BIG SLIM QUIZ; DO YOU REALLY NEED TO LOSE A FEW POUNDS...OR ARE YOU SHAPING UP FINE? GIVE YOURSELF A CHECK-UP WITH OUR SLIMMING EXPERT.

Byline: Morag Smith 

DO you need to shed a few pounds...or are you just fine in 09?

Sunday Mail slimming expert Morag Smith has devised a fiendishly clever quiz.

Answer our four-part test and find out what even your closest friends dare not tell you.

Mum-of-two Morag, of Edinburgh, knows what she's talking about. She lost 5st after her weight hit16st 12lb.

So if you feel that 2009 is time for a life-change, check out out the glossy Scottish Slimmers wallchart inside the paper today.

Follow the tasty recipes and smart tips and you could transform your looks and your life in just four weeks.

As an added extra we have teamed up with our friends at Scottish Slimmers with an exclusive offer for Sunday Mail readers.

Enrol in your first class without paying a joining fee - and then enjoy four weeks of classes at a discounted price.

So what do you have to lose except those unwanted pounds and inches?

1 WHERE ARE YOU NOW?

THIS quiz should help you assess where you are starting from today.

1. Are you happy with your weight/size?

a) No, I need to lose lots.

b) I could do with losing a stone or two.

c) Fairly happy but could lose a little.

2. Why do you think you are overweight?

a) It's hereditary. I have a slow metabolism.

b) My life is so busy I just eat what I can when I can.

c) I need to exercise more.

3. What's your waist measurement?

a) Over 35in (female)/over 40in (male)

b) Between 32-35in (f) and 37-40in (m)

c) Below 32in (f)/below 37in (m).

4. Can you accept you need to make some changes to your lifestyle if you want to be fitter?

a) Yes, as long as they are not too drastic.

b) Yes, but not all the time.

c) Yes, but I don't think I need to make too many changes.

5. When you buy food do you: a) Go to the supermarket and randomly pick up whatever takes your fancy.

b) Plan for the week but buy too much.

c) Mainly buy healthy foods.

6. How many portions of fruit and veg do you have per day?

a) One or two at most.

b) Three or four.

c) Five or more.

7. How much alcohol do you drink?

a) None some days, then binge at the weekends.

b) Regularly drink more than three units a day (f)/more than four units a day (m).

c) Rarely drink over two units a day.

8. Do you usually eat breakfast?

a) No and I still don't lose weight.

b) Yes, I enjoy a hearty start to the day.

c) Yes, usually a bowl of cereal or some toast or fruit or yoghurt.

9. How do you eat?

a) I enjoy good-size meals and frequently snack between meals.

b) I have two or three meals a day but snack in the evening.

c) I have three meals and perhaps two or three small snacks a day.

10. What food do you eat?

a) Mostly convenience foods.

b) A mix of convenience and fresh.

c) Mostly freshly prepared foods.

Scoring for Where Are You Now?

Score 0 for every a), 1 for b), 2 for c) 0-5 You've never tried to lead a healthy lifestyle or you yo-yo. You need to change your attitudes to food and fitness.

6-14 You know what you should be doing to be fitter and healthier but give into temptation too easily. Making a few small, but permanent, changes will help.

15-20 You seem to be on the right road but balance your diet and fitness regime with normal life so you stick it long term.

2 OWN UP, WHAT'S YOUR BAD HABIT?

WHEN it comes to being slim and fit, there are "unhelpful behaviours" - or bad habits - that could seriously impede your progress.

1. Do you frequently buy foods you know you can't resist?

a) yes b) no

2. Do you often eat in the car?

a) yes b) no

3. Do you pile your plate up high at a buffet?

a) yes b) no

4. Do you eat other people's leftovers, for example, bits the children leave on their plates or the uneaten roast potatoes left in the tin?

a) yes b) no

5. Apart from sex (although every little helps), do you often do anything reasonably active for at least 20 minutes at a time?

a) yes b) no

6. Can you pass a bakery/sweet shop/fast-food outlet without popping in to buy something?

a) yes b) no

7. Do you often eat when you are not hungry?

a) yes b) no

8. Do you find yourself turning to food for comfort when miserable or upset?

a) yes b) no

9. Do you eat quickly?

a) yes b) no

10. Do you frequently eat while watching television?

a) yes b) no

Scoring for Your Bad Habits: 1. Score 0 for yes, 1 for no; 2. Score 0 for yes, 1 for no; 3. Score 0 for yes, 1 for no; 4. Score 0 for yes, 1 for no; 5. Score 1 for yes, 0 for no; 6. Score 1 for yes, 0 for no; 7. Score 0 for yes, 1 for no; 8. Score 0 for yes, 1 for no; 9. Score 0 for yes, 1 for no; 10. Score 0 for yes, 1 for no

How did you score?

0-5 You have between 5 and 10 areas you might need to tackle - but don't try changing everything at once.

Concentrate on one thing at a time, choosing what you think would be easiest to change first of all. You can learn a lot about handling tricky situations by attending a slimming club such as Scottish Slimmers.

6-8 There are about two to four habits that could stop weight loss success.

Again, it's best to try to tackle them one at a time.

9-10 There could be just one little thing that's stopping you or maybe it's nothing at all. Don't get too confident - it's easy to let bad habits slip back in if you are not vigilant.

3 DO YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU?

HOW savvy are you about what's best for your body?

1. What is the maximum daily amount of salt recommended for an adult?

a) 6 gramsb) 9 grams

2. Which mineral is very important for strong bones?

a) Iron b) Calcium

3. Which type of nutrient provides energy?

a) Protein b) Carbohydrate

4. Will five portions of fruit and veg a day provide all the fibre you need?

a) Yes b) No

5. Which is the better way of getting omega 3s?

a) Eating low-fat spread fortified with omega 3 b) Eating 1 to 2 portions of oily fish a week

6. Which type of fat is not very good for you?

a) Saturated b) Monounsaturated 

7. What's the recommended minimum amount of activity you should strive for each week?

a) 20 minutes, three days a week b) 30 minutes, five days a week

8. Which is lowest in calories?

a) 100g potato b) 100g cooked, skinless turkey breast

9. Which Body Mass Index range is considered healthiest for adults?

a) 20-25 b) 25-30

10. What are the friendly bacteria in the digestive tract called?

a) pro-biotics b) antibiotics

Scoring for What's Good For You

1. Score 1 for a), 0 for b) Aim for not more than 6g a day. In the UK we average 9g or more.

2. Score 0 for a), 1 for b) Calcium helps strengthen bones. It is most abundant in dairy foods but for good health choose low-fat varieties.

3. Score 0 for a), 1 for b) Although protein provides energy, its main purpose is to repair/replace worn cells. Carbohydrates provide energy quickly. By including them, protein is spared for its primary aim.

4. Score 0 for a), 1 for b) Five servings of fruit and veg (400- 500g/1lb) provide 8-10g, half the 18-20g needed daily. It's important to get the remainder from high fibre starchy foods such as wholemeal or wholegrain breads and cereals, wholemeal pasta and brown rice.

5. Score 0 for a), 1 for b) Omega 3 fats are important for brain development and keeping blood thin. Low-fat spreads do help your intake but contain a small amount.

Oily fish provides good amounts.

Vegetarians can find good amounts of omega 3 in flaxseeds and walnuts.

6. Score 1 for a), 0 for b) Saturated fats clog arteries and raise cholesterol. They are found in full-fat dairy foods, fatty meats, meat products and coconut/coconut milk.

7. Score 0 for a), 1 for b) Aim for 30 minutes brisk activity five days a week. Housework, gardening or work-related activities count if done briskly.

8. Score 1 for a), 0 for b) Potatoes are lower, averaging 70-75 calories per 100g. Raw skinless turkey white meat has 105 calories per 100g but roasted skinless turkey white meat has 150 calories.

9. Score 1 for a), 0 for b) 20-25 is the best range. Body Mass Index is calculated from your weight in kilos divided by your height in metres squared. Work out your BMI at www.scottishslimmers.com, click on PEP Talk, Weighty Matters and then What is the Body Mass Index?

10. Score 1 for a), 0 for b) Friendly bacteria are pro-biotics.

Pre-biotics essentially are food for pro-biotics, helping them thrive.

Antibiotics kill off both good and bad bacteria, so it may be helpful to have pro-biotics after a course of antibiotics to help re-colonise your gut with the good guys.

How did you do?

0-4 It's hard to do the right thing for your body if you don't know what that is. Get clued up on the Food Standards Agency website www.eatwell.gov.uk or look out for information on food packs or in newspapers and magazines.

5-8 Well done, you're pretty clued up already.

9-10 Excellent. Make sure you put your knowledge into practice.

DID YOU OVERDO IT?

IT is easy to scoff that extra mince pie or tuck into a second helping of trifle but it all adds up and the pounds can pile on.

1. Over the festive season how frequently did you overeat?

a) Every day from mid-December to yesterday.

b) Most days.

c) Three or four days (or less).

2. What foods did you snack on?

a) Chocolates and crisps.

b) Mince pies, Christmas cake or anything that needed finishing up.

c) A couple of satsumas or a handful of nuts and dried fruit.

3. How frequently did you drink more than two units of alcohol a day?

(1 unit = 1 small glass of wine, half pint beer, cider or lager or 25ml shot of spirits) a) Frequently - often it was 8 or 10 units.

b) On several days.

c) On three or four days (or less).

4. Did you ever feel guilty about the amount you ate or drank?

a) No - it was Christmas.

b) Sometimes but I intended to start afresh in the New Year.

c) No - I was really good.

5. Did you eat and drink as much as last Christmas and how much weight have you put on?

a) Yes - I think you should eat and drink what you want at that time of year.

I put on nearly half a stone (or more).

b) Not quite as bad as usual and I only gained three or four pounds.

c) Really good for me. I only gained a pound or two (or nothing at all).

Scoring for Did You Overdo It?

Score 0 for every a), 1 for every b) and 2 for every c)

0-3 It will probably be the same next Christmas unless you make at least a few small but permanent changes.

4-7 You're probably like most of us - full of good intentions but easily persuaded to fall by the wayside.

Perhaps you need to focus a bit more on where you would really like to be in terms of weight, health and fitness.

8-10 You're so good you probably don't need to read any further. But if it was something of a struggle to be good, perhaps you should read on.

YOUR SCORE

(1) Where Are You Now?

(2) Your Bad Habits

(3) What's Good For You

(4) Did You Overdo It?

YOUR TOTAL SCORE

0-20 It's a new year, time to make a fresh start - but this time remember nothing will change unless you make it happen.

21-40 You try very hard but you need to aim to do things right 80 per cent of the time or you will be continually undoing all the good you have done.

40-50 Excellent. You should continue to be slimmer and feel better as long as you keep up the good work.

CAPTION(S):

Figure it out: Get fitter and slim; Bad habits: But you can learn to stop them; Weigh to go: Slimming guru Morag lost 5st - and now she wants to help you get in shape; Brain food: Oily fish, left, is packed with omega 3... veggies find it in flaxseeds and walnuts; Fed up: Time for change