Girl's Guide to Getting Bikini Body Ready with These Diet Tweaks ...

1. DAY ONE: RAW before FOUR

Snacking on raw food like carrot sticks instead of biscuits in the afternoon IS healthy, but eating raw food after 4pm can be hard on your tummy, as the cellulose in uncooked vegetables can be difficult to digest. "Raw foods are chock-full of energy and a brilliant pick-up during the day, but can be challenging to a worn-out metabolism later in the afternoon, when they will play havoc with your digestive system," says Dr Stossier, co-author of The Viva Mayr Diet (Harper Collins, £12.99). And if your digestive system isn't working to maximum capacity, an increased amount of fat will form around your stomach to protect it. Nosh on cooked veggies, yogurt or raw nuts and seeds after lunch instead.

2. DAY TWO: KICKSTART YOUR SYSTEM

Starting today, drink a glass of water 15 minutes before every meal and avoid drinking again until an hour afterwards. Downing fluid immediately after a meal will reduce your digestive capacity, leaving your system sluggish. "You should be drinking between two and three liters of water every day, but there are better times to drink water, and times to avoid it," says Dr Stossier.

3. DAY THREE: MASSAGE YOUR WAY to a FLATTER TUM

A simple stomach massage is a super-quick way to flatten your belly. It also speeds along digestion and can boost your mood by encouraging the release of endorphins. Start massaging your tummy using gentle movements, kneading with the palm of your hand. Next, make about 50 small circular strokes in a clockwise motion around your navel. Widen this circle to include your rib cage and repeat in a clockwise direction.

4. DAY FOUR: BURN FAT FAST

Blitz fat cells by eating yogurt. A study by the University of Tennessee in the US, showed that women who ate low-fat dairy three times a day, combined with a low-calorie diet, lost 22% more fat than women who did so only once a day. According to the university's director of nutrition, Michael Zemel, this is because calcium and other substances in dairy speeds up your metabolism. Cottage cheese and skimmed milk are great options too.

5. DAY FIVE: do a PLATE-SWAP

Most of us are guilty of overeating, but the solution could be as easy as switching up your plate: a US study found that people given a large bowl ate 30% more than those using a more normal-sized dish. Eating slowly and chewing food well helps too, as it can take up to 20 minutes for the 'I'm full' message from your intestines to reach your brain.

6. DAY SIX: GO EASY on the PROTEIN

Thanks to the massive popularity of high protein diets, many of us assume cutting out carbs is the best way to shift pounds - but actually, eating too much protein (30% or more of your caloric intake) can have the opposite effect. Your body can't store excess protein and when it is broken down, toxins are produced that put a strain on your kidneys, leading to dehydration, muscle loss and lack of energy (not to mention depleting your bones of calcium). If you're feeling tired and sluggish, you'll be far less inclined to take exercise and more likely to suffer the sort of slump that can be fixed only with a chocolate pick-me-up.

7. DAY SEVEN: BANISH the BELLY

Counteract the belly-bloating effects of too much acid (found in foods such as coffee and cheese) with something old-fashioned. "Before your holidays, dissolve one teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in 250ml of warm water and drink it before bed. It will support your liver's detoxing ability, which works best at night," advises Dr Stossier. If you can't stomach the taste, try a little less bicarb, but in the same amount of water. Drinking aloe vera juice also helps with bloating.

Happy holidays!