Most overweight people would like to be thinner but, for many people, making even small changes to their eating habits proves to be a struggle.

The best formula for improving health and controlling weight is to know how to eat sensibly with exercise. It makes sense, therefore, to have an understanding of the correct principles of weight control, i.e. self-discipline, exercising and eating less, as these are the foundation on which to build for achieving short/long term weight-loss. .

People who consume mostly fruits, vegetables and whole grains often find that they can eat as much as they want without gaining weight, especially if they are switching from a diet containing a lot of meat and junk food.

Not only do whole, fresh foods such as grains, herbs and spices delight our senses with their natural tastes and smell, they are also high in fibre and fluid content which means they are absorbed into the system more slowly and so satisfy feelings of hunger more completely.

Processed foods on the other hand, which are made from refined ingredients that are so tasteless they require large amounts of salt, sugar and fat to make them palatable, are not necessarily low in nutritional value, but take far longer to satisfy the appetite and hence we often end up eating more than we need to.

Perhaps our biggest nutritional mistake has been turning away from foods in their natural state. We have replaced them with processed foods that have been modified to last longer for convenience and storage sake.

It is safe to say that by taking exercise and eating healthily, i.e. eating foods with a high ratio of nutrients to calories, you will not gain fat or indeed go hungry - in fact, you will lose weight and be both healthier and fitter, too!