MICHAEL MOSLEY’S MANTRAS FOR LIFE

1 KEEP junk food out of the house. People say: ‘Oh but the children . . .’ Children don’t need it either. They really don’t.

2 ENLIST support. Encouragement from loved ones and friends is hugely important when you are losing weight and changing bad habits.

3 USE that belt. It’s a good idea to stand on the scales at least once a week, but a belt will give you as good an indication as anything. If it is tight, do something about it — the sooner the better.

4 KEEP active. It’s really important to maintain muscle strength. You don’t have to go running, but do resistance exercises. I do press-ups and squats every morning.

5 TRY to eat a broadly Mediterranean diet, rich in vegetables, but also include some fermented foods, things like full-fat yoghurt. Experiment with kefir and kimchi, or have some sauerkraut. These things are great for gut health.

6 PRIORITISE your sleep. Getting a good night’s sleep is vital.

7 GET out and expose yourself to sunlight in the morning. This is very good at resetting your internal clock.

8 TRY to keep your waist measurement to less than half your height.

9 PRACTISE restricted eating, which means extending the overnight period where you aren’t eating to 12, 14 or even 16 hours. I think the 14/10 balance (14 hours of fasting, then ten hours during the day where you can eat) is a good rule of thumb.

10 TRY yoga or meditation. Life is hugely stressful, and anything that can bring the stress levels down will be useful.