Everyone will have a little blip but don’t see it as a failure.. just draw a line under it and move on BY

responsibility for my health, weight and lifestyle it made it easier to take control. You don’t have to have starter, main and pudding. If you are doing that you are eating too much.

4. Clear your cupboards

If the fatty snacks aren’t there, you can’t eat them. It’s as simple as that.

5. Shop carefully

Don’t fall for the diet tricks. Fancy diet products won’t make a blind bit of difference if you snack on crisps every night.

Don’t be tempted by unhealthy food options in the supermarket just because they are on offer. Write a shopping list for your healthy recipes and stick to it.

6. Don’t use food as a reward or a comfort

I was the first person to head straight for the biscuit tin if I was feeling bad, but now I’ll go to an exercise class.

Everyone uses food as a reward or comfort. We even treat ourselves to a bar of chocolate after a long workout. Your efforts in the gym are wasted if you eat the calories you have just burned.

7. You don’t have to be perfect

Wobbles are normal, and one bad meal doesn’t have to mean a bad day or a bad week. If you fall off the wagon, simply pick yourself up and start again.

If you eat one biscuit don’t think, “I might as well eat the whole pack”. Just make sure you get back on track asap.

8. Keep a food diary

It is easy to forget or lie to yourself about how much you’ve eaten each day. Write everything down or use an app to record everything you eat, even if it is a just few chips. Every calorie counts.

9. Control your portions

I now eat out of a bowl instead of a plate. Sit at the table to eat, chew your food properly and savour every mouthful.

Never eat in front of the TV as it is easy to overeat when you are distracted. And always stop eating when you feel full and do not finish off your kids’ meals.

10. Exercise every day

Aim for a minimum of 30 minutes a day broken up to two, 15-minute walks. You can build it up gradually. At first I was too self-conscious to go to exercise classes, but now I am fitter I love them.

Extracted from Lose Weight for Life: The honest way to drop pounds and keep them off – for good, by Lisa Riley © 2018 published by Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin Random House, at £16.99