We all know the recipe to reducing weight: Eat less calories and unhealthy foods, and exercise more. This sounds simple enough, but in everyday life it is quite often anything but simple.

Drink plenty of water and calorie-free beverages is the obvious first tip. Drinking plain water is still the best there is, but if this is a bit to plain for you try adding a splash of lemon of other fruit to it. This doesn't contain any extra calories and not too many sugars, so as long as you do this with moderation you won't gain weight. Infused teas are also very good as they don't contain calories but still have a pleasant flavour. Too often people think they're hungry while in fact they are actually thirsty. We are terribly out of tune with our bodies and misinterpret the signs it gives us. So next time you're hungry, try drinking a glass of ice cold water instead of eating something. This way you'll avoid some unnecessary calories and some preventable overweight as well.

Focus on healthy nutritional products that you can add to your weight management instead of only thinking about what you can't or shouldn't have. Start by focussing on getting the 5 to 9 servings of fruit and vegetables per day. This is obviously very healthy, but you're also less likely to overeat because fruits and vegetables displace fat in the diet. If you're not that great on those lovely nutritional veges, try working them into meals instead of serving them as sides on a plate. You can also consult your health expert about the use of certain mineral and vitamin supplements.

Consider every time you're in front of the fridge whether or not you're really that hungry. Do you really need to eat? When you feel like eating, look for the physical signs of hunger. According to Michelle May, author of the book ‘Am I hungry?' hunger is your body's way of telling that you need fuel. So when a craving doesn't come from hunger, eating will never satisfy it. After whatever you've eaten you should feel better, and not bloated, tired or stuffed. Keep the size of your portions reasonable and learn to recognize what your body wants and if it's not your mind that's playing a trick on you. Eating when you're not hungry is a major cause of obesity.

Prevent mindless eating, which is a major cause of obesity as well. This usually occurs after dinner or later in the evening when you sit down and relax. You're in front of the television and out comes the bag of cookies or chips. The foods contain a lot of calories and you'll be munching away on it without really noticing it or enjoying the food. There are two ways around it. The first -rather radical- way is to lock the kitchen. The second way is to stock up on low calorie products which you can snack on.

Research has shown that completely putting your favourite food off limits will actually lead to weight gain. It triggers what is called rebound overeating. So don't completely cut your favourite food out, but become a bit more clever about it instead. Buy instead of a box of cookies, one nice cookie from the bakery. You can still enjoy what you really like, just do so moderately.

Exercise, work out and be physically active. Don't work out with the idea of working off the kilo's that you've put on or punishing yourself because you ate to much calorie-rich food last night at that social function. Try to focus instead on how great your work out makes you feel and look, how much more energy you have, what it contributes towards your natural health and how much better your sleep at night.

Approach your diet from a positive angle and look at the bright side of everything you do. Losing weight and working out increases your overall wellness. Be aware of this and you'll easily lose that excess weight.