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Want to get rid of the excess baggage you carry with you which infact you hate the most? Read on…

1. The Diet

A bestseller in Australia, the Total Wellbeing Diet (TWD) is the result of studies carried out at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, the country& government research laboratory. This eating plan is less contentious than Atkins, simpler to follow than the GI diet and combines the best elements of the two. More important, it promises to help even the most reluctant dieter to shed a stone and a half in 12 weeks. You don’t risk the side effects of energy slumps, headaches, constipation and bad breath, but neither do you go hungry. Experts from the British Dietetic Association give it the thumbs up. The Total Wellbeing Diet by Manny Noakes (Penguin £9.99)

2. The Spa

Clinique La Prairie in Montreux, Switzerland, is best known for its revitalizing technologies (such as injecting clients with live sheep-embryo cells to boost the immune system), but is equally famous for its two-week weight-loss programme. With a private hospital and resident doctors, Clinique La Prairie is consistently voted the world’s best medical spa, but at £8,200 for 13 nights full-board, it is not cheap. However, with the assistance of a personal trainer, a counselor to get you emotionally primed for a thinner body, lymphatic drainage and anticellulite treatments, inch loss is virtually guaranteed. Best of all, you won’t starve there are no drastic detox diets and the low-fat menu is one you will want to continue when you get home. www.laprairie.ch

3. The Drink

Victoria Beckham, Joss Stone and Jerry Hall are said to be among the fans of Pu-erh tea, an ancient Chinese drink first used 1,700 years ago and renowned for its fat-busting properties. Clinical trials in China have shown that three cups a day for a month can lower blood fats by up to 30%. For weight loss, it is recommended that you drink three cups a day for three months, then a cup a day for weight maintenance. From £37, from Harvey Nichols or www.eternalspring.org.uk

4. The Wonder Drug

Satiatrim, a drink that originated in the United States, is now available in the UK. According to Dr Tanya Little, a researcher at the University of Manchester who has conducted several clinical trials on the supplement, it slows the movement of food through the stomach. The result, she says, is that you feel full more quickly, which, in turn, reduces the amount of food consumed in a subsequent meal. A week’s supply of the ready-made drink version costs £35.95 (plus p&p), from www.victoriahealth.com

5. The Holistic Guru

At his London clinic in Wimpole Street, Nish Joshi has used a fusion of ayurvedic principles and orthodox medicine to help the likes of Sadie Frost, Kate Moss and Patsy Kensit to hone their bodies. Last month, he opened his latest venture, the Joshi Clinic Wellness Centre, in Marylebone, for those seeking the ultimate overhaul. Sign up for a weight-loss programme, and you will undergo a detailed tongue and dietary analysis to check for inadequacies in your current diet, prior to being given a tailored schedule of exercise, nutrition and treatments. Further wellness centers are planned in the UK, as well as New York and Dubai. Membership costs from £95 per month. For details, call 020 7723 2444 or visit www.thejoshiclinic.com

6. The Exercise

Interval training is an exercise technique that gym-goers have used for years to improve cardiovascular fitness. But this summer, researchers at the University of Guelph, in Canada, proved that one hour of interval training (that alternating fast-paced running, swimming or cycling with a slower-paced activity) at least once a week increased fat burning by 36%. If you want something more cutting edge, try lifting Russian kettle bells. Geri Halliwell got rid of her mummy tummy by working out with these cannonballs with handles, which range in size from 8kg to 40kg. Swing and lift them in a variety of ways to use every muscle in the body; the manufacturers claim you can burn up to 1,500 calories an hour. Trainers recommend working with them for one hour, three times a week. Kettle bells cost from £35, from www.optimallifefitness.com

7. The Fashionist Diet Doctor

8. The Diet Book

Jessica Simpson, Eva Mendes and Alicia Keys are among the celebrities who currently have their noses buried in The 5- Factor Diet, a book by the personal trainer Harley Pasternak. The five comes not only from the number of food types each meal should include protein, complex carbs, fiber, fat and fluids but also from the five meals a day she recommends you eat, using recipes containing no more than five ingredients, which take no more than five minutes to prepare and five minutes to cook. There is also a five-day exercise plan consisting of  guess what? five exercises you perform for five minutes each. It sounds faddy, but independent nutritionists from the American Dietetic Association have given it their approval. The 5-Factor Diet (Meredith Books £12.19). For more information and to buy the book, visit www.5factordiet.com

9. The Treatment

There are few spa treatments that will dramatically whittle away pounds from your waistline and hips, but the Elemis Body Sculpting Cellulite and Colon Therapy comes close. If you are hoping to look a little slimmer by next month, then this detoxifying fennel-and-birch peel-off body mask, combined with specialist massage techniques that encourage blood flow and help break down fat cells, could shave off a couple of inches. In independent tests, 96% of women experienced significant improvements on the tape-measure front, having undergone the recommended twice-weekly sessions over four weeks. The treatment costs £90 an hour; www.timetospa.co.uk

10. The Pre-Diet Detox

When Madonna and Beyoncé want to lose a few extra pounds or kick-start a diet, they reportedly embark on the lemon detox, which involves knocking back glassfuls of Madal Bal natural tree syrup. It is formulated from four different Asian palm syrups that are rich in essential minerals; you mix it with the juice of freshly squeezed lemons and a pinch of cayenne pepper. During the five- to 10-day fast, it is recommended that no food is consumed, although those who find it too tough can have one meal a day. Expect to lose up to 2lb a day (Beyoncé reportedly lost 22lb in 10 days), some of which may be regained when you embark on a healthy diet. Nutritionist Amanda Griggs, of the fashionable Balance clinic on the King’s Road in London, and Dr Elizabeth Adalian, lecturer at the Centre for Homeopathic Education in London, are among the experts who support the plan. More than half a million liters of the syrup is sold across 33 countries every year. One litre costs £39.99. For information and stockists, visit www.lemondetox.com, or call 0845 370 1012 for mail order.

Always consult your GP before embarking on a new diet

A recent study by Princeton University psychology professor Bart Hoebel suggests that sugar is as addictive as cocaine. Hoebel allowed laboratory rats to binge on sugar for one month. He found that the sugar caused neurochemical changes in the rats’ brains that were the same as those found in people who were addicted to drugs like cocaine. Subsequently, the rats exhibited addiction-related signs such as cravings, withdrawal symptoms and relapses.

So does that mean chocolate candy and nose candy are much of the same? Here are some of the scientific and not-so-scientific similarities between sugar and cocaine.

1. The obvious

They are both white power-like substances.

2. The high

Cocaine and sugar can cause people to feel euphoric and more energetic. They both
increase dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for producing pleasurable feelings in the body.

3. The cravings

Cocaine users experience powerful cravings for the drug and the Princeton University study shows that those same types of cravings occur in rats who are allowed to binge on sugar.

4. The addiction

Once the body develops a tolerance for cocaine, it needs more and more of the substance in order to achieve the same pleasurable effects. The Princeton study revealed that same phenomenon in the sugar-laden lab rats.

5. The withdrawal

Cocaine withdrawal symptoms often include anxiety, restlessness and cravings. These same symptoms were exhibited by the Princeton study rats once they were removed from their month-long sugar binge.

6. The Coca-Cola connection

Prior to 1929, Coca-Cola was actually made with small amounts of cocaine. Today, the world’s most popular soft drink is cocaine-free, but has a sugar content of 39 grams per 12oz. serving.

7. The dental issues

Cocaine can cause a host of dental problems including dry mouth, bruxism (teeth grinding), and extremely acidic saliva which can lead to tooth decay and enamel damage. Sugar can cause tooth decay and gum disease

8. The detox

Breaking an addiction to either cocaine or sugar starts the same way – with a detoxification process. The person needs to eliminate the harmful substances from their body.

9. The relapse

Cocaine is so powerfully addictive, that users who quit often revert back to their addiction and become even more hooked than before. After a month of sugar binging, the rats in the Princeton study were deprived of sweets “cold turkey.” When they were allowed to consume sugar again, they did so at a much greater rate.

10. The deadly effects

Cocaine and sugar can both ruin your health. Cocaine is a stimulant that can induce life-threatening convulsions and seizures. As for the sweet stuff, studies attribute refined sugar to many serious health problems such as obesity, diabetes, hypoglycemia, high cholesterol and heart disease.