SAY goodbye to flab - and ring in the New Year with a new diet. Dr Atkins may have revolutionised the way we ate and drank last year, but there are many alternative diets for 2004 which may tip him off the popularity scales.

There's the new GI Diet, the pH Diet, the X-Plan and South Beach all fighting for a place in the fat-busting stakes.

Here are just a few of the latest diets to try in 2004 which claim they can help you shed those pounds:

THE GI DIET

Offering a balanced choice of foods, this diet works on the theory that a food's glycaemic index (GI) rating could hold the key for people who eat healthily but still don't lose weight. The index charts the GI value of each food, based on the speed at which the food releases energy into the bloodstream.

Foods are rated from 1-100 according to how quickly they break down in the bloodstream. If you stick to a low-GI diet, researchers claim that you will feel less hungry and therefore eat less. Low GI foods include peanuts, pasta, red wine and muesli and have a GI index of 55 or less. High GI foods include beer, white bread, white rice and sugary cereals and are bad because they cause a rapid rush in blood sugar levels, followed by a massive drop.

The diet also recommends eating most fruits, oils and protein such as chicken breast, which all release sugar into the bloodstream slowly.

l Anyone who wants to try it should bag a copy of Living The GI Diet: To Maintain Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss, by Rick Gallop, published on January 8 by Virgin Books, price £9.99.

THE SOUTH BEACH DIET

This three phase high protein, low carb diet was created by American cardiologist Arthur Agatston to help his patients lower their cholesterol and the likes of former US president Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary are said to be fans.

It focuses on feeling full all the time, doesn't cut back in portion sizes or ban all carbohydrates and fats and there's no calorie counting.

In the first phase, all fruit and fruit juices are banned, together with bread, cereal, rice, pasta and potatoes, dairy products and alcohol, for two weeks. After the detox period, the diet reintroduces some carbs but a list of banned food remains.

* For more details, The South Beach Diet, by Dr Arthur Agatston, is published by Headline, price £10.99.

THE pH DIET

Developed by renowned beauty therapist Bharti Vyas with help from clinical nutritionist Suzanne Le Quesne, a governor of the Institute of Optimum Nutrition, this diet aims not only to restore your figure but also to recharge your energy and revamp your health. It works on the basis that all foods are either acid or alkaline-forming and the body's health is affected by choosing the right balance.

Too many acid-forming foods (cheese, meat, wheat, sugar and processed foods), it is argued, can lead to a range of health problems including lethargy, lifeless skin and hair, hormonal imbalance and weight increase.

Vyas recommends a plan for your body by increasing intake of alkaline-forming foods.

The plan has three stages. The first concentrates on getting you to drink water on the hour and replace coffee, tea and fizzy drinks with healthier options. Stage two helps you decrease the wheat and dairy in your diet, increasing vegetable content to replenish your mineral store and the calcium in your bones. Finally, stage three is the alkaline diet where you are introduced to more raw or less-cooked vegetables. At this stage you can reintroduce more fruit and fruit juice (which are acid forming).

* Look out for Vyas' book, The pH Diet, published on February 16 by Thorsons, price £10.99, which contains a list of 80 alkaline-forming foods to use, 20 of the better acid-forming foods and more than 40 simple recipe ideas to reduce your toxic load.

THE NO-GRAIN DIET

Already a bestselling book in the US, this diet cuts out grains, starches and sweets - that means no bread, pasta, pizza, breakfast cereals, waffles, pancakes and fast foods. It differs from Atkins in that it recommends specific meats, grass-fed organic meat and ample raw and cooked vegetables.

The plan, devised by Dr Joseph Mercola, begins with recommending foods which are supposed to help the dieter's body release fat and burn it.

It then offers the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), a form of psychological acupressure, to curb grain and sugar cravings. The relevant points to press can be learned in five minutes and EFT can also help deal with negative emotions and handle inevitable cravings.

l Look out for Dr Mercola's book, The No-Grain Diet, published on January 15 by Hodder Mobius, price £9.99.

THE X-PLAN

This offers a triple action approach combining aerobic workouts with yoga and Pilates and a daily meal plan. It claims that you can lose a stone in 28 days as you follow a daily planner, detailing exactly what to do on each of the 28 days, which workout to do when and what to eat meal by meal.

The video/DVD package includes workout demonstrations, recipes and nutritional information, but the diet regime is quite strict - a sample breakfast might include a glass of orange juice and two rounds of toast, while a typical evening meal might feature grilled chicken with a baked potato and salad followed by fruit salad.

As you progress through the plan, the daily exercise requirements increase, combining two or more workouts each day. But rest days are also featured to ensure participants have the opportunity to let their body recover.

THE HEALTHY FAST FOOD DIET

Husband and wife team Dr Charles and Maureen Clark have devised this alternative low-carb plan which allows dieters to incorporate fast food in their diet, for example by eating a McDonald's burger without the bun, or a sandwich without the top layer of bread.

The diet only restricts refined carbohydrates - bread, pasta, rice, cakes and biscuits are out - but allows meat, fish and shellfish, pure fats, fresh vegetables except potatoes, parsnips and carrots, eggs and alcohol in moderation.

The plan advocates a balance of proteins and fats and recommends a healthy intake of vegetables. The essential rule is that you must restrict carbohydrates to 40-60 grams a day.

l A special table of the carbohydrate content of a variety of foods is featured in the Clark's book, The New High Protein Healthy Fast Food Diet, published by Vermilion on January 8, price £7.99.

THE ATKINS DIET

The hugely popular low-carb diet adopted by stars including Jennifer Aniston is expanding as the firm behind it launches a range of low-carb foods in the UK in a link-up with Boots.

Cereal-style bars, chocolate snacks, fortified milkshakes and baking mixes will all be on sale to try to capture some of the surge in sales of diet products in the New Year.