Yes, it's that time of year again. You're spilling over your waistband and suspect you've eaten a few too many mince pies. Luckily, as ever, the shelves are crowded with a new crop of diet books, and we've selected our top 12 (in no particular order) to help you get off to a healthy start this year.

By Olivia Gordon

Seventy-two-year-old scientist and former athlete Professor De Vany never counts calories and works out for less than 90 minutes a week - yet he has just 8% body fat and the body of a 50-year-old; so what's his secret? He shares it in this book, which claims that by recreating the eating and activity habits of our stone-age ancestors, we can enjoy better health - that means eating whole foods (the type you could pick or catch), less sugar and starch, going hungry episodically and exercising less but with greater intensity - 'like a wild animal'. This diet won't be for everyone, but it's not too faddy and obviously works for some.

'The New Evolution Diet', by Professor Arthur De Vany (Vermilion, £12.99), click here to buy

Could this be the new Atkins? This American craze is one of those proper, old-school diets that involves a lot of dedication and promises unbelievable results - loss of up to seven pounds a week. Like all such diets, this book claims to have found the cure for obesity. It's based on the idea that taking a homeopathic version of hCG (the pregnancy hormone) can bring about rapid weight loss. But it's never that easy, of course! You also have to follow a very strict low-calorie, low-fat, low-carb eating plan which specifies everything, right down to the type of dried herbs you use in your cooking. One for hardcore dieters.

The Cura Romana Weightloss Plan, by Leslie Kenton (Bantam, £12.99) - click here to buy

If you enjoyed Sky TV's hit show Fat Families, you'll love this spin-off book which is packed with straightforward, sensible advice on transforming your family's health. There are meal and exercise plans, plus all the basics on good eating, interspersed with the inspiring stories of the once-flabby families featured on the show, who are now far slimmer and healthier. Reading how they did it makes you realise you can, too.

'From Fat to Fit', foreword by Steve Miller (Vermilion, £12.99) - click here to buy

In his book How Not to Get Fat, The Food Doctor has already told us it's not all about losing weight - it's more important not to gain it - now, he follows this up with a collection of recipes and foods to eat every day, from healthy ways to cook everything from potatoes to nuts to meat to dairy products. With healthful ways to season and flavour different foods, this is a useful book for the kitchen.

'How Not To Get Fat: Your Daily Diet', by Ian Marber (Quadrille, £14.99) -click here to buy

Sally Bee was lucky to survive several heart attacks in her 30s - it woke her up to the importance of using healthy eating to keep heart disease at bay. She's also a busy mum, and in this cookbook, she shares her favourite everyday family recipes for realistic sensible eating, from crusty herby haddock to Chinese chicken with lots of veggies, so you can cook your way to better health.

The Recipe for Life, by Sally Bee (Collins, £14.99) - click here to buy

According to Marcelle Pick, the 'toxic weight' carried around by women in their 40s and 50s that just won't budge is caused by the body being out of balance. In this book she explains her four-week plan, based on whole foods and limited carbohydrates, to restore this 'core balance', both physically and mentally. There's plenty of food for thought here on positive thinking.

'The Core Balance Diet', by Marcelle Pick (Hay House, £12.99) - click here to buy

This isn't a diet book as such - rather, it's a beautifully illustrated, readable book focusing on how to eat well, to give your body the nourishment it needs, all the way through different life stages, from the teenage years to older age. There are plenty of recipes, from chicken and chickpea burgers to damson, pear and walnut muffins, and also in-depth advice on how to eat sensibly to cut down on cholesterol, for example. If you're looking for constructive ways to change your eating for life, this book will become a staple in your kitchen.

'Nourish', by Jane Clarke (Collins & Brown, £20) - click here to buy

Our  favourite real-life weight loss show, 'The Biggest Loser,' is back on ITV1 this January, and this accompanying book gives fans all the motivation, tools and expertise to do the programme at home. It's a six-week plan, which aims to help you lose a sensible 1-2lbs a week with good old-fashioned healthy eating and exercise. There are some great surprisingly low-calorie recipes from blueberry and lemon ice cream to bolognaise-filled pasta shells. Straightforward and good advice.

'The Biggest Loser' (Hamlyn, £12.99) - click here to buy

This fun, humorous, colourful book is an all-round great choice for inspiring yourself to lose some weight this new year. It combines a hypnotherapy CD with quizzes and goal-sheets for you to fill in, with a simple calorie-counted diet plan by dietician Lyndel Costain and an exercise plan. But more than that, it's the story of how the author herself lost three and a half stone, and it's full of tried-and-tested advice on the motivation and psychology of becoming healthier.

'Adore Yourself Thin', Lisa Jackson (Simon & Schuster, £12.99) - click here to buy 

This updated version of a bestselling diet is one for anyone whose jeans are feeling tight. It's a nice straightforward exercise plan designed to target the flab that creeps onto thighs by walking and running, with a daily routine for people of all fitness levels. This is complemented by a simple diet plan based on plain calorie-counting - it's a short book containing sensible advice and nothing outlandish or daunting, which is just how we like it.

'Thin Thighs in 30 Days', Wendy Stehling (Corgi, £7.99) - click here to buy

The personal trainer to Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow famously said that, regardless of genetic makeup, anyone can get a 'teeny tiny dancer's body' by following her exercise routine. It involves carefully crafted, highly specific exercises to target and tone the accessory muscles. This rather exciting book finally makes it all accessible to the masses, explaining just what to do, with a DVD for Tracy's 30-day workout regime, plus an eating plan. If it's good enough for Madonna, we're definitely trying it.

'Tracy Anderson's 30-Day Method', Tracy Anderson (Vermilion, £14.99), click here to buy

We all know that all-juice diets aren't sustainable or healthy in the long term, but if you're just looking for a quick fix to de-bloat for a special occasion, this is your book. It's got dozens of delicious recipes for cleansing juices to whizz up at home, from the mango no-tox to a guava and kiwi tonic. The author gives three plans - one for a weekend cleanse and ones for a week or for life (in combination with generally healthy eating), plus recipes for beauty juices.

'The Juice Diet', by Christine Bailey (Duncan Baird, £10.99) - click here to buy