During Christmas revelry, food often becomes the focal point. Joyous overeating is followed by feelings of guilt at your over-indulgence and strict resolutions to lose weight come New Year's Day.

Avoiding the wealth of fatty foods at Christmas takes military planning. The old adage 'a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips' is never truer than at Christmas when you're faced with a constant bombardment of mince pies and enticing things on sticks!

According to Professor John Garrow, an obesity expert at London's Northwick Park Hospital, most adults tend to put on at least 1.1 pounds over the Christmas period.

But the mammoth Christmas dinner that the majority of us tuck into isn't the chief problem. According to the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF), Christmas dinner generally provides a balanced meal, as long as you don't go too wild.

Turkey is low in fat. Breast meat has only two per cent fat and the dark meat contains plenty of iron.

"It is a very nutritious meal," said a BNF spokeswoman. Instead, we should stop to consider how many calories we could be unconsciously consuming every time we absent-mindedly reach for another sausage roll from the buffet table.

"It may not seem like a lot of extra food, but over a couple of days or weeks it soon adds up.

"The main problem is that we nibble on extra food at buffets and munch on chocolates and nuts between meals."

But, says Professor Garrow, these snacks don't generate signals of satisfaction or fullness to the brain and the extra calories simply get converted to fat.

Olivia Bennett Wood, associate professor of Foods and Nutrition at Purdue University, says: "Avoiding extra calories requires you to plan ahead, and certainly holiday time is a time when it is particularly difficult not to over-indulge."

She suggests that we: "Eat a small, nutritious snack before going to early evening parties so you won't be starved."

Once at the party, Dr. Bennett Wood believes we can resist the temptation of snacking by standing as far as away from the party food table as possible: "Take the selected item and move away from the table.

"And be aware of unconscious eating while near food ? the person who reaches unconsciously into the peanut dish!"

If you can't resist tucking into that tempting party food, here are some survival tips and some low-cal alternatives:

1. Choose plain bread wherever possible. French bread is delicious on its own.

2. Breadsticks are great low fat snacks just remember to go easy on high fat dips such as taramasalata or blue cheese.

3. If you simply can't survive without dips, pick salsa varieties over yoghurt-based ones.

4. Plump for cocktail sausages instead of sausage rolls, pastry contains a lot of fat.

5. Reach for the pretzels and twiglets, as these are good low fat alternatives to crisps and nuts.

6. Cheeses such as Brie and Stilton are full-fat, so avoid these like the plague! Go for Edam if possible.

7. If you're the sort of person who can't resist the opportunity to stockpile your plate with food, ask a friend or partner to get the food for you.

8. Remember you're not at school any more so you don't have to finish what's on your plate. After all, would you rather the extra food go to waste or go on your waist?

But it is Christmas after all, so don't be afraid to enjoy yourself. The secret to surviving the festive season is moderation so you can afford the odd naughty treat.