Capricorn

You're usually so sensible and disciplined it's hard to know why your eating patterns can sometimes get messed up. Perhaps when your work or lifestyle doesn't satisfy your ambition, you get listless and comfort eat. Because your sign is associated with Saturn, planet of time and boundaries, regularity is important to you.

Saturn is also the planet of fate, but you're not fated to be fat! You create your own destiny &ndash and your dress size – so don't get stuck in old ways of doing things. The Capricorn constitution can mean that your digestion is slow, so eat early to avoid storing up kilojoules.

Foods
Eat properly when you're out all day so that you don't stuff yourself when you get home.

Friendly foods
You're a meat-and-two-veg type person, therefore try low-fat versions and small portions. You need calcium, so binge on broccoli and sardines.

No-go foods
Chips, cookies and muffins.

Diets
You dislike extremes and expect a diet to be long-lasting. Think of the mountain goat and aim for a distant peak. Pencil the next six months in your diary as diet time so that you'll be the size you want by mid-year.

Exercise
This has to be private. Morning is best, so make a regular time, even if it's only 15 minutes every day. A useful exercise is to squeeze a ball between your knees.

Zodiac action plan
Incorporate a diet plan into your New Year 's resolutions and set targets for January 14, with a key achievement for January 27. There are temptations to avoid on January 8