Lulu: I’m not sure how wise it is to begin your challenge on April Fools Day, but good luck anyway! Don’t forget to put plenty of easy-to-finish items on your list and make all your goals very specific – there’s nothing worse than not knowing exactly when to cross it off.

As for weight loss, I made a few big changes initially that I’ve since made habit. I took a month off chocolate altogether, gradually reduced salt and sugar, and thought long and hard about carbs. While I don’t believe in cutting them out completely, I found that I was often just eating them out of habit. Plan every meal around veggies first, then add protein, and then a small amount of carbs. I think I had that upside down until I re-examined things.

Most days I’ll have a sandwich with 2 pieces of bread, OR toast for breakfast – never both. I eat a lot of steamed veggies and salads, upped the legumes and eat a variety of nuts and fruit for snacks. Although most nuts are high in fat, it’s the good kind!

Remember to keep up your calcium, as that seems to be a commonly missed ingredient when we diet. It’s too important to ignore.

As for exercise, do as much as you can – whenever you have time! Before I was working fulltime I set myself a challenge to walk to the city and home a few times a week, and that really kickstarted things for me. Once my general fitness improved a little (it doesn’t take long to notice a difference) I began the “Couch to 5k” running program at Coolrunning. I plan to write a post about it soon, so look out for it. Aside from that I also use my basic little stepper machine in front of the TV, and am beginning strength exercises.

I know it’s nothing revolutionary, but I hope these tips help!