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(c) Copyright Kim Beardsmore

Did you know that when you are on a diet, if you eat something and no one sees you - it doesn’t contain any calories! Don't we wish!

Are you a secret snacker? Do you eat when you are bored, upset, angry? Does every day mean a chocolate bar for you? Snacking…the secret sins of most people wanting to lose weight.

As a wellness mentor I find that people are often feeling so guilty about snacking they are embarrassed to talk about it openly. Women in particular laugh nervously when I ask them what happens to their food consumption around 4pm. This often is time of day when “Snack Monster” rises up and takes control of them! Often these women berate themselves with ideas about being weak and out of control. They either eventually give up on their diet altogether or develop counter thoughts so they don’t feel so bad. “It didn’t really matter - it is fat free”. Or, “if no one notices, calories don’t count”.

Your diet does not have to be like this.

You can lose weight without being hungry. You can learn to take control of “Snack Monster” and your program can be one to set you up for success, not failure.

An important key is to learn how to recognize what your body requires, signals it gives you, and learn how to respond to those signals appropriately – diet and guilt are two words that do not belong together.

Hunger is body’s way of telling us we need to replenish depleted nutrients. Unfortunately our body can’t say “I need more vitamin D”. That would make things so easy! Many of us interpret hunger pains as our body saying “I need more fat”, “I need more sugar”.

At risk of oversimplifying a complex set of interactions, typical Western diet - high in saturated fats, sugar and refined flours - which may lead to obesity; may also act to stimulate growth of cancer cells.

The interaction of diet and development of cancer is an active field of research and Dr David Heber, M.D., Ph.D. and author of "What Color is Your Diet", says "It appears that diet has its most significant effects after cancer has already formed, acting to inhibit or stimulate growth of that cancer".

Women who are obese after menopause have a 50% higher relative risk of breast cancer. This is just one of notable documented links between obesity and cancer.

It is never too late to improve your health through healthful eating and adopting a more health-giving lifestyle. Here are simple steps to follow which can make an immediate improvement to your health and vitality.

1. Check your Body Mass Index (BMI) to determine if weight has become health risk. You can check your BMI at http://www.leanmachine.org

2. Match your diet to your body's requirements. If you eat and drink more calories than your body requires you will put on weight. Learn to control calories and portion sizes, make recipes leaner, and eat infrequently from fast food restaurants. Also learn how to snack with healthful choices.