Experts say that to shed weight and keep it off, you need to make permanent changes to the way you eat. It’s OK to indulge occasionally, of course, but if you cut calories temporarily and then revert to your old way of eating, you’ll gain back the weight quicker.

Women who always filled them out lost about 2.7kg more than those who didn’t. “It’s difficult to make changes to your diet when you are not paying close attention to what you are eating,” say experts.

Those who did lost almost 3.6kg less than woman who ate regularly. Experts suggest that skipping meals might indicate that you’re spending less time and effort planning or preparing meals and possibly taking in more kilojoules as a result.

Women who are out for lunch at least once a week lost, on average 2.3kg less. Study concludes that eating out means less control over ingredients, portion size, cooking methods, etc.

A US study has found that participants who slept more than nine hours a day were more likely to have a lower body mass index (BMI) that those who slept fewer than seven hours. It’s thought a longer sleep can help suppress obesity genes.

Normal weighing scales do not reveal your body fat level. A simple way is to measure your fat areas with a piece to string. Get a string that is the same length as your height, fold it in half and wrap around your waist. If the ends don’t meet, you’re carrying too much fat.

Ideally, you should put off eating until your stomach is growling and it’s difficult to concentrate, experts say. Ask yourself first, if you are really hungry or just bored. If you are not sure, then you are not hungry. Consider going for a walk or doing something else that takes your mind off the food.

Good, clean water is the foundation of good health. It flushes toxins, maintains our body temperature, and lubricates and cushions our organs.

Planning what you’ll eat (and when) decreases the likelihood of eating whatever is around because you’re famished. You save money and waste less food as well as increase the success of meeting your weight loss goals.

You will be infinitely more successful in ALL your efforts if you stop sitting all day. Find something that you like to do that is physical and do it, frequently and consistently.