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You could lose weight with that new crash diet, or opt for the ‘perfect 100 per cent of the time with your diet’ approach. But deep down you will know that these ‘all or nothing’ diets don’t last for long. Nor are they healthy – for body, mind or soul. Dietitian Lyndel Costain gives her top diet tips to lose weight and keep it off.

1 - Stay clued up
Knowledge is power. By arming yourself with the facts about healthy diet, and ignoring the fads, you are more likely to build confidence in your abilities and achieve your weight loss goals.
WLR can help! Long term weight control is about being realistic, and enjoying healthy eating and exercise habits for life – and reaping all the benefits.

2 - Have clear motivations
Write down your reasons for wanting to lose weight. Having clearly identified reasons helps your feeling of commitment. Try to include reasons that aren’t just about appearance, for example, ‘will help me feel fit enough to do more of the things of I want to do’ or ‘will help my back pain’. Looking back on them can also be a very useful motivator if the going gets tough.

3 - Keep a food diary
Writing down what you eat and drink and any thoughts linked to that eating helps you become more aware of your eating habits and problem areas. Recognising what is going on and understanding more about yourself is a powerful way to start planning changes to your diet and puts you in control.
Keeping a food diary, even intermittently, also helps you stay on track, and lets you look back to see the great progress you’ve made. (You can try WLR's online food diary free for 24 hours.)

4 - Weight goals
Losing 5-10% of your weight is an ideal target, according to research. This can be broken down into smaller manageable steps, for example, 4-5lbs at a time. Remember too that just keeping your weight stable is a great achievement in itself these days. Losing modest amounts of weight are not just easier to keep off but bring big health benefits. For example, if you are overweight, losing 5-10% of your weight can halve your risk of type 2 diabetes.

5 - Set realistic goals
When making changes to your diet and exercise habits start small and set a few realistic goals. If they are realistic, you are more likely to achieve and stick with them and feel successful, which in turn boosts your self-esteem and self-confidence for ongoing success.