There's nothing more depressing than getting dressed in a fab new outfit, only to realise you look like a Bank of Butterfield employee. Don't get me wrong, there's obviously nothing wrong with working at the bank, but it wasn't exactly the look I had in mind. I thought nothing of throwing together a grey pencil skirt and burgundy top this morning, right up until the point I was asked what time electronic banking opened. That's what happens when the only person who gives you fashion advice before you leave the house is a ten-month old baby.

As it turns out, I haven't been doing much for little Chloe's reputation either. She's started to show a preference for some of her clothes recently and has arrived at daycare every day this week wearing a hat with bunny ears. At some point in the future I'm sure she'll hate me for it, but the window of opportunity for fluffy-bunny-cuteness seems so small I have embraced it wholeheartedly. With Christmas in the freezing cold UK on the horizon I also have a variety of warm and fuzzy outfits lined up for her, including a polar bear all-in-one I've had since March.

I never normally plan this far in advance, but since having a baby there's certainly a new level of forward-thinking that has come into my life. Getting out of the house in time to beat the traffic each morning means prepping Chloe's clothes, bottles and mini meals the night before a matter of course to seasoned mums but an entirely new concept to me! I have previously thrived on last-minute whirlwind behaviour, but that would just spell disaster these days.

So it is then that I've been thinking ahead for you too. Normally my Christmas columns come in at the last minute, but I thought we'd start earlier this year. As party invitations have already started streaming in, if you're to have a chance of surviving the holidays without piling on the pounds we'd better start now. It's the drinks, canapé and buffet season and although it's fabulous, it takes some doing to stay healthy.

Now if you plan to throw caution and calories to the wind over Christmas, you may want to stop reading now. Remember though that you'll have to pay special attention in the New Year when we tackle the festive bulge! However if you're in the more cautious camp and hoping to exercise some restraint over the next few weeks, then read on. The following steps should help you enjoy Christmas fully without paying a hefty price for it in January.

Drinks and canapés survival guide!

1. Serve healthy options at your own party. If you're throwing your own party, make sure you have some healthy canapés to hand. I'm not suggesting that you try and impress your friends with mini rice cakes, instead try the following. They're healthy but tasty too!

• Cherry tomatoes stuffed with goats cheese or hummus

• Organic blue corn chips and guacamole

• Dips with toasted pita and vegetable sticks instead of chips

• Melon, figs or dates wrapped in prosciutto (trim the excess fat)

l Wholegrain crackers or blinis with smoked salmon and crème fraiche

l Mini fishcakes (baked not fried) with banana slice

l Mini fruit kebabs

l Chicken skewers

l Strawberries dipped in melted dark chocolate (e-mail me for the recipe if you missed it)

2. Don't go to a drinks party hungry.

A drinks party isn't a drinks party without canapés. But whilst canapés can be delicious they can also be laden with calories…. deep-fried shrimp, mini pizzas and filo pastry cups are all hard to resist, especially if you're hungry! However you can be guaranteed that there will be more calories in the amount of canapés it takes to fill you up, than in a healthy meal. So if possible, eat before the party and only have two or three canapés with your drinks. If it's not possible to have a full meal before you go, have a healthy snack (e.g. an apple and some unsalted nuts) beforehand. As a last resort, if canapés are going to take the place of your evening meal, then just try to make healthy choices. Many venues serve crudités and dip, fruit kebabs and chicken skewers, which are all healthier options.

3. Limit your drinks and choose mixers carefully. Alcohol provides you with 'empty calories' i.e. lots of calories, without making you feel full. If you over-indulge you are also more likely to get an attack of the munchies later on, stopping off for some fries or a burger on the way home. So, limit yourself to two or three drinks, with a few glasses of water in-between. Coke, lemonade, ginger ale, ginger beer and tonic water are all loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners both of which worsen your hangover. The sugary mixers can also cause weight gain as remember, excess sugar in the bloodstream, can be stored in the body as fat. If you are drinking spirits, then choose soda water as a mixer or fruit juice diluted with LOTS of ice. Champagne, red wine and vodka with soda water are some of the better options.

4. Go carefully at the buffet table.

Try to limit yourself to the equivalent of one course! Your body can only handle so much food at once. What it doesn't need immediately can get stored as fat. Instead, eating little and often actually helps to boost your metabolism.

5. Don't keep too many treats in the house.

I always remember our kitchen being stuffed full of Christmas treats when I was little and because it was there, we ate it, even if we weren't hungry. For this reason, buy and make treats in moderation. If you enjoy baking at Christmas, give plenty away too.

6. Convert traditional high-fat, high-sugar recipes into healthier versions.

Baking doesn't always require such a high sugar content. Try using one third less sugar or replacing the sugar altogether with unsweetened apple sauce. This can take some experimentation, but it's worth the effort. It's also important to limit saturated or hydrogenated fats, as these are the fats that cause weight gain and clog up your arteries. Margarine is often less healthy than butter because it contains these hydrogenated fats. However, important exceptions are some of the healthy vegan margarines. My favourite is the Earth Balance margarine from Down to Earth or Lindo's. It has no cholesterol, no hydrogenated fat and lower saturated fat than many of the others. It's particularly good in baking.

7. Never say never.

If you ban your favourite treats entirely from your diet for months on end, you are much more likely to fall off the wagon and when you do, it tends to be spectacular. If you are generally following a healthy eating plan and don't have any serious health concerns, there is no reason why you shouldn't have the odd treat.

8. Introduce some exercise orientated holiday traditions.

Ever notice how most of our Christmas traditions revolve around food? Try and shift the focus away from the table by starting some new exercise orientated traditions such as a Boxing Day walk along Horseshoe Bay or a treasure hunt in the Botanical Gardens. Exercise is a crucial component of weight management and is especially important when preventing weight gain over the holidays. Healthy adults should aim to do 30 minutes of appropriate exercise for six days a week more if you've eaten too many of those canapés!

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist. She can be contacted at 291 4725.