It’s official – diets don’t work. Restricting calories without changing the quality of food and long-term eating habits will most likely lead to the well-known “yo-yo effect”: all the lost pounds will slowly creep back on when pre-diet eating habits are resumed. From my own experience, research and client feedback here are my top 3 weight loss tips.

1) Drink more water. We all know it. Drinking water and staying hydrated is hugely important. Every cell in our body needs water to function properly. But most of us don’t drink enough. Doctors and nutritionists recommend to drink 6-8 glasses of water daily: Have water first thing in the morning, straight out of bed. This will kick start your digestive system and flush out toxins. Also, try to drink a glass of water half an hour before every meal. This will get your digestive system going and help manage appetite. Having a glass of water can also be very helpful when a sugar craving strikes. Have a bottle of water at your desk and aim to finish it each day. Or put up “post-its” around the house reminding you to drink.

2) Eat more veggies. Increase your daily vegetable intake. With every meal, try to eat as many vegetables as you can. Eat them raw, steamed, roasted, blended or cooked. Add them to smoothies, eat them as salads, oven dishes and soups. Make them the centre piece of every meal. By eating more veggies you will naturally crowd out less healthy foods, such as sugars and refined carbs.

3) Cut out sugar and processed foods. There is a lot of discussion about the ideal diet: vegan, vegetarian or paleo? This is a very personal issue and effectiveness of an eating style varies from person to person. We are all unique in our body composition and dietary needs, depending on factors such as age, activity and cultural background. But despite all differences there is one unifying factor: there is clear evidence that too much sugar and processed foods are bad for all of us. If you cut out or reduce the intake of processed foods (anything that comes in packages and has a long ingredient list) you already significantly reduce the amount of sugar in your diet. This will benefit your health and will help you to lose weight.