Drop a Size Calorie and Carb Counter. Joanna Hall

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      1 Use the Carb Curfew: By not eating certain starchy carbohydrates after 5 p.m. you will lose weight and boost your energy levels. It is a strategy that allows you to cut your overall calorie intake and get the right balance of nutrients at the right time of the day. For example, eating starchy carbs with protein at lunchtime, instead of in your evening meal, will help you beat your mid-afternoon sugar cravings – a challenge to those of us with even the strongest willpower – and boost your energy and brainpower for the rest of the day.

      2 Drink more water: If you drink less than eight glasses of water a day you may be chronically dehydrated. This can affect your energy levels, and cause you to misinterpret tiredness as a need to eat more food. By drinking a minimum of two litres of water a day, you will fuel yourself with energy, curb your hunger and enhance your nutrient absorption.

      3 Figure out your fats: This is not about cutting all fat from the diet, as some fat is essential for our health, rather, it is about reducing your overall fat intake, and specifically saturated fat, while at the same time increasing the good sources of fat in your diet.

      4 Be consistent: The good news is the best way to lose weight is not to deprive yourself of all those things in life you love, but instead to stick to the 80–20 rule. You don't have to be ‘good’ 100 per cent of the time – if you can stick to the Carb Curfew plan for just 80 per cent of the time, you will have succeeded. Being consistent means you can actually eat a little more and you will still lose weight and body fat, and, more importantly, you are not setting yourself up for guilt and ‘failure’.

      5 Move more, more often: Most of us know we have to take regular exercise to lose weight. But we also know how hard it is to find the time to fit structured exercise sessions into our increasingly busy lives – so it's hardly surprising even the best intentions often fall by the wayside. Well, the good news is that simply moving your body more often, in daily physical activities, is an important part of the exercise formula. It's important to try and make time for some regular, prolonged exercise when you can, but it is the combination of structured exercise with informal daily activity that really helps you on the road to feeling healthier, more energetic and to achieving your weight and body fat goals.