Tips

1. Set yourself an achievable weight loss

2. Keep record of your weight loss

3. Keep a diary of your foods so you can look back and see which meals worked well for your weight loss

4. Eat meal and snacks at a regular time- eating regularly stimulates your metabolism

5. Take your time eating as chewing food for longer helps you to feel fuller and better for your digestive system

6. Eat a varied balanced diet- eat a varied diet including all main food groups

7. Aim to eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetable a day

8. Keep your calcium intake up- change whole milk and full fat products for reduced fat products

9. Eat less fat- beans, lentils and peas are high in fibre helps reduce fat contents

10. Remove fat from your meat before eating

11. Weigh food using measuring spoons and scales as you will be amazed how much more you eat above the recommended portion sizes

2. Plan your meals in advance- this prevents snacking and eating the incorrect food types

13. Use spray oil instead of cooking oil

14. Use salsa and tomato based sauces rather than cream based sauces

15. Change your dressings to low fat ones

16. Create a low fat vegetable soup you will feel fuller and increases your intake of vegetables

17. Remember when you go out for a meal to include your alcohol intake in your calorie allowance

18. When choosing food of menus choose wisely remembering to avoid the deep fried chips

19. When shopping always make a list and avoid the fresh cake section as you may be tempted

20. Ensure before shopping you have had something to eat

21. Read the content labels to avoid high calorie and high fat foods

22. Park away from the supermarket entrance as you will burn additional calories walking from your car to the supermarket

23. Walk to the shops for your newspapers rather than having them delivered

24. Drink plenty of water