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How to keep the weight off

Eating on the run

The problem:
A sausage roll grabbed here, a packet of crisps there.. It's really hard to find healthy food on the run, and that can spell disaster for your waistline.

The solution:
Always carry healthy snacks, for example fruit, nuts, a wholegrain sandwich or a yogurt, so you're prepared. But don't miss proper meals if you can avoid it. It's the sure way to put on pounds as you'll be too hungry to make sensible choices when you do get to eat.

You've started, so you'll finish

The problem:
Otherwise known an 'all or nothing syndrome', this is what happens when you tell yourself you've blown it with just one slice of chocolate cake? so you finish the whole thing.

The solution:
A lapse isn't a collapse! Just get straight back on track with healthy eating. If allowing yourself a small portion of your favourite indulgence is too hard, you may need to keep foods that are a weakness completely out of the way for a while.
Relax? You need to eat over 12 Mars bars (3500 calories) to put on 1lb of fat. So one bad day isn't going to spell disaster.

Keeping that weight off

When you've lost your weight, how do you keep it off? Researchers in America interviewed thousands of dieters who have lost more than 10 per cent of their body weight and kept it off for at least a year. They came up with the following advice:

• Be physically active for an hour or more daily.
• Severely limit the fatty and sugary foods you consume and keep a check on overall calorie intake.
• Always eat breakfast.
• Weigh yourself once or twice a week.
• Maintain a consistent eating pattern across weekdays and weekends.

Where to next?
40 ways to stop cravings and snacking
Find your perfect diet
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