This way you can get through the festive season without arriving

December is approaching. That means a lot of drinks, brunches, and even more dinners. And since you're already eating so much, those few holly leaves of milk chocolate (my weak spot) can fit in as well. Before you know it, you leave December three kilos heavier than when you entered, and just that thought alone makes you not really look forward to it.

No worries, been there, done that, and the fun part is: I also know how to get through it unscathed (in some cases, this is literal). Because you can eat, drink, and have fun without making that skinny look like a commercial for Kips liver sausage.

Ready? Ready!

If you have a big dinner in the evening, keep it light during the day. Start the morning with fruit, have salad for lunch, and maybe take a walk in the park before you let everything go. The dumbest thing you can do is say: ’Today I'm going to overindulge anyway, so I'll just let it go all day.“ If you think that, you have a problem. Those are the ”I'll start tomorrow' types, and I can tell you; tomorrow always becomes the day after tomorrow.

That basket of ancient bread on the table that you can dip in that beautiful extra virgin olive oil from Tuscany with that Ibiza sea salt is very tempting. But leave it alone. “Don’t eat the cheap food,” say the wealthy Singaporeans (I lived there for a while, that's how I know), a waste of calories and even more a waste of all the delicious Real Dishes that are about to come.

Literally. It has been scientifically proven that if you sit further away from your plate, you stop eating sooner. I think it has to do with taking a bite more consciously and therefore receiving the signals from your stomach to your brain that you've had enough sooner.

An important lesson at Weight Watchers is to always leave a little on your plate. That way, you have control over the food and not the other way around. It may sound silly, but it really works. We don't eat because we're hungry. And especially not at Christmas. It's really not a problem if you don't finish everything.

Tell your hostess that it’s delicious but you’d like to enjoy all the courses. If you really feel it's too much, skip a dish. Don’t make it too complicated. Say it looks delicious and you’d love to taste a bite but that you’ll pass for now.

Never say you don’t want to get fat. Then the discussion is opened, namely. That you’re not fat at all (no, but you’d like to keep it that way), that you won’t get fat from this (I’ll decide that myself, dude, it consists of puff pastry, full cream, and three types of cheese, what do you think?), and that this is not the time to diet. You just don’t feel like lying in bed bloated later, and you don’t find it fun to gain weight from this, no, so what. You’d rather do that from that tub of Ben & Jerry’s that you eat with friends on the couch.

If there’s cake and you want cake, remember that apple pie is really not healthy. You’d be better off choosing a cream puff. Even better, share your piece of cake with someone. That’s perfectly fine. A big piece will only make you feel sick. Furthermore, red sauces are always better than white sauces. If you drink coffee, opt for black coffee. A latte is quite a calorie killer. I would say; skip the liqueur because it’s full, full, full of sugar, and something tells me your head will thank you the next day.