But as the old saying goes, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. And within weeks of going back to your old habits you see the weight start to creep back on.

Research commissioned by the Dieticians Association of Australia found that one in five Australians surveyed who were trying to lose weight had been following a potentially dangerous diet, while 16 percent sought professional advice from a dietician.

Association spokeswoman and University of Newcastle associate professor, Dr Clare Collins, says people who lose weight using drastic short-term measures are at a high risk of weight regain, unless they follow through with some permanent lifestyle changes, that they can live with.

"Making small changes that fit with your lifestyle offers the best chance of losing weight and keeping it off," she said. "Seeking professional advice from a dietician who has the skills and expertise to take a person's past weight-loss experience — both successes and failures — into account and develop a personalised lifestyle plan that works for the long term will give people their best chance of success." Dr Collins recommends the following 10 healthy living tips to get you started.

1. Eating breakfast is important. In fact research has shown that those who eat breakfast have a healthier weight range compared to those who don't.
   
2. Include vegetables or salad with lunch and dinner because they are packed with healthy-body essentials such as vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
   
3. Choose fruit as a snack rather than snack foods like chips or biscuits which are often high in saturated fat, salt and sugar.
   
4. Replace full-fat food and drinks with reduced-fat alternatives.
   
5. Choose wholegrain foods instead of more refined foods.
   
6. Eat smaller serving sizes by using smaller plates and cups.
   
7. Eat slowly and stop when you are satisfied not stuffed full. This is important because research suggests it often takes up to 20 minutes for the stomach to tell the brain it's full, resulting in over eating.
   
8. Eat when you genuinely feel hungry rather than for emotional or other reasons.
   
9. Sweetened beverages such as cordial, soft drink and juice should be swapped with water as it is low in kilojoules unlike sweetened beverages.