I have precisely ten days to get fit for an unexpected trip to LA – not only will everyone be lissome and lithe but because it will be warm I need to get back into my summer clothes, having already put on a bit of extra podge to keep me insulated through the winter. Panic stations!

I was initially tempted to sign up for a daily boot camp run by a marine at the local airbase. But on reflection I realised it was going to be a) expensive b) time comsuming c) exhausting and d) hideous. Chances are that I would bail out after a few days, finding any excuse not to turn up and be forced through a series of lunges, squats and boxing moves that would make me want to throw up. I would end up broke, demoralised and still overweight.

So I’ve devised my own Slipper Camp – a ten day plan that involves luxury foods and gentle but enjoyable exercise that will fit into my life. Not torture or deprivation, but a healthy eating regime and lots of fun. I’ve stuffed the fridge with superfoods that I really like – salmon, sweet potatoes, turkey, avocado, broccoli, blueberries, yoghurt – and I can eat as much of them as I want, supplemented by lentils, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, porridge oats and almonds. No weighing or calorie counting or wierd scientific rules to follow. I am trying to avoid the obvious villains – bread, biscuits, cake, crisps, white wine – but I am allowed dark chocolate and red wine.

To go with that I have planned out some form of physical exercise every day – not a sweat-inducing boxercise class or a gruelling run, but something enjoyable, like a long walk on the beach, a bike ride with the kids, or a trip to the swimming pool. I’ve even booked a ride over Exmoor, and this morning the boys and I are going to do the Ministry of Sound workout DVD in the living room.

It’s day three and already I feel fitter and more toned and my clothes feel a little less snug. I know I’m not going to have a dramatic ten pound weight loss like some draconian diets promise, but at least I am having fun and I won’t give up. Not only that, but the weight I do lose will probably stay off, and I am more likely to stick to my ‘Slipper Camp’ regime afterwards.

Slowly does it!