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Beware diet products
Yes, they are lower in calories than their full-fat counterparts, but they are often higher in sugar and/or chemicals. As the product has been manufactured to make it taste like the full-fat version it usually contains more chemicals in it to trick your body into thinking it is getting something it is not. This is unnatural, as your body receives stimulus, reacts and there is no end result. This stresses the body, and can make you hungrier, so be careful of sweeteners.

Cut down on white flour!
Wheat especially refined varieties, turns to sugar very quickly compared to other grains. This is bad when trying to get in shape, as it will cause your energy to peak and then dip, leaving you unsatisfied and hungry. Avoid white bread, wheat based cereals and pretty much anything made with with white flour. Go for Rye bread, wholemeal Pittas and wholemeal pasta, and bran based cereals.

Embrace good fats
Fat has a bad rep, with people afraid to eat any at all. You should aim to have a balanced diet incorporating all of the food groups. Fat does have more calories than protein and carbohydrate, so the amounts have to be carefully monitored, but certain types are good for you. Avoid saturated fats from animal sources and include unsaturated plant-based fats into your daily diet. Ways to increase good fat in your diet are: throw some pumpkin seeds into your cereal or porridge, snack on unsalted organic nuts (small amounts e.g. 10 cashews or 6 brazils = small snack) and incorporate olives, olive oil and avocado into salads. Oily fish is another rich source of unsaturated fat.

Skip the juice
While juices are a useful way to increase your vitamin and mineral intake, there is a drawback. Most contain virtually no fibre and are calorie dense - fresh orange contains approximately 100kcal per pint, whereas water has none. Instead, eat a piece of fruit. It has exactly the same nutritional benefits but fewer calories and a lot more fibre. If you do have juice, make it freshly squeezed where possible -no additives, colourings or sweeteners.

Not all vegetables are equal
Vegetables rich in colour are higher in vital nutrients than paler alternatives. Romaine lettuce, spinach and kale are much higher in nutrients than iceberg lettuce. Red onions are higher in antioxidants and flavonoids than white onions; the same goes for red grapes versus white. Cooking reduces the levels of vitamins and nutrients, so avoid overboiling your veg; try steaming or eat them raw. Overground vegetables have lower levels of carbohydrate and sugar than root veg, so you may want to avoid root veg.

What are you eating?
If you can't pronounce any ingredients in a product, avoid eating it. In a packet of supermarket ham you may find: pork (80%), water, salt, stabilisers: sodium triphosphates, potassium diphosphates, antioxidant: sodium ascorbate, sugar, preservative: sodium nitrite. If someone put a jar in front of you containing powder labelled sodium nitrate and said "Have a spoonful," would you? No.

Always look on the bright side
When we think about food (let alone see or smell it), we become hungry and sometimes even salivate. This is an example of your thoughts provoking a physical response. The same goes for your attitude towards exercise. If you say to yourself, "This run is going to feel like hell." the chances are it will. So expel these negative thoughts and focus on positive things such as the way you will feel after exercise or how you will look in that new dress you've just bought.

Clean up your act
Being fat isn't just a matter of consuming too many calories. If it were this simple, everyone would be able to lose weight easily by simply cutting their calorie intake. Many people don't overeat and follow a so-called healthy lifestyle, yet carry a large percentage of body fat. Why is this? Fat is a dumping site for toxins, which come from many sources, such as trans fats, refined/ processed foods, alcohol, and excess stress. Avoid these where possible.

The healthy eating rules
To avoid consuming things detrimental to your health, follow these rules: 1) if it has an ingredient you can't pronounce or wouldn't eat on its own, skip it. 2) If you can kill it, dig it (out of the ground) or pick it (off a tree), it is probably going to be OK. 3) have unprocessed foods, avoid refined grains and only eat wholegrains where possible. 4) Avoid salt, sugar, and trans/hydrogenated fats. Follow the 80/20 rule: if you can be good 80% of the time, you can handle being naughty for the other 20%.