We at between-the-lines are feeling fabulous and it is all thanks to Mimi Spencer’s fantastic new book, 101 Things to Do Before You Diet. 

In 101 Things to do Before You Diet, style expert Mimi Spencer shares her secrets on feeling, looking and being slimmer… but without a diet in sight.  Style guru Mimi Spencer offers immediate solutions to make the most of what you’ve got, and teach you to understand that the woman you are now is just as fabulous as the woman you want to be. Mimi Spencer is a prizewinning fashion and beauty journalist. She is a columnist on You magazine and a contributing editor to Observer Woman and Grazia. She was editor of ES Magazine for two years following six years as Fashion Editor for the London Evening Standard.

Reminiscent of How To Walk In High Heels and French Women Don’t Get Fat, 101 Things to Do Before You Diet is the ultimate lifestyle book for women. The book includes chapters on: how to buy the perfect jeans; how to take a good photo; the secret of solution lingerie; how to stop bad eating habits etc etc.  To celebrate publication, check out below these top tips from the book!

To read more, get your copy now!

12. The following things are not food, so don’t put them in your mouth:

“Hand-held snacks”, “snacks on the go” and “snack kits”. If you can pick it, dip it, pop it – do yourself a favour. Drop it. Similarly, if you have to unpeel three layers of advertising to get at the nosh, it’s probably not worth the bother

31. Drink more soup

This is a stunningly simple way to eat less and still get a warm, full feeling in your bones. Soup, according to research from Penn State University, is a great appetite suppressant because it consists of a hunger-busting combination of liquids and solids; simply eat it before a meal (in the traditional way) and you can lower your overall calorie intake by up to 20 per cent compared to a meal without soup.

37. Eat heat

Avoid bland and snack instead on fiery pickles, hot chillis and strong flavours. As you nibble on these passionate snacks, amuse yourself with the news that researchers at Laval University in Canada have recently found that eating hot peppers can speed up your metabolism, cool your cravings and lower your calorie intake. Apparently, capsaicin – a compound found in jalapeno and cayenne peppers – “temporarily stimulates your body to release more stress hormones, which speeds up your metabolism and causes you to burn more calories”.

70. Master optical illusion and the tricks of trompe l’oeil

· If you have heavy thighs, an empire line can accentuate your narrowest part. Do this. Do it now.

· A front crease in tailored trousers will elongate the leg; back pockets will slim a big bottom.

· Black shoes with black opaques will make your legs go on for miles. Ditto tanned legs and nude shoes.

75. Tan yourself thin

By some fabulous trick of the light, a tan will shave off pounds, leaving you slender and toned without you even leaving your lounger. This is the fast-track to thin, but using the sun to do it is all wrong. Go instead for one of the spectrum of tanning products on the market. Find what works for you. It may be airbrushing, bronzing mist, sunless foam, tanning gel, tinting mousse, sun-kissed moisturising with SPF and a free toothbrush. Just don’t risk UV exposure.

85. Know the power of the potter

Scientists at the University of Missouri-Columbia have found that “pottering about” is just as valuable and effective an exercise as pounding away in the gym. Ha! The research team discovered that many of the physiological changes in the body that arise between total inactivity and “pottering about” are more extreme than those between pottering and more strenuous exercise. What pleasant news.

96. Recognise that fat friends are fattening

A study at the University of California recently showed that obesity spreads within social networks and that people with fat friends are 50 per cent more likely to be overweight than those who hang out with skinny people. Further research by economists at the University of Warwick, Dartmouth College and the University of Leuven, found that people are powerfully but subconsciously influenced by the weight of those around them. It turns out that fattitudes are catching.