If you are trying to lose weight and busy counting calories every day and stressing because you can't get to the gym, or don't want to be spending the monthly fee for the use of the gym, take heart.... there's a revolutionary new way to lose weight without the struggle and you'll tone up your body too.

Actually, it isn't a revolutionary new diet at all, but simply a natural way of life that kept our ancestors from being overweight and will benefit you and your descendants for generations to come... you guessed - get out in the garden!

Weather permitting, you should aim to get into the garden for at least 30 minutes every day, even if you are just pottering or planning next season's flower display. Regular gardening actually burns about the same amount of calories as cycling. It also provides you and your family with food, herbs for medicinal, cosmetic or culinary preparations, and flowers to brighten up your home and keep that 'feel-good' feeling right through the year.

The healthiest foods are organic fresh fruit and vegetables and you can eat just about as many as you can without fear of putting on weight. Fruit and veg are high in vitamin and mineral content and most have barely a trace of fat, if any.

Raw foods are great for the digestion and the chewing reflex. Chewing for longer makes us feel fuller and so we don't feel the need to supplement our diet with a bag of crisps or other snacks.

A bar of chocolate takes very little time to bite, chew and swallow, so when it's gone we look around for more. A plate of salad will take ages to chew and swallow, satisfying the chewing and all digestive needs so we feel much fuller. If you ever thought salad doesnt fill you up and is only good for rabbits (?!) think again! It's full of vitamins and minerals so will feed your body with the fuel it requires, it contains so few calories they are hardly worth counting and it will fill you up.

The vitamins in fresh fruit and vegetables are, in their raw state, the best fuel for your body. Tomatoes are an exception to this rule. Cooked tomatoes are said to be better for you than raw, but the difference is minimal so don't feel you have to have cooked tomatoes with your salad!

Mix in a few sunflower and pumpkin seeds for the natural oils, and even more healthy vitamins.

If you have the time stroll around the garden in the morning before breakfast and pick a few veggies to eat on your walk round. Chew on a few mange tout, or sugar snap peas and you'll probably find by the time you go back in the house for breakfast, you'll only need a yoghurt or a small bowl of cereal to keep you going for the whole morning.

Don't get hung up with fad diets or crazy exercise routines. Although, having said that, a short exercise routine every day does benefit you in that it will give you more energy and help tone those dodgy bits :-). And a balanced low fat diet should be enough to maintain your weight or lose a few pounds if you need to. If you do need to lose a fair amount of weight simply reduce your portions, drink lots of water and avoid fat - fat makes you fat whatever way you look at it! There is no such thing as a low fat crisp!!! - but fresh raw vegetables straight from your garden will satisfy that snacking habit anytime.