December and the party season will soon be here. Invitations are beginning to arrive, glamorous outfits are filling the shops and, naturally, many of us want to feel confident and look our best.
Rather than waiting until January to start a diet, my four-week pre-party plan could help you lose up to ten pounds before the festive season begins.
As a Harley Street nutritionist who has helped numerous A-list clients lose weight, I have created a straightforward but effective approach designed to help you enjoy this year’s Christmas parties feeling healthy, energised and fabulous.
Toss out temptation
The aim: Make the plan easier to follow.
Our food choices are heavily influenced by what is within easy reach, as well as by the cues we encounter during the day. Many people know the feeling of remembering that there is ice cream in the freezer and then being unable to stop thinking about it until it has been eaten.
When cupboards are stocked with biscuits, crisps and chocolate, you create more opportunities to eat foods that may not support your weight-loss goals.
I suggest getting rid of the foods you tend to grab when you are not genuinely hungry but are simply bored or looking for a snack.
Kim Pearson, a Harley Street nutritionist who has helped clients including A-listers lose weight, shares her tips for losing weight before Christmas
Notifications from food delivery apps and supermarket accounts can also encourage you to stray, particularly when they advertise tempting offers.
Delete food apps or switch off their notifications, and mute social-media accounts that regularly post pictures of indulgent treats. Instead, follow accounts featuring nutritious, low-carb recipes to help change the content your algorithm shows you.
Willpower is a finite resource, so the less you need to depend on it, the easier the plan becomes.
Meals, not snacks
The aim: Eat three satisfying meals a day, leaving four to five hours between them.
Snacking has become part of everyday life, but it is not something I generally recommend, particularly when the goal is weight loss. If your meals are properly balanced, you should not need to snack constantly.
Eating at regular times helps the body anticipate meals, while grazing throughout the day can make genuine hunger more difficult to recognise. Leaving a reasonable gap between meals also gives the body more opportunity to use stored energy, including fat, as fuel.
For meals to keep you satisfied, each one should include a generous serving of protein — around 150g of meat, fish, seafood or tofu, or three to four eggs — plenty of fibre-rich vegetables such as butternut squash, leafy greens and broccoli, even at breakfast, plus healthy fats. I have included some meal ideas below.
December and party season are just around the corner and naturally, we all want to look our best
Kim Pearson’s four-week pre-party plan can help you shed up to ten pounds before the festive season
If you are genuinely hungry and need something to see you through, avoid telling yourself that “one biscuit won’t hurt”. It may contain fewer than 100 calories, but it can raise blood sugar and leave you wanting more. That is why it is better not to keep these foods at home.
Instead, try 25g of plain, raw, unsalted nuts with one serving of fresh, low-sugar fruit, such as berries or an apple. Another option is a small pot of guacamole — Holy Moly makes 57g snack-sized portions — served with vegetable crudités.
Fill up on fibre
The aim: Stay fuller for longer.
Aim for around 30g of fibre a day, focusing on vegetables, seeds and berries to help keep hunger at bay.
Fibre adds bulk to meals and is important for weight management because it supports fullness and helps regulate blood sugar. Some types are fermented by gut bacteria, producing short-chain fatty acids that may encourage the release of appetite-regulating hormones such as GLP-1, the natural hormone that weight-loss injections are designed to mimic.
A natural diet cannot fully reproduce the effects of GLP-1 medicines such as Mounjaro and Wegovy. However, choosing high-fibre foods may help support the body’s own satiety hormones.
Soluble fibre absorbs water and forms a gel in the digestive system. This adds volume and slows digestion, helping you feel satisfied for longer.
Vegetables should provide much of your daily fibre. Try to include three large handfuls with every meal, choosing as many different colours and varieties as possible.
Keep vegetable skins on where practical. Frozen vegetables are generally just as nutritious as fresh, so make good use of your freezer.
Once you get into the habit, eating a wide range of vegetables is surprisingly simple. Roast a large tray of peppers, tomatoes, courgette, red onion, aubergine and artichoke hearts with a little olive oil and your favourite herbs.
You can also replace white or brown rice with cauliflower rice when serving a stir-fry or curry. It is an easy way to reduce carbohydrates while increasing your vegetable intake. Non-starchy vegetables do not need to be heavily restricted.
Add chia seeds or ground flaxseed to meals; both contain substantial amounts of fibre and are an easy way to raise your intake. If constipation is a problem, two tablespoons of ground flax mixed with water may also help.
Prioritise protein
The aim: Control appetite and support muscle mass.
Protein is especially valuable during weight loss because it helps you feel full and supports the preservation of muscle as body fat decreases. Muscle is important for strength, longevity and metabolic health; having more muscle helps the body use energy efficiently.
In my clinical experience, not eating enough protein is one of the most common reasons people experience hunger and cravings while trying to lose weight or maintain their progress.
DISCOVER MORE: Alexander Brothers Allegedly Paid Writers to Publish Positive Trial Coverage
Protein also requires more energy to digest and metabolise than carbohydrates or fat. This is known as the thermic effect of food, meaning the body uses more calories processing protein.
I generally recommend around 1.2 to 1.6g of protein per kilogram of ideal body weight each day, depending on a person’s individual needs and activity levels. If your ideal body weight is 60kg, for example, consuming 1.5g per kilogram would mean 90g of protein daily. Divided between three meals, that is approximately 30g per meal.
One good source of protein is salmon. A 150g portion contains around 33g of protein
Useful options include four medium eggs, providing around 24g of protein; 150g of salmon, around 33g; 150g of pollock, around 33g; 150g of chicken thigh, around 39g; 150g of lean beef, around 39g; and 150g of firm tofu, around 25g.
A high-quality protein powder can also be useful, particularly for vegetarians and vegans. Choose one that is minimally processed, naturally sweetened and free from added sugar.
Mix enough powder to provide a 30g serving of protein into 150g of plain coconut-milk yoghurt, then add berries and a tablespoon of seeds. Alternatively, try the smoothie recipe below.
Ditch sugar, starchy carbs and UPFs
The aim: Cut back on foods that are easy to overeat and provide little satisfaction.
I recommend avoiding added sugar, sugary drinks, sweets, biscuits, cakes and refined starchy foods such as white bread, pasta and pastries.
These foods can be particularly easy to overconsume when they combine refined carbohydrates with unhealthy fats, salt and flavourings. Instead, centre your meals on whole, minimally processed, single-ingredient foods.
This does not mean eliminating every food containing carbohydrates. The aim is to choose carbohydrate sources that offer greater nutritional value and better support your weight-loss goals.
Avoiding alcohol altogether can further support weight loss. If you do choose to drink, limit yourself to two drinks a week: either a small measure of clear spirit with a sugar-free mixer, such as slimline tonic, or a dry red, white or sparkling wine.
Don’t forget healthy fats
The aim: Support nourishment and lasting satisfaction.
Healthy fats make meals more satisfying and provide essential fatty acids, which are needed for brain, skin and hair health. They also help the body absorb fat-soluble vitamins, including vitamins A, D, E and K.
Good choices include extra-virgin olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds and oily fish. These foods supply a range of valuable nutrients, including healthy fats and, in oily fish, omega-3 fatty acids.
Because fat is energy-dense and contains a relatively high number of calories, portion control still matters when weight loss is the objective.
I advise women to aim for four portions a day and men for six. One portion is equivalent to a tablespoon of olive oil, half a medium avocado, two tablespoons of seeds or 25g of nuts.
Early nights, early mornings
The aim: Build a consistent sleep routine during the calmer weeks before Christmas.
Sleep is one of the most overlooked influences on weight management. Too little sleep can affect the hormones that regulate appetite, increasing hunger and cravings and making the plan harder to follow.
Aim for at least seven hours each night. Keep your bedtime and waking time as consistent as possible, and allow yourself time to unwind before bed. Try to finish eating two to three hours before going to sleep.
Going outside in natural daylight after sunrise can help regulate your circadian rhythm. A morning walk of at least 30 minutes combines daylight exposure with gentle movement.
If possible, add strength training two or three times a week. Many of my clients enjoy the workouts available through the Alo Wellness Club website (wellnessclub.aloyoga.com), which includes strength-training sessions. Membership is free.
The most important thing is to choose an activity you enjoy. Forcing yourself to do exercise you dislike makes it far less likely that you will continue.
Say yes to soup
The aim: Enjoy a warming winter lunch that helps prevent the afternoon slump.
When new clients describe their diets, they often tell me they eat a very small lunch to save calories. This can backfire. Eating too little at midday may leave you extremely hungry later, increasing the likelihood of overeating at dinner or snacking through the evening.
For lunch, Kim Pearson recommends making soup with a variety of vegetables
A substantial soup made with protein and vegetables is an excellent way to create a filling, nutrient-rich lunch. Include a variety of vegetables, a 150g serving of protein and a source of healthy fat, such as a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil. Herbs and spices add flavour, while a slice of keto bread, such as dillonorganic.co.uk, can complete the meal.
Soften the vegetables in a saucepan, or use leftovers, then add good-quality stock or bone broth and blend until smooth. Return the soup to the pan and stir in your chosen protein. If you are using leftover cooked meat, chicken or fish, add it towards the end and heat it thoroughly. Raw ingredients should be fully cooked before serving.
I often prepare a large roast on Sunday and use the leftover meat and vegetables to make soup for the following days. If you prefer not to cook from scratch, supermarkets offer a range of good-quality tinned and fresh soups. Look for products without thickeners or preservatives, such as Mr Organic tinned soups or fresh options from Bol and Re:Nourish. Add a serving of protein to the vegetable base.
Another option is a substantial salad with salmon, chicken or eggs, plenty of vegetables — grated carrot, pickled vegetables and leftover roasted vegetables all work well — plus seeds and an olive-oil dressing.
The principle is straightforward: lunch should be a proper meal, with enough protein and fibre to keep you going until dinner.
Breakfast
- Three to four scrambled eggs, or 150g of tofu scramble, with sautéed spinach, mushrooms and avocado.
- Chia pudding made with unsweetened almond milk and natural protein powder, topped with berries and 25g of nuts.
- Smoothie made by blending 80g of frozen mixed berries, half a medium avocado, 100g of frozen cauliflower and one serving of vanilla or berry protein powder with 200g of liquid, such as water or unsweetened nut milk.
Lunch
- Protein and vegetable soup with herbs and a slice of keto bread.
- Salmon or basil tofu salad with mixed leaves, roasted butternut squash, tomatoes, avocado, pumpkin seeds and an olive-oil dressing.
- Leftover roast meat with a generous serving of roasted vegetables.
Dinner
- Baked salmon topped with pesto, served with broccoli, mushrooms and asparagus.
- Beef, turkey or plain Quorn mince meatballs with courgette ribbons and a tomato sauce made without added sugar.
- Stir-fried prawns with mixed vegetables, ginger, garlic and tamari, served with konjac noodles.
A detailed plan and 50 tasty recipes are available in my book The Nozempic Diet.