There are simple and effective steps that can be taken towards being a healthier person, simple common sense and a whole lot of will power are needed for any fitness programme or diet, but here are 5 simple steps that can help you on your way:

1. Keep a journal
2. Always ask yourself am I really hungry?
3. You have to eat to lose weight
4. Include your favourite foods in your diet
5. Get plenty of exercise

1. Keep a journal

Get into the habit of keeping a journal or diary and always carry it with you and it can be useful in many ways. If you’re having a particularly bad day then use it to jot down your feelings and thoughts, get them out.

Everything you eat during the day, no matter what it is or how small write it down. Don’t cheat be totally honest if you nibbled on a biscuit then put it down, it all adds up and you’ll be surprised at how many calories you consume in a day.

By keeping a daily account of everything you eat or drink it forces us to become more aware of what we eat, it is also an excellent guide for making any changes to our diet because it’s all right there in front of us.

2. Always ask yourself am I really hungry?

It is surprising how many of us actually eat just for the sake of eating not because we are actually hungry. Maybe we walk past the bowl of fruit on the counter top and see the shiny red apple and pick it up and start eating it, but ask yourself do you actually need to eat the apple, are you hungry or did you just do it out of habit, its there in front of you so you take it.

Many of us will find we do this often, just because its 12 o clock it doesn’t automatically mean that it has to be lunch time. Always stop and ask yourself am I really hungry, do I need to eat? The answer is simple if you are not hungry then don’t eat out of habit, go and do something more productive like take a walk.

3. You have to eat to lose weight

It might sound silly but you do actually have to eat in order to lose weight, the more meals you skip doesn’t mean the more weight you will lose. When a person skips a lot of meals then have a tendency to go snacking at quick foods and these foods are generally the ones that are bad for us, crisps, biscuits etc.

Plus if you skip meals intentionally when you do eat you will have a tendency to eat more than you would normally. You can diet on three healthy meals a day with a healthy snack and still lose weight. A healthy meal should consist of fruit, vegetables, protein and a little fat.

4. Include your favourite foods in your diet

Most diets fail after a couple of weeks or so because we place too much restriction on the foods we allow ourselves on our diet. We all know that if we can’t have something then we want it even more and the same goes with dieting.

If we cut out all the foods we love we will only crave those more and this leads to straying from the diet. So it is wise to include your favourite foods in moderation of course, this doesn’t mean if your favourite food is pizza that you can eat as much as you want and still lose weight, a little common sense is needed.

5. Get plenty of exercise

Anyone can exercise it doesn’t mean you have to take up a strenuous aerobics routine or go jogging for 15 miles a day, there is no reason for anyone not to exercise a little. There are many forms of getting exercise we all do some without even realising it, housewives do it everyday in the form of pushing the vacuum cleaner around the house, bending to fill the washing machine with clothes, reaching to put them out to dry on an outside line.

These are all forms of exercise which we do day in and day out. Everyday just try adding 5 more minutes to your routine, do an extra little job around the house, walk at a slightly brisker pace when walking to your local supermarket. For short journeys leave the car at home and take a slow steady walk, all these little things add up and before you know it you’ll be feeling fitter and healthier.

Calories play a crucial role in any diet, for to lose weight we must burn more calories than we take in when we eat, to lose just one pound in weight you must burn off 3,500 calories more than you take in. Therefore it is simply a matter of cutting down on the calories consumed and exercising a little more each day.

How the body burns calories

Simple basic functions such as sleeping, breathing, digesting food and even just sitting all use energy but these activities alone are not enough to lose weight of course, but any physical activity added to our normal daily routine helps to burn off calories.

As a rough guide the heavier a person is the more calories they burn off, while a person weighing much less would burn fewer calories per hour.

Different activities will burn different amounts of calories during an hour, for example a person weighing about 150 pounds could burn off the following amount of calories based on an hour’s activity:

• Riding a bicycle at roughly 6 mph burns 240 calories, the faster you pedal the more calories you would burn.

• Jogging at a fast pace you would burn 920 calories

• Skipping would help you burn 750 calories.

• Running on the spot would burn 650 calories.

• Swimming 25 yards per minute burns 275 calories.

• Playing a game of tennis helps you burn 400 calories.

• Walking at a steady pace burns 240 calories.

Of course many of us wouldn’t be able to continue some of the activities above for a full hour but even ten or fifteen minutes of any of the above activities will make a start to a healthier and slimmer you.

The activities can also be spread over the course of a day doing perhaps 15 minutes 4 times a day of say walking on the spot will add up to the same as doing a full hour you’re still burning up calories.

Setting goals that will work

When embarking on any exercise plan it is always wise to consult your Doctor beforehand especially if you suffer from any serious medical condition such as diabetes.

It is sensible also to start off slowly and don’t try to overdo things at first, set yourself reasonable goals that will be achievable, many people set unrealistic goals and have high expectations then are disappointed when they find they can’t keep up with the exercise plan or diet.

If you have had very little exercise then don’t expect to jog or run 10 miles a day everyday, instead set yourself the goal of walking steadily for 15 minutes or so then slowly increase it by 5 or 10 minutes everyday.

The same with counting your calories don’t be too harsh and put yourself on an almost starvation diet, eat sensibly and healthily but include your favourite foods, and if you have a sweet tooth then include some in your weekly diet, just don’t overdo it with sweets, biscuits and other foods with a high sugar level.

Once you have dieted and have reached the weight ideal for your height then obviously you want to maintain that weight, the easiest way to do that is by controlling the portions of food that you eat.

It is thought that many of us underestimate greatly portion sizes and the amount of calories they hold. So what actually is the recommended portion size, below are guides to actual serving or portion sizes:

• 1 slice of whole grain bread.

• ½ a cup of rice or pasta.

• ½ a cup of mashed potato.

• 1 small pancake or waffle.

• 2 medium sized biscuits.

• ½ a cup of cooked vegetables.

• 4 leaves of lettuce.

• 1 small baked potato.

• 1 medium grilled pork chop.

• 1 medium apple.

• ½ a grapefruit.

• 1 cup of yogurt or milk.

• 1 small chicken breast.

• 1 ¼ pound hamburger.

Sometimes it is much easier if we can translate information into something that is easier to remember, for example instead of trying to measure or guess grams or ounces compare servings to physical objects, for example a single serving of the following is about:

• Vegetables or fruit the same size as your fist.

• Pasta is about the same size as ice cream that has been scooped.

• Meat, fish or poultry can be measured by the palm of your hand, not including the fingers.

• A cupped handful of crisps or pretzels.

• An apple roughly the size of a tennis ball or baseball.

• A baked potato roughly the same size as a standard computer mouse.

• A pancake the same size as a computer disk or DVD.

• A slice of cheese is the size of your thumb from the base to the tip.

Other helpful hints for helping with the correct portion control include:

In the home

• Don’t go back and have seconds.

• Store away any left overs in their proper portions before wrapping or freezing them.

• Never eat out of a bag or container.

• Don’t keep food on platters; if you do then you are more likely to snack on them.

In restaurants

• Ask for half portions or child size portions.

• Servings given in many restaurants are too big, move some of the food aside.

• If you have to have desserts then only eat half or share.

In the supermarket

• Don’t buy mini snacks, they hold the same amount of calories and most people end up eating more than regular sized snacks.

• Buy foods that are in individual serving sizes.

• If you like ice cream then don’t buy it in tubs instead buy them in individual tubs or packaged as ice cream wafers.

Following a healthy lifestyle along with daily physical activity and medication can help to maintain the diabetic’s blood glucose level within the target range. The three key points are, what to eat, how much to eat and when to eat, following simple guidelines can prevent health problems due to diabetes.

The key to successfully maintaining diabetes is to eat small meals on a regular basis such as breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and an evening snack.

Your diabetes Doctor can give you guidance and suggestions for a healthy eating plan, but generally by following simple guidelines you can design your own which should include the following

Starches

These are bread, grains, cereals, pasta and starchy vegetables such as corn and potatoes. They provide vitamins, minerals and fibre, try to get wholegrain starches because these are healthier and provide more vitamins, minerals and fibres. Some starches should be eaten with every meal and examples of starchy foods are potatoes, pasta, corn, bread, rice and beans.

Vegetables

Vegetables are rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals and low in carbohydrates and 5 portions should be included in the diet daily along with fruit. Vegetables can be boiled, steamed or eaten raw and help maintain healthy skin.

Fruit

Five portions of fruit should be eaten daily as these are rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre and also provide carbohydrates.

Milk and dairy products

This group provides you with vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, protein and calcium which are essential for bone strength.

Meat and Fish

This group includes meat, fish and poultry, small amounts of this group should be eaten everyday, and this group provides vitamins, minerals and protein.

Taking care of yourself when you’re ill

Extra care should be taken if you are diabetic and become ill because your blood glucose level could go too high. Some simple guidelines can be followed.

• Keep a check of your blood glucose level every 4 hour and write down the results.

• Even if you can’t keep food down keep taking your medication.

• Drink at least one cup of water every hour.

• If you can’t eat what you usually would then try to eat soup or crackers or drink fruit juice.

* If you can’t keep anything down then try drinking clear liquids such as ginger ale or drink something with sugar in it to make sure you get enough calories, if your sugar level drops too low then you increase the risk of hypoglycaemia.

When blood glucose is very high in people who have type 1 diabetes then the body will produce ketones, these can make you very ill so check for ketones if your blood sugar is over 24 or if you can’t keep any food down.

Dieting is a huge undertaking for any individual and can be very confusing for people who simply just want to lose weight or eat more healthily, here we have gathered a list of diet tips to help you on your way:

• Choose brown rice, wholemeal bread and whole-wheat pasta, as these are higher in fibre than the “white” varieties and will help fill you up.

• Plan your meals ahead and make sure you leave enough calories for your evening meal and take into consideration any snacks you might have during the day. The main reason people on diets do not lose weight is due to eating more calories during the day than you burn off.

• Exercising more along with eating a healthy diet will help you lose weight more quickly.

• Don’t try to lose too much weight too quickly, aim for around 1 to 2 pounds per week and include your favourite foods as part of a well balanced diet.

• Choose low fat dairy products and include three servings each day in your diet.

• Choose wheat products that are high in fibre such as wholegrain cereal, whole-wheat pasta and granary bread.

• Eat five different portions of fruit and vegetables per day which can either be fresh, canned or frozen but preferably those that are in unsalted or unsweetened water.

• If you use butter then spread it thinly or just put butter on one slice of bread when making a sandwich.

• Choose lean cuts of meat and make sure you trim off any fat from the outside before cooking and grill or dry roast the meat.

• Try to snack on fresh fruit instead of sweets, biscuits or crisps.

• Stick to your daily calorie allowance with base meals of high fibre but remember to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables per day and keep fatty or foods containing high sugar levels to a minimum.

• Check the calorie content of low fat foods, often there is little difference in those and “normal” products.

• In restaurants don’t be fooled into thinking just because it’s a salad its healthy, if it contains a lot of high fat ingredients then it might have more calories than steak and French fries.

• Many products specifically packaged as “healthy eating” focus only on cutting out the fat, many contain the same if not more calories than the normal foods.

• Always check the nutrition label on packages carefully especially the calorie content.

• The term organic doesn’t mean the food is healthier, organic only refers to how the food was grown.

• Research has shown that a diet including a moderate amount of fat can actually help with weight loss and can help lower the risk of heart disease.

• The more you weigh the more calories you can have and still lose weight.

• As you lose weight the amount of calories you can have per day and still lose weight will drop.

Just about everyone you talk to will say at some time in their lives they have been on a diet, many adults worry to some extent about their weight but now it seems that increasingly children are worried about their weight too.

More so it’s becoming increasingly popular to be thin, teenage girls often fall into the category of worrying sometimes to the point of obsession about the weight. But is it good for children to actually go on a diet, the majority of children do not need to diet and they shouldn’t.

It doesn’t matter what food we eat it all contains calories and calories are energy, when we go on a diet to lose weight we are essentially trying to eat less calories than the body will use. Most children do not need to diet in this way because children unlike adults are still growing and developing and during this time they need a varied diet which includes healthy foods.

Some children may indeed be overweight but dieting in most circumstances is not the answer, children can do more damage to there health by dieting and children can be helped by encouraging them to eat more healthily and exercise more.

Though thin seems to be fashionable at the moment particularly with teenage girls there is no ideal body shape, some people have naturally bigger frames than others and will always look heavier than those with smaller frames.

If your child is particularly worried about their weight then a Doctor’s advice can be sought and they can check your child’s body mass index, this is done to check how much actual body fat your child has.

Occasionally your Doctor may recommend that your child does lose some weight but this is undertaken by your Doctor and children are often asked to visit a dietician who can explain how to safely reduce your child’s intake of calories while still obtaining the necessary nutrients.

Dangerous diets

Any diet that doesn’t include a variety of nutritional foods or one that doesn’t have enough calories can be dangerous for children. Some diets of this type are also the so called “fad diets” because these generally promise quick weight loss but require the person to follow very strict guidelines. These types of diets often ask a particular food group to be cut out completely or stick to eating one particular type of food.

What can children do?

All children can benefit from eating a well balanced diet and taking regular exercise, exercise is usually not a problem for children as most are generally active anyway, riding bikes, playing basketball and being involved in sports teams are all popular forms of exercise for children.

Try to get them to spend a little less time in front of the TV and more time out in the fresh air getting exercise, also encourage them to eat a variety of foods from different food groups including plenty of fruit and vegetables and less fatty snacks. Establishing good eating patterns and giving the body nutrients it needs will help build muscle and strong bones.

We all know that to lose weight we have to cut down on the amount of calories we take in and burn more off than we consume, but how low can we take our calorie intake, does it mean the lower we take it the more weight we lose? Surprisingly the answer is no, even more surprisingly is rather than the fact of helping us lose more weight it restricts us.

If we severely restrict the amount of calories we take in then it prevents our bodies from burning unwanted stores of fat and this simply means that weight loss slows down or we don’t lose any weight.

How this works

By severely restricting the calorie intake the body defends itself against what it sees as starvation, which simply means the body will make the most of the calories it does get from what you eat and drink.

The body will protect the fat stores and instead use muscle or lean tissue to provide it with the calories it needs to function properly. Doing this will lead to loss of muscle and the metabolic rate will lower enabling the body to keep working and this leads to the slowing down of weight loss.

How many calories are needed to prevent this happening?

As every person’s metabolism is different there is no easy answer but as a general rule most experts in nutrition recommend staying above 1,200 calories to prevent your body going into protection mode.

There is no hard and fast rule however and the body just doesn’t go into protection mode overnight it’s a slow process so therefore it won’t hurt occasionally if you do go under the recommended daily calorie allowance.

Why does the metabolism affect the muscle?

The rate at which the body burns the calories is called the metabolic rate and is governed by the amount of muscle we have, as a general rule the more muscle we have the higher our metabolic rate.

A lot more calories are burnt with muscle than fat so when we lose muscle the metabolic rate drops and fewer calories are burnt. This explains why when we are dieting it is important to protect the metabolic rate, this means dieting with a sensible intake of calories.

What else can I do to prevent losing muscle?

Increasing the amount of exercise while dieting can help build muscle; this in turn helps to boost the metabolism. Activities taken on a regular daily basis such as swimming, fast walking and jogging will all help to tone muscle and burn fat.

Ways to speed up your metabolism

• Being active is an excellent way to speed up your metabolism, especially aerobic and resistance training.

• Eat small meals often rather than eating one or two big meals.

• Eat plenty of foods rich in protein such as lean meat, fish and skinless chicken.

• Use spices in your cooking, chilli is thought to speed the metabolic rate by 50% for up to 3 hours after eating it.

• Drink green tea instead of your regular brew.

It is important to follow a healthy eating plan as excessive body weight can lead to many problems, one of them being heart disease. Along with sensible eating we should exercise, those needing to lose weight should do so a little at a time and slowly increase daily physical activity.

Guidelines for a physical activity programme

• Consult a Doctor before attempting a physical activity programme, especially if you are obese or have any major health problems such as diabetes or problems with your heart.

• Don’t rush, build up your exercise routine slowly to let your body get used to the new regime.

• Build up to 30 minutes or more of moderate cardiovascular exercise everyday, this can be all at once or spread out over sessions throughout the day.

• Try to add strength developing exercises into your daily routine.

• Walk instead of using the car or public transport whenever you can.

• Find activities you enjoy doing in your spare time such as gardening, biking and joining in sports.

• Match your activities to your age and physical condition.

• Make your daily exercise routine enjoyable for example listen to your favourite music.

• Never try to do too much exercise always know your limits.

Weight loss tips

• The way to successful weight loss is taking in less calories than you expend.

• Make your meals smaller and eat more often.

• Eat foods that are packed with nutrients such as whole grains, fruit and vegetables.

• Take your time and savour each mouthful of food and always wait 15 minutes before having second helpings.

• Don’t rule out the foods you enjoy just because you are on a diet, many people give up because of this reason. If you enjoy sweets, biscuits, cakes or chocolate then treat yourself to a small amount weekly.

• Make sure there are plenty of healthy snacks available such as carrot sticks and fresh fruit.

• Make sure you drink plenty of water.

• Three quarters of your dinner and lunch should consist of vegetables, fruits, cereals, bread and grain products.

• Eat as much dark green and orange vegetables as you can.

• Choose low in fat dairy products and make sure meat is lean and trim off any outside fat before cooking.

• Limit the use of extra fats in cooking such as oil and margarine.

• Limit your intake of caffeine, alcohol and salt. Also try and cut down on added sugar in your diet.

• Don’t eat just for the sake of it, there are no rules that state just because it’s lunch or dinner time you have to eat.

• Limit the amount of snacks you eat such as biscuits, chocolate and cakes as these are high in salt, sugar and fat.

• Eat a variety of foods don’t think just because you’re on a diet it has to be boring.

Your diet whilst pregnant not only affects the mother but also the baby’s growth, we have all heard the term “eating for two” but is there any truth to this saying?. You will need additional nutrients while you are pregnant to keep both yourself and your baby healthy but this isn’t a sign to eat twice as much and whatever you like.

You only need to have about an extra 300 calories per day and it is important that you eat the right diet and are eating foods which give you vitamins, minerals and protein as these help in the development of your unborn child.

What changes need to be made to the diet?

As long as you were eating a sensible diet before you became pregnant then there are not many changes that you will have to make during pregnancy, the recommended daily intake of calories for a pregnant woman is between 2,500 and 2,700 per day.

These calories of course should come from foods that are healthy and rich in vitamins, nutrients, minerals and protein. It is advisable as well as eating a sensible diet for a pregnant woman to take a multivitamin everyday; foods should be eaten on a daily basis from the following food groups

Fruit and vegetables

Pregnant women should eat at least 7 or more servings of fruit and vegetables per day as these are rich in vitamins, fibre and minerals, especially vitamin C which is not only essential to your health but helps your baby to develop healthy gums and tissue.

Examples of fruit rich in vitamin C include strawberries, melon, oranges, cabbage and broccoli. Eating a diet which includes plenty of fruit and vegetables will provide you with the added energy you will need in pregnancy.

Try to include some dark vegetables in your diet as these are rich in iron, vitamin A and folate which are essential nutrients during pregnancy.

Whole grains, bread and cereal

While pregnant you should eat between 6 and 9 servings from this category, bread, rice and pasta all contain iron, B vitamins, fibre and minerals. Some breakfast cereals contain 100% of the folic acid needed during pregnancy.

Dairy products

Calcium is essential in your baby’s growth; it helps build strong bones and teeth. All dairy products are excellent sources of vitamins A and D, protein and B vitamins. Low fat or non fat milk is preferable as this provides you with the vitamins needed but keeps fat to a minimum.

Proteins

A pregnant woman should eat 60 grams of protein every day; this can be found in lean cooked meat, fish and poultry. Nuts, eggs, beans and peas are also an excellent source of protein.

Protein is needed for both the mother and the baby and aids in building muscle, tissue, hormones and antibodies. Foods rich in protein also have B vitamins and iron which is important for the blood.

Other nutrients

Folic acid is a B vitamin which helps in the prevention of serious birth defects and the easiest way to make sure you obtain enough is to take a multivitamin daily, orange juice and spinach are also good forms of folic acid.

A pregnant woman should also drink plenty of water on a daily basis, at least 6 glasses are recommended as this will help carry the nutrients from what you eat to your baby.

Another popular way to manage your diet is online using your home computer and your web browser, usually you will be asked to sign up for an account online, some of them are free to join while others charge a small fee or give a free trial.

What are the benefits?

Usually this type of club will offer a custom plan based on a series of questions and answers, the plan will then guide you as to how many calories you should be having per day, the average weight for a person of your height and build and you will be given the option of tracking your weight, your daily exercise routine and plan the goals you wish to achieve.

A journal is usually kept online for the foods that you eat each day and this tells you how many calories you consumed, the amount of protein, fat, carbs and calories the meal contained.

Within the journal there will be a section for entering any activities you have done that day, including the amount of time spent on a particular activity, with a breakdown of how many calories the particular activity burned.

A section will also include information about your weight which enables you to keep a track of the weight lost over any period of time, here you can set an achievable goal for your weight and also specify a time period for that goal.

The journal will quickly show you any progress you have made for each week and you will be able to see which exercise or foods made the biggest impact on you diet.

Most online sites offering this type of service also offer you the option of purchasing downloadable software so you can install the program on your own pc and have the same options as you would online.

Some of the sites also offer a free exercise routine plan specifically tailored to your needs based on a short questionnaire that you will need to fill in.

Many of the online clubs will have a meal planning program built into it the website which enables you to choose from a vast array of different foods and add them to your diet plan, this allows you to know just how many calories you are having in your meal.

Online Dieting Communities

Several websites also have online communities where you can log on and chat with other dieters and swap ideas and meal plans, this gives you the opportunity of support with your diet.

Many have a buddy support feature which gives you the opportunity of finding someone the same age and sex with which you can confide and motivate each other.

There are also message boards where the user can post messages say of new diet ideas they have heard of or particular diets that have worked for them.

Websites such as these are a good idea for people who have failed with past diets because they bring a sense of achievement when results are seen and it is comforting to know that you are not alone should you stumble along the way.