Easy Diet Tips learnt from the best

10 years ago I weighed 15 stone –  not through over eating but through hormone tablets due to a gynecological condition. Fast forward 10 years and I lost 4 stone, but not through diet clubs (believe me I tried them all from Atkins, Weightwatchers, Slimming World to hard core detoxes), but by picking up several tips from the best of personal trainers, trial and error and by reading. Here are my top tips to lose weight without really trying. Of course exercise helps but in fact whilst exercise is widely recognised to help in keeping trim, its in fact nutrition that counts for nearly 80% when it comes to losing weight. However, if you are going to exercise nothing beats walking, jogging or running – its free, a natural movement and something God intended us to do!

1. Sugar is the enemy, however to give it up completely is hard work. I suggest having 1 cheat day a week (usually Saturday), where you can eat chocolate etc –try to eat dark chocolate rather than cadburys… 
2. Holland & Barrett make Sunflower and Sesame biscuits sweetened with apple juice –  for a sweet treat eat these without the refined sugar. Alternatively the lowest fat biscuit is Rich Tea.
3. Get a raw cauliflower and blitz it in a processor until resembles finely grained rice then simply steam and use instead of rice!
4. Chuck every vegetable you can think of into a slow cooker with some pulses, veg stock and tinned tomatoes –  or simmer on a stove, add spices and eat this with the cauliflower rice, for a fat and virtually calorie free meal.
5. Boil cauliflower with swede and sweet potato then mash with a little mustard powder and milk for a yummy alternative to mash.
6. Use lettuce leaves as wraps, simply get a large leaf  add your filling and wrap for a delicious light bite.
7. An old weight watchers trick is to mash a meringue with strawberries (meringue is low in fat, but still has sugar so have this as a treat).
8. Peanut butter on apple slices sounds weird but is yum and satisfying.
9. Prawns in fact any seafood is a great snack to keep in the fridge.
10. Drink a glass of water every time you feel hungry, then wait to see if you still feel hungry, more often than not thirst is mistaken for hunger.
11. Always swap fried rice or pilau rice for boiled when ordering a takeaway – this simple step cuts the fat!
12. Having a kebab, that's fine, just make sure its a shish kebab with extra salad and lemon juice, healthy and yummy.
13. I always eat my veggies first on a plate then eat protein, carbs last, fill up on the good stuff first.
14. Having a pizza –  go thin crust with veggies on top – ask for reduced fat cheese.
15. Having an Indian, go for tikka or something dry, really want your tikka masalla –  then don't deny, just don't have every week.
16. Chinese, go for stir fried chicken, avoid the sweet and sour, batter dishes –  the batter will end up like fat on your thighs.
17. Soups are great for filling up on, cut the cream in them but be adventurous such as courgette, cauliflower and turmeric –  just add stock!
18. Fruit is still sugar but better than sweets, stick some grapes in the freezer for a sweet treat.
19. Go shopping after you've eaten, shopping on an empty stomach means you're more likely fill your trolley up with calorie-laden food.
20. Diet foods often contain more sugar than non-diet –  it maybe labeled low fat, but its the sugar count you need look out for!
21. Nuts maybe fattening, but stick to a small portion (I like brazil nuts for their selenium) to help hunger pangs.
22. Remember portion size, slice of cheese should be matchbox size, portion of carbs fit into your hand and protein the same. Vegetables are unlimited apart from root vegetables such as carrots and potatoes!
23. Don't diet to lose weight, do it to be healthy from the inside!

So there are some of my tips. I'm an average 12 and try stick to this about 70% of the time –  I'm not a doctor of health practitioner but as mentioned above have been lucky as a Beauty Editor to have access to some of the best advisers!