counting. Graeme Tomlinson, aka the Fitness Chef, is the master of calorie shaving, with his Instagram (@thefitnesschef_ ) devoted to calorie-saving swaps. One of his suggestions is switching from having two large lattes a day to two large americanos which will shave off 2,660 calories a week. Other examples of calorie shaving include removing one slice of bread to make an open sandwich (shaves 100 calories), swapping chips for extra vegetables (shaves 250 calories), or cutting the amount of butter you use, for example not adding butter to vegetables, as each teaspoon contains 35 calories.

Make it easier by… snacking smart

The easiest way to shave calories is by switching up your snacks. Grab-and-go snacks can pack a heavy calorie load, for example, a 45g bag of crisps or a regular-sized chocolate bar each have around 250 calories. Some great options under 100 calories include 2 tbsp Greek yogurt with a handful of berries, veggie sticks with 1 tbsp hummus or a wholegrain cracker with cream cheese and cucumber.

On the fourth week of pre-Christmas weight loss… try low-carbing

Low-carb diets have been popular ever since Dr Atkins published his New Diet Revolution in 1972. Low-carb diets work by drastically cutting carbohydrate intake so that your body burns more fat for energy. Indeed, studies have shown it to be highly effective for short-term weight loss. Foods to avoid this week include rice, pasta, bread/grains, starchy fruit and vegetables (like potatoes, sweetcorn, peas and bananas), honey or sugar in any form, fruit juices and smoothies, crisps and crackers. This sounds tough, and honestly it is, but just focus on non-starchy veg like leafy greens and broccoli, whole fruit like berries, cherries and watermelon, unsweetened dairy and lean protein from eggs, poultry and meat. Remember, it’s only for a week! 

Make it easier by… increasing fibre to stay full

Yes, fibre is a kind of carbohydrate but it’s one that your body cannot digest. Instead, it slows digestion down making you feel fuller for longer and thus regulates appetite. Foods that are low-carb but high-fibre include flax seeds, chia seeds, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, red cabbage and berries. 

On the fifth week of pre-Christmas weight loss… try alternate-day fasting

This week it’s the turn of another form of intermittent fasting (IF) called Alternate Day Fasting (ADF) where you cut your calorie intake to 800 every other day. Maths whizzes will have worked out that with seven days in a week you’ll need to fast on at least three of those days to achieve the 3,500 calorie weekly deficit. The key to success here is planning your meals on fast days. Michael Mosley, the king of IF, has had huge success with his Fast 800 programme and if you Google “Fast 800 recipes” there are plenty of meal ideas available on-line. The main foods to avoid are the usual suspects: starchy and processed foods and sugar, and the ones to focus on are those that increase satiety and reduce cravings – lean protein, dairy and fibre.

Make it easier by… keeping busy on fast days

Keeping your mind off food is the best way to breeze through fast days. Suitable activities are those that distract you from hunger but don’t use up too much energy, such as walking, gentle stretching and pottering in the garden.

On the sixth week of pre-Christmas weight loss… eat smaller portions 

All the weight-loss methods so far have required a significant change to your eating and drinking patterns, but another way to lose a pound a week is simply to reduce how much you eat overall. A study by Liverpool University found that eating smaller portions at breakfast, lunch or evening meals resulted in people eating approximately 235 calories less per day. If you combine this with cutting down on snacks you should hit the 500-calorie target. A good rule of thumb is to aim for 25 per cent less over the course of the day than you usually would.

Make it easier by… using a smaller plate for meals 

A great tip for cutting portion size is to use a smaller plate at mealtimes. If you want a little more guidance Diabetes UK sells the “healthy portion plate” on their website which is split into three sections to include each major food group.