Have low-fat ready meals in the freezer - home-made or bought.

Have a good supply of raw vegetables and plenty of fruit.

Home-made soup is a great comfort food, especially on cold days. Freeze it in microwave-proof cartons, so they are easy to thaw out and reheat as needed.

Get into the habit of carrying a bottle of water. It is important to drink at least eight cups of fluid each day. Water can also help you feel full up between meals.

Choose fiddly food. Goodies like corn on the cob, prawn in shells and artichokes are healthy, fill your plate - and take absolutely ages to eat.

Bulk up. Fill half your plate with veggies or salad - they’re low in calories, filling and make small portions look massive.

Love liquids. Eating a diet rich in liquid-based foods like soups, stews and fresh juices leaves you more satisfied than a drier diet-even if you drink water.

Grind after cooking. Don’t add salt while cooking,add it when the food is on your plate. the theory is if it’s stirred in while cooking, you’ll use more. Add rather than using a shaker,grind sea salt - it gives a more intense hit, so you’ll need less.

Peel a banana. Salty food causes bloating.To combat this, nibble on something rich in potassium like bananas, apricots or raisins to rid your body of surplus water.

Add flavour.Replace salt with herbs, spices, lemon juice and chilli. It only takes tour weeks for your taste buds to get used to less salty food.

Fill your glass with ice. Quite simply, you won’t be able to get so much booze in. If you want to stretch your drink further, add soda water or other low-cal mixers.

Melt it. Dunk strawberries into chocolate that’s been blitzed in the microwave for a few seconds.

Grate it. Grate some good quality dark chocolate containing 70% cocoa solids. Just a tiny amount will make a huge pile - and take ages to eat.

Freeze it. Freeze low-fat chocolate mousse overnight. It tastes as good as Ben & Jerry’s but contains a fraction of the calories.