XMAS SNACKS that could seriously damage your New Year’s Eve dress size!

Watch out! You’re only allowed 200 calories between meals each day. Which means just ONE of these portions . . .

No one wants to be a diet Scrooge at Christmas, turning down every mince pie that crosses their path. Yet we all know how easy it is to overdo it.

A study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2013 found that, on average, people put on 2lb at this time of year.

Volunteers were measured in November and again in January and, as well as an increase in weight, the researchers noted a significant increase in body fat percentage, blood pressure and heart rate.

And while some surveys suggest we put away more than 5,000 calories on Christmas Day, the big day itself is unlikely to be the issue.

‘Christmas Day is just one day, and we should enjoy it in all its glory,’ says consultant dietitian Sian Porter. ‘It’s the grazing for weeks in the buildup that can be the problem.

‘A handful of crisps here, a sausage roll there — it’s going to add up,’ she says.

If you don’t want your party dress or suit to feel a little too snug come New Year’s Eve, she suggests the best strategy is to make sure any Christmas ‘ extras’ are included in your normal daily calorie intake — around 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men.

And this is where portion control is key. Dietitians suggest that about 10 per cent of our daily calories should be allotted for snacks — that’s around 200 calories for women and 250 for men.

But who knows what 200 calories worth of Quality Street chocolates or pigs in blankets looks like? Here, Sian Porter tells

JENNIE AGG just how much of your favourite festive snacks you get for your calories . . .