Wouldn’t dieting be easier if you could lock yourself away from the rest of the world and get on with your diet in peace? No friends trying to talk you into that cream cake, no temptation to finish off the kid’s teatime leftovers, no adverts on television showing you those lovely chocolate bars and no thinking of what you are going to eat tonight and what you’re going to prepare the family, but it needn’t be like that, you can prepare sensible meals for you and your family, without spending hours in the kitchen.

When shopping always make a list and more importantly - stick to it. If sweets and biscuits are your downfall, only buy a limited amount and tell the family that they have to last the whole week.

Swap to low fat alternatives for foods such as margarine, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, mayonnaise etc. - the family will never tell the difference. The same with pop - diet and low sugar drinks taste just the same, but with very few calories. Remember that bottled or water straight from the tap will quench your thirst and has no calories at all! Switch the whole family to skimmed milk. Stock up on slimmer friendly foods like fresh vegetables and fruit, try the more unusual vegetables and fruit that your supermarket stocks these days.

Read the labels, especially on convenience foods, but try to distinguish between the foods that are genuinely low in fat and those with healthy sounding names, or worse still, small portions!

The golden rule in the kitchen is not to add fat or vegetable oil whilst cooking. Grill, bake or poach foods rather than frying or roasting in fat or oil. It may take time to get used to the new flavours, but you’ll save hundreds of calories.

Try using fresh or dried herbs and spices to flavour your foods and liven them up. These will give your taste buds a tingle, without adding any calories to the food.

Use your freezer to keep a stock of time saving foods for when you’re in a rush. Theres nothing like being short of time, to make you prepare a meal that just isn’t suitable when you’re on a diet. Keep low fat ice cream in the freezer for when you fancy a treat.

Rather than chips, go for jacket potatoes or boiled. Fill up on white or brown rice and don’t forget there are 1001 different types of pasta to try, but remember not with those creamy sauces poured on top.

Use your microwave to quick thaw foods and to cook dishes with minimal loss of nutrients.

Make sure that non dieting members of the family have access to second helpings of filler foods. Potatoes, pasta, rice and bread help feed their extra energy needs. Try to plan family meals in advance so that you know exactly what you’re going to cook, uncertainty always spells disaster. If part of your meal needs weighing, do it carefully in the kitchen rather than by guessing at the table.

If your family like puddings, you have something as well, that way you won’t feel left out. Try a low-fat yogurt or ice cream, or fresh fruit salad topped with natural low-fat yogurt.

Take a look at your family’s normal diet and try to identify any black spots. Improving the whole family’s eating will benefit them and it will make dieting much easier for you. Have chips become an almost daily part of their diet? Are between meal snacks usually chocolate biscuits or a sticky bun? Are you still buying a lot of high fat foods? Try to encourage them to eat more fruit and fresh vegetables.

Plan meals that you will all enjoy. It’s no good cooking fish, if the family don’t really enjoy fish. But be prepared to try different meals. They might really enjoy the occasional vegetarian meal, or perhaps give them a taste of something they haven’t had before, get them to be more adventurous.

All of Super Slim’s eating plans fit in very well with everyday living and cooking for the family. Breakfasts are easy to plan and your lunch time meal shouldn’t be difficult, but evening meals probably take more planning, isn’t it nice though to sit down at the table all together, enjoy your food and talk over the events of the day.

Remember. with a little planning ahead, you’ll know what your family will be eating and it will make it much easier for you to stick to that diet!!