Forget the hype of the latest fad diet .. the plain truth is if you have too many calories for your body to metabolise then you will put on fat, it's that simple.  The good news is this doesn't happen in a day, it is generally thought to happen over the course of a week so if you pig out one day then reduce calories the next it will generally balance out. 



Only do this as a last resort though because your body needs the nutrition every day to help you not only stay healthy but reduce that excess fat. 



It is generally agreed that the average woman needs about 1600 to 2500 calories a day and any reduction in that will make our bodies turn to fat deposits as a source of food.   The 2500 calories is just a guideline and you have to look at how much exercise you are doing and take into account if you have a high or low metabolism. 



The best advice is that before you go on a diet understand how many calories you are currently having per week (be honest), if you are currently on 2400 and you are still putting on weight then you have a slower metabolism then usual and you will need to reduce more than the average woman. 



Reduce your portion size it is that simple. Forget all the hype about carbs, the main thing is to have a balanced diet, you should be able to eat everything you currently do (maybe even add some veg) but in reduced portions. 



Do you remember being told as a child to eat everything on your plate because there were children starving in the world?  Well forget it … think clearly and say how will it help those children if I leave some food .. it won’t, a great way to reduce your portion size without thinking about it is  to eat slowly and close your eyes, your eyes tell you there is more food there so you carry on eating.



This is not rocket science, eat healthy small portions about 5 times a day, think breakfast (7.00am-9am), elevensy’s (11.00am-11.45am) Lunch (12.30pm-1.45pm), tea (4.00pm-5.00pm) and supper (6.00pm-7.30pm).  Try not to eat after 8pm as the body has slowed down and you are unlikely to be doing any exercise so it is more likely that the body will lay down fat. 



If you are they type of person who doesn’t like breakfast then have a cereal bar or something when you get to work.  Remember the body uses calories to digest food, so little and often helps our bodies burn more calories. Also, if you like you can include some super foods into this i.e. breakfast could consist of a boiled egg and 1 slice of wholemeal bread.  (you can use a scraping of butter if you like but keep it light). 



It has been proven that going to work on an egg can actually help you lose weight as it makes you feel full, and the wholemeal bread consists of complex carbohydrates which will release sugar slowly into the blood which keeps your sugar levels balanced (which stops you craving for high sugar foods and snacks) it also makes your body work harder to release those nurturance.



Exercise can and does help as it increases the amount of calories you burn but don't rely on exercise, a very common mistake people make is to do some exercise and say to themselves "well now I can eat that extra portion" which means you have just wasted your exercise if you were using it to help loose weight "I think we have all be guilty of this".



Good luck, oh and forget the hype about having 2 litres of water a day, just make sure you are drinking enough and you are not thirsty, water is good but so are other beverages, tea is a great source of anti-oxidants and can be counted towards your water intake too, it is best to stay from fizzy drinks though because even if they are diet drinks they can make you crave sugar.