Why you'll lose weight

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Summer is a good time to diet because there seems to be more incentive: fitting into last year's summer dresses, going on holiday or just having fun in the sun at home. Plus the warmer weather and longer days mean it's easier to eat lower-fat meals such as salads and avoid the stodgy, wintry meals. And you can't use the weather as an excuse not to exercise!

How to do the diet

Choose one breakfast, lunch, dinner and one snack from the lists for each month.
Change your white bread for brown or wholegrain.
Swap your butter or margarine for low-fat spread.
Use skimmed milk instead of full-fat milk.
Eat slowly and enjoy every mouthful.
Add lots of fresh herbs to your meal because they are in season and are a brilliant way to add flavour to foods without adding calories.
If you like dressing with your salad choose a low-fat version and only have a tbsp-sized serving.
You can still drink tea, coffee, fruit and herb teas, sugar-free soft drinks and one glass of fruit juice a day.

Snacks for the whole season

1 pot of sugar-free fruit jelly
A piece of fruit, apple, orange, nectarine, peach
A small fruit salad
1 small glass of red or white wine
2 rice crackers, oat cakes, crispbreads or Ryvitas with reduced calorie houmous, tzatziki, cottage cheese, Marmite or low-fat cream cheese
Reduced calorie hot chocolate with 1 small biscuit
Low-fat fruit yogurt
Half-fat plain yogurt with 2tsp honey and a handful of chopped nuts
A small bowl of wholegrain cereal
Raw, chopped vegetable sprinkled with Balsamic vinegar or a dsp of low-fat mayonnaise
A small slice of watermelon