Diet and fitness rules from the experts

Little and often to keep the weight off

'Portion size is vital. Eating the perfect amount of food in the right proportions to create the glucose we need and then eating again within three hours, starts the process of retraining the metabolism to understand that you are in a time of just enough and not too much and certainly not too little to trigger the famine mode. In short, you take in fuel in the morning, use it up, re-fuel mid-morning and again at lunch, snack time and lastly at dinner.' Ian Marber, The Food Doctor Diet Club

Learn about you

'So you had that latte, chocolate chip cookie or bag of crisps. Rather than get mad at yourself (or the food) or the person who 'caused you to eat it', learn from what you did and move on. Why did you eat what you did? Pinpoint the reason and then think up constructive ways to overcome that problem in the future.' David Kirsch, The Ultimate New York Diet

Water feature

'Drink at least eight glasses (around 2.2 litres) of pure water every day. Start by drinking a large glass of pure water with every meal, including snacks. I even drink a large glass of water when I wake up in the morning.' Jorgen De Mey, The Action Hero Workout

Tummy toners

'When you're sitting in your car or at your desk, tense your middle as you would at the start of a crunch. Sit up straight and pull your abs in for 60 seconds at a time, at least once an hour. Anytime you feel them going slack throughout your day, tighten them up again.' David Zinczenko, The Abs Diet

Weight watchers

'Experts now agree that to most efficiently shed fat, you must do resistance training to build lean muscle tissue. Lean muscle helps you to rev up your metabolism, no matter how sluggish.' Jorge Cruise, 8 Minutes In The Morning For Lean Hips and Thin Thighs

Stretch it out

'There's more to stretching than just avoiding injury. By gently extending the range of movement in joints and muscles you open up new performance possibilities. Longer strides when running, or strokes when swimming, and better skiing technique are among the potential benefits of extended flexibility.' Steve Shipside, Win At The Gym

Pilates power

'Pilates is also just the thing for non-dancers looking to tone up and learn how to use their bodies because, apart from strengthening the muscles, it will also give you a real sense of your body and how it moves.' Darcey Bussell, Darcey Bussell's Dance Body Workout

Metabolism meltdown

'It is common for people who exercise hard to feel hot and 'racing' for several hours after a workout, which is a visible sign of a raised metabolic rate. After-burn, the result of a high metabolism is now known to be a fundamental part of long-term fat loss, and it is essential for the maintenance of a lean body. Thus a high metabolic rate is one of the most valuable and effective ways of losing weight.' Matt Roberts, The PHA Workout