Eleven is the magic number today being 11.11.11, so here are eleven top tips to help you plug into the magic and lose weight.

1. ‘Break the Fast’ and start your day with a good meal. Porridge and wholegrains are in the news today and will give you great slow releasing carbohydrates to fuel you through the morning and help avoid that chocolate biscuit fix at elevensies.

2. Avoid sugary snacks and choose options such as a piece of fruit with a handful of nuts or an oat biscuit with hummus.

3. Cut back on your starchy carbohydrates. Meals packed with pasta, potatoes, biscuits, cake and too much bread can quickly pile on the pounds.

4. Try eating 5 portions of vegetables and two portions of fruit a day. These are packed with nutrients, will fill you up and help you avoid reaching for the more fattening snacks.

5. See if you can break those bad snacking habits. If you always reach for a biscuit or chocolate at a particular time of day, distract yourself, do something else at that time (go for a walk, tidy a drawer) and tell yourself you can have it in half an hour if you still want it. Chances are the moment will have passed!

6. Cut back on your alcohol intake to help do up your trousers! Alcohol is effectively pure sugar and empty calories so can encourage quick weight gain; particularly around the waist.

7. Don’t eat whilst watching the TV. If you are distracted when you eat, you are likely to miss your body signalling that you have had enough and will therefore eat more.

8. Watch your portion size. Try eating off two side plates rather than one large dinner plate, with vegetables/salad on one and your protein on the other.

9. Grate cinnamon on your porridge. Cinnamon can help regulate your blood sugar to moderate the peaks and troughs of energy which can send you running for a sugar hit.

10. Add ginger, spices or mustard to your meals. These are thought to increase your metabolic rate and help burn fat more quickly.

11. Drink more water. We often reach for food when we think we are hungry and are, in fact, really thirsty. Green tea is also a good alternative to black tea or coffee since it is also thought to help burn fat.

• Tweet