If you usually eat in front of the TV or at your desk, sit at a table and pay attention to the colours, smells, tastes, and textures of the food you're eating. When you eat with awareness, you are more likely to enjoy what you're eating and to stop when you're full. What kind of energy are you using up when you move? The number of kilojoules you burn when you move is the other part of the energy equation.

In the long run, dieting makes you gain more weight because it slows down your metabolism. The best way to lose weight is slowly, by making changes that you can keep up with in how you eat and how much you move.

Taking care of your weight is something you have to do for the rest of your life, not just for a few weeks while you're on a diet. When we go on a diet, our bodies respond by slowing down their metabolisms, which can be bad for us. Also, we might feel less tired and have more energy to do the things we like. Because of this, it's even more important to be able to keep the weight off. When you first start out, go slowly. Don't try to run a marathon, just keep things simple (unless you want to). Be creative and do something you liked to do as a child. For instance, every day I will eat two pieces of fruit.

possible to achieve there's no point in writing down a goal you'll never reach.

Considering:

• What you eat, 

• When you eat

• Why do you consume food?

Record what you eat. You might find it helpful to keep a food diary for a week to see if there are any patterns or recurring themes in the way you eat. What energy (diet) are you taking in? Take some time to think about the way you eat. There are a lot of fad diets and magic weight loss potions in the media that are backed by celebrities and personal success stories. Muscle burns kilojoules, but fat doesn't. Even just 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity can speed up our metabolism and help us lose weight. Have a set schedule for when you eat and stick to it. Water is better than drinks with sugar. Don't use food to make yourself feel better when you're upset, angry, or stressed. This will help you figure out how active you are right now and help you find ways to move around more.

Make a healthy plan to lose weight.

Once you know what you do now, you can make a plan for how you will lose weight. Look at the facts. For example, it might be easy to eat a family-sized block of chocolate in one sitting, but it would take 2.5 hours of jogging (or over 6 hours of walking) to burn off the energy it contains. Simple ways to move around more (energy out) Even if we say we're too busy or too tired, we should remember that physical activity doesn't have to be hard. Find small ways to be more active so you can start to burn more calories, which will help you lose weight. For instance, when I'm feeling stressed, I'll stop eating and ask myself why I'm feeling that way. Cut down on the amount of added fat, saturated fat, sugar, and salt you eat.

Dieting has risks.

Dieting can be bad for you because when you're on a diet, your body slows down your metabolism to save energy. You can make yourself more active by moving around more throughout the day. Instead, choose foods that are "whole" and have been processed less each day. If you are overweight or don't move around much, you might want to limit yourself to no more than one treat a day. How many drinks of a certain size do you have in a week? Try to make up for the "extra" food by working out more. Split them up into