When starting a healthy eating or weight loss plan, the morning is the easiest time to stick to it. As the day progresses, it can become increasingly difficult to stay on track as various factors play out. Here are some great ways to beat those late night cravings before they beat you!

Looking at Hayley Lewis now, former Olympian, mother of two, and slender host of Channel 10’s popular weightloss reality program, The Biggest Loser, it’s hard to imagine that weight has ever been an issue for her.

Putting mind, body and spirit to the test, Fernwood’s 12 Week ‘Get Foxy’ Challenge 2011 winner proves that with the ultimate self-challenge comes the ultimate reward.

You’ve completed the hectic holiday party circuit, and now your body is suffering the aftermath. Enlist these tactics for beating the post-season bulge in 2012.

Don't resign yourself to putting on extra weight this silly season. You can still have all the fun and prevent extra weight gain and sluggishness this year by following some simple guidelines.

Weight loss is a simple equation. Losing weight requires you to burn more kilojoules that you take in. Over a period of time, if your energy intake is less than your output, you will lose weight. Dieting alone can allow you to achieve weight loss – but it can be a pretty hard path to stick to, and even harder to maintain.

Embracing moderation can be difficult, especially when you consider just how indulgent chocolate can be. At least one study has revealed that 50% of women prefer chocolate to sex. Another study in Britain last year (2007) suggested that eating dark chocolate was more rewarding than passionate kissing.

They are staging their counter-attack in the fatosphere with a battle cry that big really is beautiful. Bloggers with names like FatChicksRule and Fatgrrl are using their wits and wiles to call for greater acceptance of fat in society. It’s innovative but it’s also an uphill battle.

Identifying the triggers and patterns of emotional eating is the first step to curbing eating habits and breaking the patterns. When emotional eating strikes, try to focus on one of the following exercises:

The story on belly fat just got worse. Already linked to a host of medical conditions like Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers, it has now been associated with an increased risk of dementia in old age.

Follow these top tips from Fernwood Women’s Health Club to combat excess weight gain, keep you feeling healthy and looking great all year round:

“Over the last 20 years, women have been bombarded and misled with the many diet products and plans on the market that have promised quick fixes to weight loss. The one thing that has not changed during that time is the one truth in the health and fitness industry - that the only safe way to lose weight and keep it off is to combine a healthy eating plan with regular exercise, “ Diana says.

“This is not news to us,” says Nic Linford, who manages Fernwood’s Slimplicity Program. “In the twenty years that Fernwood has been around, we have always maintained that the key to weight loss is limiting the calories you consume and burning off more calories with regular exercise which includes strength training.”