Each pound of fat is made up of about 3,500 calories. Eating just 50 calories less than you need each day and you'll lose 5lb in a year without really trying. And if you move just a little bit more each day (50 calories worth of exercise is not hard for anyone to fit in) another 5lbs will disappear.

Each of the following will save or use at least 50 calories (and often a lot more)! Of course if your weight is slowly creeping up with your current habits these changes may just stop the weight gain in its tracks - but they will still mean that you weigh 10lbs less than you would have done had you made no changes. Remember and check with your doctor before you start any diet or exercise program.

10 easy ways to eat less

1. Stop putting butter, margarine or mayonnaise on your sandwiches.
2. Measure just one tablespoon of dressing on your salad and toss instead of pouring on liberally.
3. Choose the child's meal when you eat fast food.
4. Drink water or herbal tea instead of alcohol, sugary drinks or juice.
5. Get used to no-fat skimmed milk in your coffee and on your cereal.
6. Trim the fat from all meat and avoid eating the skin on poultry.
7. Have a slice of pizza with salad instead of the whole pizza.
8. Have a single chocolate after dinner instead of dessert.
9. Give up baking and buying pastry, cakes and cookies.
10. Reduce your portion sizes by just 10% - you won't even notice and it will save a whopping amount of calories.

1. Walk for 10 extra minutes a day.
2. Go window shopping in your lunch hour.
3. Climb stairs (or use a step) for just 7 minutes - you don't even have to do it all at once.
4. Clean and tidy your home for 15 minutes every day.
5. Do 15 minutes stretching or yoga every morning.
6. Have a swim.
7. Play a ball game with your kids for 10 minutes.
8. Get a dog.
9. Go dancing.
10. Do some strength-building exercises during the commercial breaks on TV.

Janice Elizabeth Small

"As a weight loss coach, I love helping people lose the diet mentality and get slim for life by making tiny changes to their habits. New habits are adopted, step by step and weight loss becomes automatic as a result"

What I wish for you....

* that you finally understand you don't have to starve yourself or kill yourself at the gym to be slim
* that you learn that being slim can mean eating delicious food
* that you value your health and well-being enough to take action - small steps but action nonetheless

And what I wish for me?

* that I help make the world a healthier and happier place - one person at a time - through my articles, website and ezine
* that I can teach my boys to love salad too...