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It is a sad fact of life that the population as a whole is getting fatter. More and more people are finding it necessary to lose weight, either for cosmetic, social or medical reasons. It can be an uphill struggle and it is well documented that some slimmers are more successful than others. However, if you are one of the lucky ones and reach your ideal weight you cannot rest on your laurels, because for many the hardest part is still to come! Keeping the weight off.

For many people this can be even harder than losing the weight in the first place, and before they know where they are the pounds have sneaked back on and they are back at square one. An unfortunate few even find themselves behind square one, weighing more than they did when they started. Either way this is a very depressing and demoralising situation to find yourself in, and many lack the strength and determination to start again.

In my experience successful weight loss is achieved by a combination of good diet and regular exercise. Of these it is often the diet that is hardest to control. It is so easy to be tempted from the straight and narrow by a tasty treat, or forced off the road altogether by some crisis that makes you start comfort eating. For me there are few things more reassuring than chocolate when I'm having a problem. So even when you've lost weight temptation is always there.

The best way to remove this temptation is to make your home a 'treat-free' zone. A bit like smokers trying to kick the habit remove all cigarettes. This way if you feel tempted the cupboard will only be full of good things so you shouldn't come to much harm if you give in and eat something. If this sounds a bit too drastic to do all at once, you could try banishing all the treats to the back of the most inaccessible cupboard in the kitchen. This way if you're tempted you might be put off by the effort needed, or if you're not, at least you'll burn off a few calories climbing on to the chair and emptying the cupboard to reach your crisps!

That's OK as far as your own home is concerned, but you have to go out sometime, and the world is full of temptation. Shops, supermarkets, even your friends homes, are a minefield. Chocolates, crisps, fizzy drinks at every turn. Unfortunately there's no magic solution to this, it's down to you. You just have to be strong. Make a shopping list before you set off and stick to it. Eat before you go shopping. Tell your friends you're on a diet, if they're true friends they'll respect this and help you.

Gradually this new regime will become your way of life. In time the old, bad habits will fade and your new healthy routine will become normal. Keeping the weight off by this method is easier than slipping back into your old ways and having to start all over again. Your body will become less dependant on junk food and you might even find yourself looking forward to an apple instead of a chocolate bar. The chances are it will never be easy, but with willpower it can be done.