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Trying to get your weight under control? Then try these simple tips to make life a whole lot easier.

1. Keep healthy snacks at the front of the fridge or cupboard in clear containers. Put unhealthy snacks at the back of the cupboard or fridge, in plain dark containers.

2. Eat 5-6 small meals a day to perk up your metabolism. But don't increase the total amount you eat in a day. Include some low-fat protein in with each meal.

3. Don't despair if you've been struggling for years to lose weight - you now know lots of ways that don't work. Think about the ways that you've tried ' do they give you any clues about what might work? Trying what you've tried before isn't the way to success.

4. Keeping a food diary can help you eat better. Write down everything you eat. You may be surprised at the junk or the quantity you actually eat. Often writing down everything you eat means you end up eating less and you chose healthier options.

5. Don't order a large portion in a restaurant and think it's OK because you've ordered a 'lite' drink or used a no-calorie sweetener.

6. Most people take 3000-4000 steps a day. For the sake of your health (and your weight) you should be taking at least 10,000. Buy a pedometer and get walking.

7. Just because alcohol doesn't contain chocolate drops, it doesn't mean it's not fattening. As well as the calories, alcohol also stimulates the appetite and increases the flow of gastric juices, so you feel hungrier than you really are. So cut back on alcohol if you want to lose weight.

8. Decide that you will only eat at one place in your home - preferably sitting at a table with no distractions - this will automatically reduce the amount you eat.

9. Fed up? Buy some expensive luxury healthy food items, such as exotic fruit. Don't just stuff yourself with any old food, or cheap but calorie-laden 'treats'.

10. Hungry? Ask yourself: what am I really hungry for? It's often not food.

11. If you're on a diet, ask yourself: Is this a diet I could follow (with some small modifications) for the rest of my life? If not, change the diet.

12. If you're trying to lose weight, motivate yourself by doing it for a good cause and get your friends to sponsor you.