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Just because we want to lose weight doesn’t mean that we want to be ostracized from society. This is particularly an issue if we happen to be the family chef; nibbling our own lightweight morsels whilst the aroma of ‘real food’ wafts under our nostrils! This can be frustrating, so let’s look at how we can integrate our weight loss program into regular family meals.

First off we need to tackle the amount we eat. Whatever food we consume, if we take in less of it we’ll lose weight. It’s pleasing to see a plateful of food at the beginning of our meal - so eat from one that’s smaller than everyone else’s. Eat your food very slowly, chewing every morsel at least twenty times before swallowing. You won’t always finish your meal ahead of the others then, but you will feel more sated.

Basically you can often eat the same food as your family is eating, but cut down on the amount of rice, pasta, potatoes and fatty meat. Eat more veg to avoid getting too hungry. Just don’t be tempted to fill up on bread rolls! If you have a sweet tooth, take care not to go overboard. A portion of stewed apple from the crumble is one thing, but treacle sponge and custard is quite another.

But you can get much cannier than that. Serve reduced calorie meals a couple of times a week to everyone - if they’re done well they won’t have a clue! Add garlic and herbs to macaroni, and bulk it out with plenty of veg. Then use a tin of tomatoes to enrich the sauce. Leave out the oil, but maybe add a touch of Greek yoghurt for creaminess.

Pick your meat and dairy items carefully when you shop. There can be a big difference in the calorific value of different beef products for example. The rest of your family will profit from less saturated fat, even if they don’t have weight issues. For a low-cal high-protein meal, serve turkey or chicken and stick to the skinless breast for yourself. Potatoes can be nice and filling for slimmers - just buy ones with a creamy texture. You won’t need to add butter before serving then.

Watch out for breakfast cereals - some are loaded with sugar so always read the ingredients before buying. Cereal bars are best avoided too - they look like a healthy snack, but most are incredibly sweet. We also probably consume a load of hidden calories in our drinks. Choose sodas with artificial sweeteners, and make them last longer than usual by adding ice.

Alcohol contains a lot of calories, so when you’re socialising it’s good to find some alternatives. Try drinking tomato juice with ice or spring water. Watered down apple juice makes a passable wine lookalike if you don’t want to be different from the crowd.

Clearly, we can’t keep consuming the same things and expect to drop the weight. Although the odd bit of fine-tuning can work wonders to help things along.