by Trudy Graham

Created on: January 20, 2007   Last Updated: April 18, 2007

There is a healthy and long-lasting way to lose excess weight; you won't feel hungry and it won't cost you a cent! In fact, you may even save money. I lost 20 kgs with this method, and have kept it off for 5 years. I am healthier than when I began, I have heaps of energy, and I have more money in the bank.

I had been caught in the diet yo-yo trap for years, trying one amazing new' diet after another, losing weight but then gaining it back plus some. It took time but I finally realised that what had taken me years to gain could not be lost overnight.

Here are the twelve easy steps that helped me achieve, and stay at, my goal weight.

1. Change your mindset
Stop using the word diet'. You are going to work instead on a new eating plan' for your new life. Consider why you want to lose weight; are you really overweight, or is your problem more to do with image. If it's the latter, you need to address this issue before coming back to this program.

2. See your Doctor
Have a check-up and tell your doctor what you are planning. Your doctor will tell you if you are overweight or not.

3. What, When, Where and Why
Spend a week or so making a note of:
what you eat (be honest, write it all down)
when you eat (the times of day that you eat including all snacks)
where you are when you eat
why you had to eat (were you really hungry, did you crave something, had something upset you, or were you rewarding yourself)

4. A Little Study Time
Look at your notes and write a summary. Add up the different food groups (grains, meats and other proteins, fruit and vegetables, dairy, fats etc) and note how many of each you eat. I discovered that:
I had been eating way too many fats and sugars, mostly hidden in the processed foods I was in the habit of buying. I also loaded my plate and continued eating, even after I was full'. (I come from a generation who were admonished for leaving any food on their plate.) I was also eating way too much bread, potatoes, pasta and rice.
I was snacking a couple of hours after eating a meal because I lacked energy.
I ate meals in front of television, or with a book propped up before me. I snacked at my computer, or when I was driving to or from appointments.
I favoured quick' foods, mainly because I left eating until I was very hungry. I also rewarded' myself after a week of going without some treat.

5. A Little Research, if necessary
I knew that in order to control my eating, and hence my weight, I needed to understand how my body used the food I gave it. I researched

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