I never have time for breakfast so I fill up on sweet snacks and cereal bars mid-morning

Go to bed ten minutes earlier; get up ten minutes earlier. Having breakfast helps you to eat more healthily for the rest of the day. If you’re eating well at regular times, you’re less likely to snack on rubbish. It’s a virtuous circle because you will have extra energy as a result, which means that you sleep better and wake up less tired.

But if you can’t do without those extra minutes in bed, then have breakfast at work. Make a peanut butter or egg sandwich or a fruit salad the night before, or stock up on fruit, yoghurt and smoothies that are quick to grab on your way out of the door.

Alternatively, keep wholegrain cereal and a bowl and spoon in your desk drawer and pick up some milk on the way to work. Or get together with colleagues and organise a morning breakfast run rather than an afternoon chocolate run.

I always snack when I get in from work before dinner

Have a healthy afternoon snack to take the edge off your hunger when you get home. Keep healthy snacks at home too, such as chopped vegetables to dip in tzatziki, wholemeal pitta to dip in reduced-fat hoummos, oatcakes, cherry tomatoes or strawberries. Prepare, or at least plan, your evening meal the night before so that you don’t have to think about what you’re going to make, and get on with it as soon as you get in so that you don’t have to wait hours for dinner.

I can’t lose weight, despite eating very little

It’s time for a reality check. If you are not losing weight, your calorie intake is matching the calories you burn. Keep a food diary and record every mouthful you eat. You’ll probably be surprised at how much you’re actually having.

Then look at where you can make changes, either by reducing portions, eating lower-fat foods or having fewer snacks.

Start taking more exercise, too. It will help to build muscle and boost your metabolism so that you burn more calories.

I never manage to eat five portions of fruit and veg a day

Start experimenting. Every week buy some fruit or vegetables that you haven’t tried before: okra, pak choi, alfalfa sprouts, artichokes, celeriac, sharon fruit, figs, papaya, starfruit, pomegranate and cherimoya fruit. Or order an organic box every week; you will probably end up with produce you wouldn’t think of buying.

I get the evening munchies while watching TV

Think about why you’re eating. If you’ve already had dinner, it’s likely to be because of boredom, tiredness, stress or habit rather than hunger. It could be that changing your habits is the answer. Take up a new hobby; join a book club, take a wine appreciation course or de-stress with a relaxing bath rather than a tube of Pringles. Television constantly confronts us with images of tempting food, so avoid cookery programmes and channel hop during ads for delicious treats. Take up knitting to stop you from dipping into the biscuit tin.

TRY THIS...

One of the reasons why people fail at diets is because they choose the wrong one for their lifestyle. So, which one of the following are you?

Type Busy mum, with little time to cook separate diet meals. Diet The 80/20 Diet (Murdoch Books, £12.99). The diet is based on healthy eating for all the family.

Type Golden oldie, worried about health and prone to constipation. Diet The F2 Diet (Bantam Press, £12.99). High-fibre, low-fat diet.

Type Social butterfly, finds it hard to forgo treats. Diet WeightWatchers (weightwatchers.co.uk). Slimming club.

Type Veggie health fanatic, obsessed with what you eat. Diet Carol Vorderman’s Detox for Life (Virgin Books, £10.99). Popular quick fix.

Type Energy junkie, loves sport and exercise. Diet The GL Diet (John Blake, £7.99). Revolves around blood sugar levels.

Type Emotional eater, eats out of habit. Diet I Can Make You Thin, by Paul McKenna (Bantam Press, £9.99). Helps people to understand how they think about food.

Type Workaholic, frequently wining and dining clients. Diet New Diet Revolution, by Robert C. Atkins (Vermillion £7.99). High protein, cutting carbs.

Source: Juliette Kellow

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