It's amazing what people will do to achieve the perfect beach body! I entered "diet" into Google and it came up with over 29 million websites.

South Beach, Atkins, Zone and Weight Watchers are still popular, but people are also following apple-only, cabbage-only, soup-only diets - they must be desperate and very, very hungry.

And the thing with diets is this - absolutely nothing can beat food that is rich in complex carbs, quality protein, fibre, antioxidants and good essential fats.

You'll also need to avoid refined sugar, saturated fat, caffeine and alcohol, and exercise frequently if you really want to get good results. I'm often asked for my opinion on diets, especially by no or low-carb dieters and I feel like I'm leading a one-woman crusade against Atkins and Co!

Please, please do not cut carbs out of your diet entirely, this is unsafe and ultimately you may put on more weight than you lose!

Two "diets" that I do recommend are The Holford Diet and The Food Doctor Diet - both are safe, enjoyable and advocate a healthy approach to food forever, rather than causing the yo-yo effect!

However even when people find a healthy diet to follow, it is common to make a slow start or hit a plateau where progress slows or ceases altogether.

Restricting the naughty foods, yet struggling to lose weight can be depressing and de-motivating, but it may be happening for a number of reasons.

If you find that you are struggling with your new regime, don't give up on healthy eating and exercise, but do consider the following points:

Be realistic - Many people that diet have been out of shape for a number of years, sometimes for their whole lives!

Be realistic, it takes time to reeducate your body, to speed up your metabolism, to adapt to new eating and training habits! As your metabolism speeds up, as your nutrient level rises and as your body detoxifies, you should see your progress accelerate.

Motivation - Try turning "I wish that I could…." into "I am determined to…" Write down your goals and go over them at the end of each day, and perhaps link up with a diet/training buddy - chances are that they will remotivate you when you lose heart and vice versa.

And remember, if you do have a bad day, don't worry - we all do. Just start over again the next day rather than using it as an excuse to give up entirely.

Never say never! - No matter how much you enjoy your new regime, it would be awfully depressing to never have chocolate again!

Many people I know ban their favourite (but naughty) foods for months at a time, but then give in and go wildly off track. For most people, there's very little harm in treats if you keep them as that, treats!

I see more success in those that allow themselves one or two treats a week, but are superhealthy for the rest of the time. It's much easier to resist a craving for something if you only have to wait till the weekend to have it, rather than waiting till Christmas!

Little mistakes - Be absolutely honest with yourself. Do you have the odd candy? Some sugar in your coffee? An extra helping? Do you keep saying "just this once"? Are you buying flavoured (sugary) yoghurts? Little mistakes add up and can interfere with your progress. Stick to your programme as much as you possibly can. The caloric difference between being on target and being overweight is smaller than you think.

Workout potential - You can maximise the fat-burning /muscle building effect of your workout by consulting a personal trainer. One session is often all you need to refresh your workout and update your programme.

Alcohol - Liquid calories. Need I say more?! If you are drinking, always, always avoid sugary mixers and preferably choose red wine as it is high in antioxidants.

Blood Sugar - Blood sugar imbalance is the most common cause of persistent weight gain. Dips in blood sugar cause cravings. Peaks in blood sugar cause excess sugar to be stored as fat.

Make sure that you only eat slow-releasing carbs (e.g. wholewheat bread, brown rice, fruit) and make sure you avoid refined carbs (e.g. sugar, glucose, syrups, white rice and white bread) and caffeine.

Try replacing sugary snacks with fruit and unroasted nuts, and replace caffeine or sodas with diluted fruit juice or herb teas.

Toxicity - If you have a high toxin level, your liver may be unable to detoxify your system adequately. Circulating toxins are harmful, so your body stores them out of harms way - in fat cells.

Clever. Except that your body will be reluctant to break down fat cells that contain toxins if the liver will be unable to detoxify them.

Causes of toxicity can include: constipation, high alcohol, food intolerance, illnesses, high processed/fatty/sugary foods and dehydration.

Signs of toxicity can include headaches, dark circles under the eyes, dull or congested skin, itching, nausea in the morning and hormone imbalance. If you think this is relevant to you, see next weeks article!

Food Intolerance - This can cause bloating and water retention, contribute to weight gain and can generate toxins (see above.) Also constipation/diarrhoea, headaches, fatigue, nausea, anal itching, acne, eczema and anxiety. Try keeping a food/symptom diary and look for patterns, bearing in mind that certain symptoms can take several days to manifest themselves.

However, this is a tricky area and it is best to seek professional advice - certainly don't eliminate whole food groups without consulting a nutritionist or dietician!

Hormone imbalance - This can contribute to fat storage and fluid retention, as well as PMS, PCOS, Endometriosis, heavy/painful periods and skin problems.

Ensure you are having your good fats, plenty of mineral water, and low sugar, caffeine and alcohol. Also avoid oily foods in plastic packaging as recent research has shown that the artificial oestrogens in plastic often migrate into fatty foods.

It's especially important to avoid heating fatty foods in plastic containers (e.g. microwave meals - place the food in a glass dish or on a plate instead.)

Nutrient deficiency - Some nutrient deficiencies result in a slow metabolic rate and poor energy production. Make sure you eat a wide range and colour of healthy foods as different foods contain different nutrients. Taking a good quality multi-vitamin and mineral can help to prevent deficiencies - it's best to seek advice from a good health store.

Dehydration - It's very simple but make sure you drink two litres of water daily. Dehydration slows metabolism and causes bloating.

Hypothyroidism - An underactive thyroid can also slow metabolism. Symptoms can include: very cold hands and feet, high cholesterol, muscle and joint aches, headaches, constipation, low sex drive, rough dry skin, dry hair, poor concentration/memory, hypertension, numbness in arms/legs, depression and hearing loss. Please consult your doctor if you think this may be relevant for you.

Catherine Burns is a fully qualified clinical nutritionist. You can contact her on 291-4725 or clinicalnutrition@gmail.com. The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns.