You can't...Stop at just a few chocolates? - Chocolate may be the food of the gods, but try to focus on when you eat it. If you like to eat chocolate while working, watching TV or driving, you are not giving a treasured food the attention it deserves. Set aside some time to enjoy it and concentrate on how it's making you feel. You'll find it easier to recognise when you've had enough and to stop eating. Getting a concentrated cocoa hit from a small amount of good quality dark chocolate can help moderate your intake. Or you could try to disassiociate chocolate from its cultural connections with love and reward. Don't use chocolate to cheer yourself up. Buy flowers instead

How you'll benefit - cutting down from a 50g bar to four squares every day will save you 165 calories- which means you'll lose a pound in three weeks.

You can't... Say no to Biscuits? - Change your routine and you're less likely to gorge on custard creams out of habit.The usual scenario is an absent-minded dig into the biscuits tin while having a coffee or cuppa.If you make effort to drink juice or water instead of tea or coffee, you might find it easier to turn down the biscuits. Just moving the biscuits away from the kettle can break that automatic response.

How you'll benefit - As well as ditching the calories you'll avoid the blood-sugar hit that can destabilise your energy levels and promote even more snacking later in the day.

You can't... Stay in control at parties? - If the party is in the evening, eat a good lunch so you are not so hungry when you arrive. Alcohol on an empty stomach loosens your inhibitions, increases your hunger and means you can kiss goodbye to your healthy-eating resolution, so stick to a 'no booze before food' rule. If there's buffet at the party, on your first visit fill your plate with mainly salad and carbs, so you're not as tempted by the sausage rolls later. Keep this in mind with posh nibbles: four canapes equals a starter and eight is the equivalent of a main course.

How you'll benefit - The difference between measured and random eating at a party can be as much as 500 calories- or a quarter of your normal daily allowance.

You can't... Stop craving salt? - If you still shake salt on your food despite all the dietary advice, it may be more effective to stop using it abruptly rather than cutting down gradually.salt preference alters rapidlyafter a cold turkey change. Salty party foods as peanuts and crisps are packed with calories, so alerting yourself off them can help you lose weight. Cook with fresh herbs, garlic, ginger, chilli and lime can be much healthier way of adding some extra flavour to your food. And good rule of thumb for when you are buying processed food is: more than 1.25g salt per 100g is a lot, while less than 0.25g per 100g is not much at all.

How you'll benefit - Going from 9g to 6g of salt a day can release a few pounds of water weight, so you'll feel less bloated. Plus, you'll lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease.

You can't... Drink less wine? - It's easy to understimate how much you drink during the party season, but keeping a drink diary can help you curb your intake. Bear in mind that glass sizes have got bigger. So two large (250ml) glasses is officially binge drinking. The safe limit is nearer half this. Avoid top-up syndrome an refuse an extra drop until each glass is empty. That way you can keep track of how much you drink. Within ten minutes of drinking alkohol, 50 per cent of it will have entered your blood stream. Try drinking soft drinks quickly to get over nerves.

How you'll benefit - Cut down your alkohol intake and you'll lose weight, have better skin, reduce your risk of breast cancer and liver disease.

You can't... Eat less at night? - Meal skippers and erratic eaters are most prone to evening bingeing, so take control earlier in the day. Choosing something like a tuna bean salad and some wholegrain bread for lunch will give you energy throughout the day. Then keep your evening meal to around 400 calories so you can factor in a few treats during the evening that you won't have to feel guilty about. Take your mind off food by changing your night-time routine. Just going for a walk can help and it's really worth the effort! And don't understimate the power of brushing your teeth - a minty mouth is a good signal to your brain that eating has finished for the evening.

How you'll benefit - If you even out your intake of food, your body won't have to process calories at night and you won't wake up feeling sluggish.