If you’re dreading throwing a party for fear of ruining your diet (or a friend's), fear no more. It is possible to organize a successful party while maintaining, and even improving, your current weight. Take a look at these suggestions  for an unforgettable bash that won't pack on the pounds.

Push the Focus Away From Food

While guests are expecting food at a party, there's no reason why the focus should be on the food. Consider organizing a theme party and going all out with decorations, games, and entertainment, while making the menu secondary.

As you're deciding on the focus of the party, consider who your guests are. If this is an informal gathering among friends, you can go all out and plan a full themed party. Go Mexican with brightly colored decorations, sombreros, and maracas; or go black and white and rent a jukebox for a 50's party. If this is a more formal affair, play the theme in a subtler way.

Even if there's nothing officially planned, you can give diet-conscious guests a way out by providing entertainment options that allows them to walk away from the table.

Set up "posts" around the room --A small table on a corner with a few board games, a media station to encourage guests to play DJ, a series of interesting objects to start a conversation… You can plan a movie night, where guests swing by to watch a new release, or invite your girlfriends over for a spa experience right in your living room. Anything is fair game.

Focus on Light Alcohol

Offer opportunities to mix and match - Drinking a low-calorie beverage in between alcoholic drinks not only reduces overall calories but also keeps your guests sober. Offer unlimited quantities of icy lemon water or seltzer water with a touch of juice.

To make sherbets diet-friendly, keep Diet Sprite around. Tilting the proportions towards the soda saves a lot of calories.

Buy only light beer or the new low-carb varieties. You'll save about 50 calories per bottle plus a 30 percent reduction in carbs without sacrificing flavor.

If you're offering wine coolers, keep chilled carbonated water on hand so guests can serve themselves half a glass of each.

Provide a few hard liquors. Rum, vodka, and whisky are low in calories and have no carbs. If you're doing a Mexican-themed party, you can go with tequila, another diet-friendly option. Get plenty of diet ginger ale or colas so guests can mix with the liquor.