Do your maths
Each pound of body fat is equivalent to 3 500 calories, meaning that, to lose a pound a week, you need to eat 500 calories less than your body needs each day – in other words, 1 500 calories for women and 2 000 calories for men.
However, the best way to lose weight is to make small sustainable changes to your diet. To lose half a pound a week, eat 250 fewer calories than your body needs. That's equal to just one bagel, a chocolate bar or a small handful of peanuts.
Target: 250
You can snip away that 250 calories by making painless substitutions to your diet. For example, swap full fat cheese, spread and milk for lower-fat versions, or swap thick white sliced bread for medium sliced wholemeal. You can also choose lean meats, such as grilled chicken breast, in place of fattier meats such as sausages and bacon.
Alcohol is also a calorie minefield – a glass of red wine or a small beer can contain up to 120 calories. If you're dieting, drink in moderation or not at all.
Of course, it goes without saying that as well as reducing your calorie intake, an increase in exercise can also help weight-loss. This doesn’t have to mean going to the gym or going for a run; instead why not get off the bus or tube one stop early and walk the rest of the way.
Guilt-free alternatives
For guilt-free snacking, you can also look to the Slim.Fast range. As well as meal replacement shakes, soups and cereals, Slim.Fast offers a range of tempting low-calorie snacks. For instance, a Slim.Fast chocolate peanut bar has only 99 calories – less than half the calories of many normal chocolate bar. Or, if you fancy something savoury, a pack of cheddar bites contains 96 calories per pack – fewer than the average bag of crisps and just as tasty!
Or there’s new Hunger Shots available in the UK. Packed full of whey protein and soluble fibre, they contain 54 calories per pot, making a healthy snacking alternative designed to help you want to eat less between meals.
