At the start of every year, thousands of people resolve to lose weight. By the end of February, most of these resolutions are forgotten. Follow these top 10 diet tips to achieve your weight loss goals this year.

1.     Decide on a start date. Plan to start on a specific date; don’t just drift into a new eating plan. Monday is a great day to start – it is the start of a fresh new week, you are rested after the weekend and usually have more energy. Have a ready-to-get-into-it attitude.

2.     Write down a meal plan in advance; don’t leave it to chance. Shop ahead of time so the ingredients are on hand and you avoid having to go back into the grocery store. Remove all non-healthy food from your cupboards.

3.     Decide on snacks as well as meals and have them prepared ahead of time. If you can just grab a snack, you will be less likely to just grab a junk food snack instead. Have cut up carrot and celery sticks in the fridge, a container of almonds and walnuts on hand, the makings of a healthy smoothie, fresh fruit etc.

4.     Never skip meals. Many people believe that skipping meals is a good thing because it reduces the calorie intake. Actually, it is one of the worst things you can do if you are serious about losing weight. Lack of food in the stomach slows the metabolism which stops fat burning. You need to keep your metabolism performing, by feeding it, so the body will burn the calories.

5.     Avoid hunger. Feeling hungry is the thing to avoid at all costs when trying to lose weight. Plan to eat 6 small meals and snacks a day or eat every 2 or 3 hours to keep your metabolism at premium levels. These are not all full meals – 3 meals and 3 snacks is what to plan for. You will find it so much easier to stick to your healthy eating plan if you are not hungry.

6.     Every meal and snack needs to consist of some protein and carbohydrate. Sugary and fatty snacks don’t have any lasting power and actually encourage you to eat more. Healthy snacks of protein and carbs will keep you satisfied with loads of energy.

7.     Exercise is a vital part of weight loss. To lose weight you need to burn more calories than you eat; cardio exercise burns calories. You must include cardio exercise in your weight loss plan. The recommended amount of cardio is 30 to 45 minutes on 3 to 5 days a week, but work up to this gradually.

8.     Build muscle. Muscle is your friend in the weight loss battle. Muscle burns more calories than fat and so you need to build more muscle. Include some weight training or resistance work to your plan.

9.    Drink more water. Water keeps you hydrated, keeps you from feeling hungry and is a great asset in your weight loss toolkit. Drink 8 glasses of chilled water every day. (Cold water needs calories burned to bring it to body temperature)

10.    Start a journal. Create a food journal to track what you eat each day, what exercise you did, what challenges you had, how you felt during the day, little tips you pick up and healthy recipes you find. In fact, use your journal to track and inspire and record your weight loss progress.

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