Looking hot in this season’s party frocks has never been easier with our drop-a-dress-size diet

This Christmas there's only one thing you should be shimmying to Slade in - and that's a minidress. It doesn't matter if it's lacy, sequinned or feathered - as long as it's short!

But if the thought of squeezing yourself into your party dress and baring your pins throws you into a festive frenzy, panic not. We've devised an exclusive eating plan to help you look amazing, which instead of making you cut back, actually allows you to eat more often - think lots of mini-meals to get into your minidress.

"The more often you eat, the quicker your metabolism revs up as your body processes food," explains LA diet and fitness guru Harley Pasternak, author of The 5-Factor Diet.

Plus, by eating little and often your blood sugar doesn't have a chance to plummet, which stops you from feeling tired, sluggish, and craving calorie-laden goodies.

The likes of A-listers Angelina Jolie, 34, and Jessica Simpson, 29, are firm fans of eating small amounts often throughout the day to keep trim - and by following our diet you can lose up to an impressive 10lb and drop a dress size in just four weeks.

Then all you'll have to do is slip on your dress, strap on your heels and get ready to conga...

THE RULES
1 Choose one mini-meal from each section every day.
2 Eat at the times shown - this will help to keep your blood-sugar levels balanced.
3 Drink 2 litres of water throughout the day.

THE DIET
(All meals provide 250 calories)

MINI MEAL 1
Eat at 8am
Choose one of the following:

Apricot and sultana cereal: Mix 5tbsp branflakes with 1tbsp sultanas and 3 dried apricots. Serve with skimmed milk.

Toast and peanut butter: 2 slices wholegrain toast with 1tbsp peanut butter - use a light spread of low-fat margarine if required. Plus a handful of blueberries

Instant oat cereal with honey: 1 sachet instant oat cereal made according to the pack instructions with 1tsp honey and 1 apple.

Poached egg on toast: 1 slice wholegrain toast with 2 poached eggs. Use a light spread of low-fat margarine if required.

Muesli, seasonal fruits and yoghurt: 2tbsp unsweetened muesli with 1 chopped plum, 1 chopped apple, a handful of blackberries and 3tbsp low-fat natural yoghurt.

LBD? Check. Killer body? Check!

MINI-MEAL 2
Eat at 11am
Choose one of the following:

Turkey and cranberry sandwich: Lightly spread 2 slices wholegrain bread with 2tsp low-fat spread, add 4 slices wafer-thin turkey, 1tsp cranberry sauce and salad. Plus 1 satsuma.

Cheese and crackers: 4 rye crispbreads with 2 triangles low-fat cheese spread and cherry tomatoes. Plus 1 small banana.

Cream cheese and smoked salmon bagel: Top 1 toasted wholegrain bagel with 1tbsp low-fat soft cheese and 1 slice smoked salmon. Serve with salad.

Supersized fruit salad: Fruit salad made from 1 apple, 1 orange, 1 pear (all chopped) and a handful of blueberries, blackberries and grapes.

Bacon roll: 1 small wholegrain roll filled with 2 grilled rashers lean back bacon, 1 sliced tomato, lettuce and 2tsp reduced-fat mayo. Plus 1 satsuma.

MINI MEAL 3
Eat at 2pm
Choose one of the following:

Prawn and pasta salad: Mix 3tbsp cooked wholewheat pasta with 6 cooked prawns, 6 sliced cherry tomatoes, a small handful of watercress and 1tbsp reduced-fat seafood dressing.

Houmous and salad pitta: 1 wholemeal pitta filled with 3tbsp reduced-fat houmous and a little salad to garnish.

Chicken salad: 1 grilled skinless chicken breast with salad and 1tbsp fat-free dressing. Plus 1 apple and 1 pot fat-free fruit yoghurt.

Baked beans on toast: 1 slice wholegrain toast with 1 small can baked beans and 1tbsp grated reduced-fat cheese.

Tuna niçoise salad: Combine an tuna in water, 1 hard-boiled egg, 8 lightly steamed French beans, 2 new potatoes boiled in their skins, mixed leaves, 4 cherry tomatoes, a few slices of cucumber and 5 olives with a drizzle of fat-free dressing.

MINI-MEAL 4
Eat at 5pm
Choose one of the following:

Cheesy tomato crumpets: Top 2 toasted crumpets with 4tbsp grated reduced-fat cheese and tomato slices, grilled until the cheese melts.

Chocolate treat: 1 instant low-fat hot chocolate drink with 4 small chocolate chip cookies.

Soup and French bread: a carton fresh vegetable soup with a 5cm piece French bread. Plus 1 plum.

Jacket potato with ham and salad: 1 medium-sized jacket potato, with a knob of low-fat margarine, 2 slices lean ham and salad with a drizzle of fat-free dressing.

Smoothie and nutty nibbles: 1 small bottle shop-bought fruit smoothie and 10 almonds.

MINI-MEAL 5
Eat at 8pm
Choose one of the following:

Chicken stir-fry: Cook 1 skinless sliced chicken breast in a few sprays of one-calorie spray oil. Add 2 cloves of chopped garlic, a thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely chopped, 1/2 bag vegetable stir-fry and a dash of reduced-salt soy sauce. Plus 1 kiwi fruit.

Drink and a nibble: 1 small glass of dry white or red wine with 1/2 pot tzatziki, 2 breadsticks and a handful of crudités.

Vegetable pasta bake: Mix 5tbsp cooked wholewheat pasta with lightly steamed vegetables and 1/4 jar low-fat tomato sauce. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and top with 1tbsp grated reduced-fat cheese. Bake until the cheese melts and serve with salad.

Homemade burger with salad: Make a burger from 75g extra-lean mince, chopped onion and a splash of Worcestershire sauce. Grill and serve on 1 small wholegrain roll, with a dollop of ketchup and salad garnish.

Jacket potato with coleslaw and salad: 1 medium-sized jacket potato with a knob of low-fat margarine if required, 4tbsp reduced-fat coleslaw and salad with a drizzle of fat-free dressing.

Try at home: Step-up

YOUR HOT-LEG WORKOUT!
Eating well will help you shed the pounds, but add in some exercise and you could see twice the benefits. Celebrity health and fitness consultant Ed Smith shows you how...

Step-Up>>
Stand at the bottom of a flight of stairs. Step on to the first step with your left foot, and lift your right leg forwards to waist height with knee bent. Hold for 5 seconds. Squeeze all the muscles in your stomach to keep you balanced. Step down and repeat on the same leg for 20 reps, then swap legs.

Single leg squat
Stand behind a chair, holding on with both hands. Bend your left knee behind you at a 90 degree angle, with your weight on your right leg as you squat down. For the perfect squat position, replicate the movement of going to sit down on a chair. Push your bum out, keep your chin and chest up and shoulders back. Squat down slowly and come back up slowly. Repeat 20 times and swap legs.

Standing leg elevation

<<Standing leg elevation
Stand facing a wall at arm's length with your legs hip-width apart. Put both palms flat against the wall, then slowly lift your right leg straight behind you. Focus on extending your heel back with your toes facing down towards the floor and keeping your leg straight. Lift it as far as you can and hold for 10 seconds, squeezing your bum before bringing the leg down. Repeat 20 times then swap legs.

Calf raise
Stand behind a chair, holding on with both hands. Bend your left knee behind you at a 90 degree angle so your weight is on your right foot. Push through your foot and stand up on your toes, squeezing the back of your calves. Hold this position for five seconds and slowly lower back to standing. Repeat 20 times and swap legs.

Leg lift

Leg lift>>
Get on all fours with your arms underneath your shoulders and your head facing towards the floor. Lift your left leg in a bent position to hip level, hold for five seconds. Pulse your leg up and down 20 times - a small movement but you'll feel the muscles working. Lower leg and swap sides. Repeat four times with each leg.

PHOTOGRAPHY: LANCTON ILLUSTRATIONS: BARBARA SPOETTEL HAIR & MAKE-UP: CAROLINE PIASECKI STYLING: LUCIE CLIFFORD MODEL: DANIELLE AT PREMIER DANIELLE WEARS: DRESS, MANGO; UNDERWEAR, LA SENZA; BAG, ACCESSORIZE; SHOES, DUNE STOCKIST: ST TROPEZ (BOOTS NATIONWIDE) VISIT ED SMITH'S WEBSITE AT PHYS-ED.CO.UK THE 5-FACTOR DIET BY HARLEY PASTERNAK AND MYATT MURPHY (BALLANTINE BOOKS, £9.10) IS AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.CO.UK

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