by Rachel Knowles

Created on: July 27, 2009   Last Updated: July 28, 2009

The media has been feeding our desire for thinner bodies for decades. In other cultures, fat is beautiful, but in our society the streamlined shape of the supermodel has intensified our desire to be slim. The sensible dieter is not trying to achieve supermodel slimness, but accepts that for their health and their own self-esteem, it would be wise to shed some weight.

Last year, I found that my weight had crept up to an unacceptable level and I decided to take action. I dieted and lost 21 pounds in weight. So what tips can I give from my own experience?

- Make a conscious decision to lose some weight and view it as a positive choice that will benefit you in the long run.

- Do not forget that it is your choice - diets imposed by other people are unlikely to succeed.

- Set yourself a target - aiming to lose 6 pounds is more achievable than aiming to "get thinner."

- Tell your nearest and dearest what you are doing. Hopefully this should prevent them from plying you with cake and chocolate when you are trying to live without.

- Be committed to your new eating pattern - half-heartedness is another recipe for failure.

- Choose a diet that you actually like! A diet that tells you to eat lots of foods that you dislike is not very appealing - one that allows you a reasonable amount of choice can help you to continue enjoying food rather than enduring it. I used the Rosemary Conley metabolism booster diet (1). This is essentially a low fat diet, but presented in a variety of ways, most allowing you to drink a limited amount of alcohol and some allowing you treats like ice cream and banana cake. The beauty of this diet is that you can eat normal meals with a lot of variety and it does not leave you with that empty feeling so often associated with diets.

- A sensible diet will always maintain a balance of food types - any diet that cuts out an entire food group is unlikely to be beneficial to your long-term health.

- Try to increase the amount of exercise that you have in your normal week, whether by going for a walk or using a Wii Fit board (2) a couple of times a week. This will help your weight loss.

- Do not give up the first time you "cheat." Remember: dieting is your choice. If you choose to have a day off, it is not going to spoil your hard work. Don't feel guilty - enjoy the break and then carry on.

- When you have achieved your goal, do not breathe a sigh of relief and revert to all your old eating habits, otherwise you will enter the no diet / diet cycle and have to do it all again!

1 Rosemary Conley's Metabolism Booster Diet by Rosemary Conley

2 Wii Fit by Nintendo: www.nintendo.com/wiifit/launch/

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