1. Leaving all the fat in a casserole or minced-meat dish: There's a worthwhile calorie difference between ordinary mince and lean mince. Consider paying a bit more for the average 30 calorie per oz saving which lean mince gives you. Even when you've trimmed off all visible fat from stewing steak or bought the leanest mince available, a lot of hidden fat can still be found in a cooked dish. You can skim off quite a lot of fat by dabbing lightly with absorbent kitchen paper across the hot surface. Even better, is to let the dish cool and when the congealed fat is easy to see, remove it before you re-heat. A good idea is to microwave mince on high power for approximately 4 mins and then drain off the liquid fat.

2. Finishing up to be tidy: The spoon-lick round the custard bowl (approx. 20 calories) and the crumbly stray bits of cheese (60 calories) can easily take you over your slimming allowance. You probably don't realise it because these little extras aren't part of your main meal. However, these can add up to a sizeable amount of extra calories. The golden slimming tactic is to throw away any leftovers that aren't big enough in quantity to save for another serving. Don't be a dustbin. Don't let yourself think “I'll finish this last chocolate and throw the box away, or it's a shame to waste toddler Becky's unfinished dinner”, etc. If toddler Becky didn't finish her dinner, she was wiser than you are. She wasn't hungry and didn't need those extra calorie

3. Drinking calorie laden drinks when you're thirsty: When the body says it's thirsty, it is asking for water. It isn't demanding sugary hot drinks, coke, lemonade or alcohol. It's habit that makes us look around for that little liquid extra to please the eye and the palate. There is no snag (except expense) providing your drinks are no-or-low calorie. Just the same, it's a good new habit to quench thirst with no-calorie water before you move on to any other kind of drink. This habit is particularly useful at parties and in pubs. It's thirst, rather than a taste for the strong stuff, that so often leads to a higher alcohol intake than sense or slimming would sanction!

4. Eating by the clock: Time for elevenses...for lunch...for dinner.....for supper. Have you ever thought just how much eating is dominated by what the clock say and not by what your stomach dictates? For the adult person in normal health, regular mealtimes are a social habit rather than a health requirement and an awful lot of superfluous calories get eaten because the hands of the clock say it's time to drop everything and get to the table! One of the best get slim and stay slim habits you can form is to eat when you're hungry. Don't be afraid to postpone or skip a meal because you don't actually crave food. Don't let the clock bully you into thinking you're hungry because the time says you should be. Don't use a meal or snack as a punctuation mark during your day when a simple sit-down with just a cup of tea or coffee is sufficient as a break.

5. Preserving the pudding habit: You probably grew up to expect rice pudding or something similar to follow your main course. It’s part of the British way of life! Well, it's a tradition that helps account for the pear shape many female Brits moan about. If you're trying to lose weight, the traditional sweet course can be a real calorie hazard because it tempts you to eat more. How often have you greeted the suggestion of more vegetables with a heartfelt, "no thanks, I couldn't manage another thing" and then along comes the pudding and suddenly you find the room for those extra calories! It isn't hunger that drives you. It's the temptation offered by a different taste sensation. There's nothing wrong with wanting to end a good meal with something sweet, but it doesn't have to be a whole heaped helping of dessert. Break this habit by serving fresh fruit instead.