Has that tire round your middle started to get you down? Are you depressed by the sight of it in the mirror in the morning? What to do? Where to begin?

The first thing to do is to have a really good look at what you are doing wrong. Don't try and kid yourself, if you've put on weight there is a reason - actually, probably several.

There are probably many reasons why you've put on weight. You've probably got some pretty good excuses. Some of them might be valid, but the fact remains that you've got to do something about it. Are you prepared to get to grips with the problem? Are you prepared to really make a supreme effort?

If you have a sweet tooth you are going to have to give up the candy bars and the sandwiches, the full fat cheese and all those delicious cakes. You have to make yourself aware of all the things you think have contributed to your weight gain and cut them out.

Have you any idea of the number of calories you eat every day? Have you any idea of the number of calories you burn every day? These are two very important pieces of information you need before you start.

What you must not do is to suddenly stop eating and reduce your calorie intake dramatically. If you do the long-term consequences will be that you put on weight - not take it off.

This might be an embarrassing question, but do you know how much exercise you take in a week? Be honest now! It's not very much is it? Do you actually set out to take exercise every day? Is it something in your mind that you always do as a matter of routine?

If you want to lose weight effectively you will need to sign up to change. Long-term w3eight loss doesn't come from dieting, but from changing what you do. You need to begin to behave differently. To learn new habits, new slim habit that will help you to make permanent weight loss a reality.