Whether you decide to choose scales vs the tape measure you should set yourself mini milestones. However each week you can also have a mini-mini milestone which might be to lose 5lbs or to lose 1cm off your hips.

If you achieve this little goal it is always a good idea to give yourself a mini-treat. It might just be something simple like a magazine or a cup of coffee in a coffee shop, or alternatively you can find a calorific snack; half a chocolate bar; low fat chocolate mousse; or add an extra 100 or 200 calories onto one your main meals that night (and only that night!) and allow yourself some cream, blue cheese or a small piece of fried chicken.

If all of these things featured regularly in your diet it would contribute to weight gain, however if you allow yourself to limit them in your diet while you are learning a new eating pattern, and only eat them when you achieve a goal, they will become “treats�?, which is what chocolate should be in the first place! And lets not forget how good everything tastes when it has been earned or won!

Create a weigh-in day

It is also a good idea to only measure or weigh yourself ONCE a week. It needs to be the same day and the same time each week if you want an accurate reflection of your body’s change.

Making sure you weigh yourself at the same time each week is really important as your weight can dramatically fluctuate during the day depending on how much food you eat, water you drink and exercise you do!

I recommend weighing yourself first thing in the morning just after you get out of bed. This way you have had a night's sleep and your body has had a chance to relax and process all of the previous days food.

You are generally your lightest first thing in the morning, therefore it also might be a little more motivating than weighing yourself just before you go to bed, when you are at your heaviest.