I was taken by surprise when my 3-year old niece complained that she had started gaining weight. She even went about asking everyone in the family if her thighs were becoming too flabby!!!! And she's far far away from flabby. Even toddlers are so concerned about body image and weight these days.

So here are some tips collected from the internet, personal experience and experiences of friends that you may find useful in your battle of the bulge.

* Avoid oily and fried foods. And go slow on sweets. These are two tips that even a preschooler knows these days.

* Yoga is great for trimming up and toning your body. Yoga, meditation and pranayam works wonders for the body, mind and soul. Even deep breathing exercises will leave you feeling fresh throughout the day.

* Some people have found that drinking a glass of water with a spoon of honey and juice of a lemon, helps in weight loss. This drink is to be had on an empty stomach every morning. Obviously this doesnt work in days. It would take regular drinking of this magic potion for at least 2-3 months to show some effect.

* Early to bed and early to rise makes a Memsaab healthy wealthy and wise. An age old saying that holds true even today. You will not only look good but also feel good if you follow this mantra.

* Portion control is the mantra for weight loss. Resist all second helpings unlesss we are talking about a salad dressed in nothing but lime juice and salt.

* Breakfast like a Queen and dine like a pauper. A healthy breakfast helps you in kick-starting your metabolism. You also need the energy after the 6-8 hours you spent in bed without eating anything. The metabolism slows down as the day progresses and a heavy dinner leads to weight gain as all the food gets stored as fat.

* Swear off all refined and white foods (white sugar, white rice, potatoes, butter, ghee, maida, white bread etc) if you want to cut some flab.

* Eating the pomegranate fruit helps in fighting cholesterol. You could have the juice of this iron rich fruit also. But that would leave out the anti-oxidants which help in lowering cholesterol.

* Another weird tip that has been often heard and read is regarding coffee. Drinking black coffee without sugar helps in fighting fat. The reason may be that black coffee doesnt contain calories and if you drink this beverage as a substitute for other snacks, you are bound to lose weight.

* Kaddu juice taken on an empty stomach in the morning also helps in weight loss and lowering blood sugar levels.

* Drink a glass of vegetable juice every day. Raw vegetable juice offers lots of anti-oxidants that help in fighting ageing as well as douse free radical activity. You can opt for carrot, beet, kaddu, karela, spinach or any other vegetable that you like. A cocktail of 2-3 vegetables juice also works wonders.

* Abdominal crunches, lunges and squats help in working your thighs and abs. 3-4 sets of these exercises with 8-10 repetitions done daily should show some effect.

* Instead of working out for one hour in the morning, it would be more beneficial if you do 2-3 shorter workouts in one day. Short bursts of activity interspersed with the non-active period help in keeping the heart rate high throughout the day.