Are you confused by the plethora of diets and healthy eating advice filling magazines and papers post-Christmas, but keen to find a diet that will work for you; once and for all?

Inevitably Christmas and the holidays means lots of wonderful food and drink, but now the festivities are nearly over, most people are counting the health cost; feeling lbs heavier, lazy, sluggish and liverish.

The industry is immense – valued at over £1bn and with diet and weight loss books featuring amongst the best-sellers of the year. The most recent and popular diet (at No 4 on the 2013 book chart!) is The Fast Diet by Dr Michael Mosley which in general terms advocates eating normally for five days of the week and restricting calories for two and has started a revolution in the concept of fasting. You may also be tempted by a variety of other supposedly miracle options such as low fat, high protein, soup only, meal replacement drinks, drastic fasting and detoxing. Whilst some may have an element of sense attached to them, and can work if followed sensibly, most are unsustainable for long periods and usually result in long term weight gain. That’s why the diet industry is so commercially successful.

The key thing to understand though is that one diet won’t fit all. Every individual is different, has varying family and lifestyle demands, different medical needs and responds to food in a unique way, so it is important to find a programme which works for you personally rather than following the latest trend.

So how do you work out which diet or eating programme to follow? Here are some top tips to remember when embarking on a diet or healthy eating programme:

• Your body needs nutrients to function, so a drastic reduction in food intake can do more harm than good.
• All food groups are important in our daily diet. Carbohydrates generate energy to fuel our body and brain; essential fats are vital for skin, hormonal and brain health; and protein is necessary for repair, healing and our immunity.
• Fat doesn’t necessarily make us fat. Essential or ‘good’ fats are vital for good health.
• Sugar is the demon! As my clients and weight management group are now well aware, sugar contributes hugely  to those hard to shift fat supplies and can do all sorts of other damage to our health.
• Remember – alcohol is pure sugar and has no very little nutrient content. 1 large glass of wine (250ml) = c 230 calories – so think what all those bottles over the holidays have added up to!
• When it comes to diet food, Low fat generally = high sugar, so learn to check your food labels for hidden sugars. Fat adds flavour to food, so when it is removed from low fat meals, they need a substitute to make them palatable.
• Losing weight isn’t simply about food; if it was, we would all follow a programme, lose weight and keep it off!
• Eating is a cultural experience involving habits and emotions, and those habits can be hard to break; so find a programme which gives you coaching, goals, motivation and emotional support alongside dietary advice.
• Detoxing needn’t necessarily involve drinking water and eating cabbage soup. The liver (our main organ of detoxification), needs a range of nutrients to work effectively, so a healthy detox should support the liver with the correct foods and fluids.
• Underlying medical issues such as blood sugar imbalance, thyroid problems, hormonal imbalance and stress can also contribute to weight gain, so consult your GP and ideally a qualified Nutritional Therapist for advice before embarking on a programme.
• Losing weight should be a steady process, and one which leads you to a lifetime of healthier eating which allows you to maintain your goal weight for the long term.
• And finally, but most importantly… learn to enjoy your food and stop obsessing about what’s in it. Find options which are tasty, enticing and pleasurable to eat. Experiment with new foods and look for easy recipes online, such as at the BBC Good Food website.

The shocking facts are that 1:4 adults in UK are now obese, so make sure your New Year’s resolution is to not be one of those statistics!

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