Feel great: ANNIE DEADMAN IS HERE TO HELP YOU, THE EASY WAY!

‘The best way to measure success

If you only read one column of mine in this magazine over the next six months, make it this one. As we embark on January, with all its hope and promise, the words I write here won’t sit comfortably and you’ll want to protest and convince yourself I’m wrong. But just hear me out. It’s about how you measure progress when starting your ‘new year, new you’ fat-loss plan. Yes, fat-loss. Not weight-loss. Understanding the difference will save you a lot of disappointment.

Our weight is the sum total of our body. Muscle, bone, fat, tendons, organs and lots of water (60% water actually). If you’re constipated, you’ll weigh more. If you have a cold, you’ll weigh more. If you have your period, you’ll weigh more. Hormones, stress, illness – none of those have anything to do with fat, but they will influence what the scales say.