Drop a dress size AND eat Easter chocs

(Yes, honestly, with our great holiday diet)

For most of us at this time of year, all diet rules go by the wayside as we indulge in the vast quantities of chocolate on offer at Easter – only to curse the scales days later when we find ourselves several pounds heavier.

But the good news is, you CAN still have your Easter eggs and lose weight.

Sound too good to be true? Read on to find out how.

Contrary to popular belief, the latest research has shown that far from causing waistlines to expand, enjoying a little chocolate may actually help us to stay slim.

One US study found that regular chocolate nibblers had less body fat because, although it contains more calories than many other foods, it also appears to boost the metabolism to work harder.

And that’s not the only reason chocolate has of late been hailed a superfood – other research has linked eating moderate amounts of the brown stuff to a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes – and even more youthful skin.

The ingredients responsible for these health benefits are the flavonoids found in cocoa beans which are used to make chocolate. They act as antioxidants, which help mop up an excess of cell-damaging free radicals and fight disease in the process.

The higher the cocoa content, the more flavonoids and the greater the health benefits, which is why dark chocolate with 40% cocoa solids contains five times more flavonoids than white chocolate and twice as many as milk chocolate.

But as all chocolate tends to be high in fat and sugar, to enjoy the health benefits without gaining excess pounds is all about – you guessed it – moderation.

So if your goal is to lose weight over the Easter holiday period, you need to control your overall calories during the rest of the day, then you can enjoy a portion of chocolate as part of your regular daily calorie intake.

With this in mind, this 1,300 calories-aday diet lets you enjoy chocolate after lunch and dinner – and better still, rather than gaining weight, in just two weeks it could help you to drop up to a dress size.