The meals and snacks suggested will not only help shed pounds, but beat cravings, help to control your appetite, look younger, feel less stressed and get off the diet roller coaster for good.

Scientists (*)have proven in the largest-ever controlled study of popular weight-loss plans that when it comes to losing weight, it is cutting calories that really counts if you want to shed and keep off stones and pounds.

The Fit Squad's delicious calorie-counted breakfasts, lunches and dinners are not just designed to help you to reduce your calories, but have also been developed with a view to helping to keep your blood sugar levels steady and stable which helps you to feel fuller for longer and encourages your body to burn fat while also providing the energy you need to do plenty of exercise.

When it comes to deciding on the number of calories you need each day, you first need to estimate how many you are currently eating. When we analysed the diets of 150 Fit Squad members before they began our plan, we discovered that their average daily intake was 3800 calories.

You may be eating more or less than this. The key is when doing your sums, be really honest about your normal eating habits so that you can work out a realistic calorie intake for each day.

Whatever your starting point, in order to burn off 2lb of fat per week, you need to lower your calories by 1,000 per day. You can either do this by cutting out 1,000 calories, or by cutting out 500 calories a day and making sure that you burn off another 500 calories through exercise. For the fastest results you can cut 1000 calories and burn 500 calories.

Whichever way, you will begin to see results very quickly. Usually in the first week of the diet you will find that you will shed between 3 - 5lb, some of which will be water. This is because you will be eating less salt and your body will release some of the water it hangs on to when salt intakes are higher. From there on, expect to lose around 2lb a week. This means that within the first month on the Fit Squad diet you can be a whole dress size smaller than when you started.

Whether you are slimming down for a special event, to get the bikini body you have always dreamed of, or simply to be healthier, this is the diet for you. Get started today and see your body change before your eyes.

(*) Just published in the New England Journal of Medicine