The four best ways to stay steady on your weight-loss path are...

1. Lift the Weight You’ve Lost
A great way to keep yourself from sliding into what-the-hell eating mode when your weight-loss plateaus: use dumbbells that correspond to the number of kilos you’ve already dropped. You can’t possibly forget how far you’ve come when you’re straining to complete three sets of triceps kickbacks with a five-kilo weight. Feel how much you’re struggling to lift? That used to be on your butt!

2. Get Gabbing
Reams of studies prove that support from other people can keep you motivated to lose weight. And a new study from the University of Kansas shows that dieters who get counselling over the phone lose just as much as those who get it face to face. So if you can’t make that 5pm Weight Watchers meeting, get on the phone to someone who will motivate you.

3. Call on Your Inner Cheapskate
You don’t blow off the dentist, even though having your teeth drilled is about the most un-fun thing you can imagine. Why? Because you’ll get charged whether you show or not. Consider buying a package of personal training sessions and scheduling all your appointments now. Ditto with yoga or dance classes: buy a bunch in advance and sign up at the same time. Who would throw away workouts that are already paid for?

4. Become a Class Regular
Join a group exercise class and make friends with your fellow regulars. Seeing your pals will inspire you to attend even when you feel like playing hooky. The guilt factor – always highly motivating – can help here too. After all, in a place where everybody knows your name, they’ll also know when you’ve missed a workout.