I LOVE a bargain.

Anything two for one has got to be good - it's common sense.

My favourite bargain of all is chocolate for £1.

A whole packet of Revels, four Twirls or a packet of Malteser joy for a single pound.

It had to be one of the best days of the week is when I get to stand and admire the shop shelves and decide which beautiful treats I would buy for just £1.

But now I am a new shopper.

I no longer look adoring and sentimentally along the sweet aisle. I no longer deliberate on the virtues of Walkers or Sensations crisps, I no longer choose my five best cheeses of the week. On no, those days are gone.

My shopping trolley these days is exemplary. It oozes health and vitality - fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, nuts, fresh meat. I even walk more slowly around the supermarket to allow others to admire my virtue.

I admit I was nervous to abandon the habits of a lifetime to take on the healthy diet as part of my challenge to get fit for Christmas.

And, in some respects, I struggled. For two weeks, I had a belter of a headache at 11am each day, just the time when I would have finished my sixth cup of tea of the day.

Losing bread was hard too.

But it was really only a matter of days and now three weeks in, the exception is now the norm. I don't hanker for chips, pizza, burgers, chocolate or sweets. I even enjoy apples. Who'd have thought?

The secret is to ensure you have something healthy to eat ready when you are hungry.

As Roy Cropper from Coronation Street says: "Fail to prepare and you prepare to fail" (although I suspect he stole this from someone else).

Changing eating habits is easier than you would think. I am not saying I am perfect and I did succumb to a couple of custard creams on a particularly long and stressful day at work. But I am getting there. Trust me, if I can change, anyone can.

Follow my diet and watch the new exercise routines.

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