Imagine this scenario:

You're in your late forties (or early fifties) and you've just started a new diet. For the last few weeks, you've been trying to follow it religiously.

As part of the diet, you've been eating foods that you don't really like. You've also had to eat...

What do you think you need to do to lose weight?

Do you think that succeeding at weight loss involves sacrifice and suffering? You're not alone. Most women over 40 think that weight loss involves some combination of:

One. Starving yourself (or at least drastically cutting back what you eat)

Imagine a woman who is 53 and has been seeing her personal trainer twice a week for a year. Despite this she hasn't lost any weight.

Of course, the health benefits of regular exercise (quite aside from losing weight) are undisputed. Exercise makes you healthier, fitter, gives you more energy...

Here is a question I was recently asked by one of my readers:

"I am trying to lose weight by cutting down and thinking about what I eat. However, I don't know what to do when I feel hungry.

Does the thought of trying to lose weight make you feel stressed?

You're not alone. And in my experience, getting stressed about your weight loss is one of the biggest obstacles to success.

People who get stressed about their weight loss are much more likely to give up.

But...

What comes to mind when you decide you need to lose weight? Pain? Terror? Suffering?

The 'diet mentality' emphasises the 'no pain- no gain' approach to weight loss, which makes weight loss seem painful and intimidates many people. This stops them taking action.

This is so destructive because it means...

It's prime time for weight loss. January is the time when many people decide to do really something about their weight. This is the time when gym's get over-run with new members and every second person you speak to is starting a new diet.

And most people, when they consider...

Woody Allen famously said that "80% of success is showing up". And when it comes to losing weight, it's essential for success.

For weight loss, what does "showing up" mean? It means making a commitment to stick to your weight loss programme no matter what.

Weight loss is not a...

Why are celebrity weight loss stories so compelling? Obviously part of it is the same reason why people read about celebrities in general. But there is an added factor with the weight loss story: the hope that you will learn about some new way to revolutionise your own weight loss.

Why is it, that even when you have a handle (most of the time) on all the other things in your life, you can't seem to get control over your weight?

And given that what you eat is probably one of the few things that you do have absolute...

What's the best way for a woman over 40 to lose weight? The most common advice is to go on some kind of diet.

As a weight loss doctor, I spend my working life helping women over 40 lose weight, and what I most frequently hear from them is that...

There is nothing worse than feeling like you are doing all the right things and still not getting anywhere. When it comes to losing weight, there are a lot of women who are frustrated and demoralised because they feel like no matter what they do, they can't get their weight...

Carrie Fisher, the actress who played Princess Leia in Star Wars has apparently gained back weight after announcing a 50 pound weight loss last year.

What went wrong?

With anyone who loses weight and gains it back, I believe that most people focus on the period after...

While most of the world seems to be fixated on diets as the solution to weight problems, most women who are over 40 and overweight, know (from personal experience) that diets don't work. In fact as women get older, it becomes harder and harder to lose weight.

Even diets...

What is the secret to being slim?

Many people will tell you that it's willpower. If you have willpower you can resist temptation, only eat foods that are good for you and live a healthy lifestyle.

I don't agree with this. In fact I think the willpower myth has undermined...

The celebrity chef, Nigella Lawson, had been reported to have lost up to three stone recently. However, unlike most celebrities who lose weight, she had not attributed this to a miracle diet programme, which was highly unusual.

As it turns out, the reason for her weight loss was actually...

Lady Gaga has recently been in trouble for this tweet:

Just killed back to back spin classes. Eating a salad dreaming of a cheeseburger #PopSingersDontEat #IWasBornThisWay

— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) April 10, 2012

Lady Gaga found out that it's ok to dream of...

It's reported that Adele has gone on a health kick to lose weight after a health scare. She wants to drop two dress sizes.

Her health kick has involved quitting smoking, going on a vegetarian diet with her partner and working out twice a week with a personal trainer.

So...

Jamie Oliver was recently in the news after an Australian journalist asked him about his weight.

But this begs the question: how does a celebrity chef lose or manage their weight?

Specifically, Jamie Oliver has three things going against him:
1. He's in an industry...

Beyoncé is well on her way to losing 30 pounds of weight she gained after having her baby. That's great for her, but what interests me more is how it affects others trying to lose weight.

No matter how much we say that we are not influenced by others...