Week 2: Forget about 'bad foods'

The problem with diets is the notion of 'bad foods.' Cutting what you enjoy out of your diet only makes you crave it all the more, and when you do give in you tend to binge instead of treating yourself sensibly. Yo-yo is a definite no-no on this plan! Here are three ways of enjoying what you like without going over the top:

Enjoy smaller portions Can't resist a bit of chocolate? Why should you?! Just have a few squares of block chocolate each time, and have a piece of bread or a piece of fruit with it. The same goes for cheese (have a 30g serving with bread), biscuits (limit yourself to 3 little ones), and ice cream (just have 2 scoops).

Get savvy Some treats are more calorific than others, so if you're going to indulge choose wisely if you can, without depriving yourself of the treat of course! Substitute a cream cake for a creme caramel; 2 scoops of ice cream for 2 scoops of sorbet; 1 muffin for 2 Jaffa cakes; 1 croissant for 3 crackers; a pie or pasty for smoked salmon on toast; spring rolls for sushi; 1 slice of paté for 2 slices of ham; chips for steamed potatoes with butter; 30g muesli for 40g bread; and so on and so forth.

Make up for the odd indulgence. So you've gone a bit overboard at a dinner party, family meal, on a night out with friends or made brownies with the kids - so what? Don't beat yourself up: it happens! Guilt will get you nowhere, but a healthy meal later on or the next day will make you feel much better. Have a light meal later on or the next day to get you back on track, with lots and lots of veg and some lean protein (fat-free meat, fish or dairy produce).