- Eat regular meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner! This is really important as you need to keep your metabolism going throughout the day. If you’re hungry between meals then have a light snack like an apple.

-Try and eat up to 5 servings of vegetables a day (1 serving = 1 cup).

-Don’t go overboard on fruit. Many people believe that because fruit is healthy it doesn’t contain any calories. Fruit is high in fructose (sugar) and the calories can add up quite fast. Stick to 2-3 pieces a day.

-Keep moving! you can burn up to 300 calories a day just by fidgeting and doing small things like standing up if you’re catching the train. this will also help to raise your fitness levels.

-I like to do a little exercise before breakfast, even if it’s just for 10-15 minutes. I find it helps to raise my metabolism.

-If you find it hard to do continuous exercise, break it up into 10 minute intervals. You should aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days. So maybe you could do 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minuets after you come home from school, and 10 minutes before dinner.

-Drink plenty of water. Keep a water bottle with you at all times, and have a sip about every 15 minutes. If you get bored of plain water, buy some low calorie cordial. I’ve found that having a full belly of water helps to keep food cravings away.

-Walk as much as you can. If you live close enough to school walk there instead of getting your mum or dad to drive you, or ask them to drive you half way and you can walk the rest. Or if you catch public transport somewhere, get off a few stops earlier and walk the extra distance. Try and do this as often as possible.

-Green tea is wonderful! It’s filled with antioxidants and also helps with the breakdown of body fat and raising metabolism. It’s really great for curbing food cravings. I like to sweeten mine with some lemon and a artificial sweeter.

-Treat yourself every now and then with something nice. It doesn’t have to be food related. Maybe you can collect all the money you’d usually spend on junk food in a money box and every couple of weeks buy yourself something special with the money you collect. You deserve a treat for all the hard work you’ve been doing!

-Weigh yourself ONCE a week. I became very obsessed with weighing myself at one point and it was quite serious. I’d suggest you select one day a week to weight yourself. I like monday morning, but chose whatever suits you. Just don’t obsess about the number on the scales, as long as you’re healthy and feel good it doesn’t matter.