Beat the Heat, Eat and Enjoy!

It's so easy to get into bad habits while on holiday. Having meals prepared by someone else, getting three cooked meals a day, lazing in the sun and totally chilling out mean that you may not be on the alert for poor food choices.

Or perhaps you are self-catering and the effort of shopping in strange supermarkets, dealing with a large family group and finding meals that please everybody is getting to you.

So here are some holiday survival tips, designed to keep your weight loss programme on track.

1. Don't expect to live by the same rules as at home. You are on holiday, after all. This doesn't mean eating relentlessly at every meal - you can relax your rules but don't abandon them completely.

2. It does mean that if you have the occasional holiday ice cream (note the word occasional, not with every meal!) that'll be fine.

3. Your weight loss goal should be to maintain the status quo. Don't expect weight loss with a change of diet and activity level but don't relax so much that you put on weight.

4. Be aware that in a hot climate you will need to drink more liquid. While you'll like the chilled beer and white wine, water is better. Always have water with your meals and if you are having alcohol, make sure you have sips of water as well.

5. Alcohol can add a surprising number of calories to a meal, plus it makes you less aware of what you are eating so it's easier to overeat.

6. Gear your diet towards lean meat and fish with vegetables and salads. Try not to have too much pasta with rich sauces, though the occasional pasta dish will be fine. You shouldn't have to count calories, just be aware of what you are eating.

7. Finish each meal with the feeling that you could possibly eat a bit more and allow yourself to feel "having had sufficient".

Being on holiday and enjoying your food means savouring each mouthful, enjoying the tastes and flavours and feeling you have had a good meal. It does not mean eating till your buttons burst!

And finally be aware that if you make healthy food choices when you get back home, by this time next year you could be slimmer, fitter and healthier. So aim to continue your healthy eating strategy when you get home too!

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