Also, try to avoid keeping "snack food" in the house eg biscuits, crisps etc because (obviously) if its not there you can't eat it! Always have breakfast as you body stores fat overnight and you need to kick start your metabolism in the morning. I drink green tea which is supposed to help boost metabolism and also nettle tea which is supposed to help suppress appetite. (I eat quite a lot and maintain my weight so I think they work for me). They may not be to your taste, but you will get used to them if you stick with it. (Plus, if you drink 4 cups of green tea a day it is supposed to reduce your risk of a stroke by half).

I also read somewhere (sorry - can't remember where) that dieters who had two low fat dairy products per day lost more weight in the same time than those who avoided dairy products - something to do with the calcium being needed by the body to aid weight loss.

There are some good websites out there that offer good advice - try the BBC and also NHS 5-a-day which tells you what size portions are re fruit and veg and there are also some recipes which are quite nice.