Isn't it hard with this freezing weather to eat lean food and eliminate the fresh two-pound load your body has somehow absorbed over Christmas? I have to confess I am a total diet failer. Actually, just the thought of starting one makes me rush for my secret chocolate stash - the one I shamelessly keep hidden from my children at the back of the highest kitchen cupboard. To undo my traditional festive weight gain, I generally resort to a comfy "no pain - slow loss" technique. No sacrifice on tasty foods (I am now wise enough to know I just can't), just artful hidden substitutions. Obviously a huge weight loss is not the point here, I am talking about nudging your body back into your November jeans size and focussing on keeping a healthy diet. Reducing overall fat consumption and switching from saturated fats (these are the cholesterol inducing, heart disease welcoming, dark force - better avoid them in large quantities) to unsaturated vegetable fat are a good start for the thighs and your health, so why not reducing your dairy consumption for a while and trying a bit of soy cream and soy milk instead? Just read the label and you will understand: 100 ml single cream contains 20g fat including 12g saturates while single soya cream, on the other hand, contains 17g fat including only 2g saturates. Use soya cream instead of the dairy version in sauces, desserts, and soups and this small step will already take you closer to your goal. Taste-wise, you won't notice the difference unless using it in a dish where the cream is really crucial. Soy milk is also a good alternative to dairy milk, although the impact in fat contents and quality is less striking as its concentration is much lower: 100 ml semi-skimmed milk contains 1.7 g fat including 1 g saturates, as opposed to 0.8g fat and 0.3g saturates for soya milk. I sometimes like to use it in my pancakes or flans, the substitution has little taste impact and it gives them a creamier and fluffier texture, which I quite like. Try both and let me know what you think!