Carrying excess weightcan take a toll on your body, but even small changes can lead to noticeable health benefits. And you don't have to use any injections that can aid in weight loss, as these simple changes could be all you need.

As well as improving your overall wellbeing, losing weight may help lower your chances of developing issues such as high blood pressure, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

In good news, the NHSnotes that weight loss doesn’t require a complete diet overhaul and through its Better Health website, the NHS has outlined a number of straightforward, practical steps that can help you with your goals. This is what you need to know.

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Simple habits that can help you lose weight

To lose weight, most people are advised to cut around 600 calories from their daily intake. This would mean aiming for approximately 1,900 calories per day for men and 1,400 calories per day for women.

You should also:

Aim for 2 or more portions of veg in a main meal means about half of your plate

Always include some protein – like beans, pulses, fish, eggs, lean meat or other types. It helps you stay full.

Carbs like potatoes, bread, rice or pasta should make up no more than a third of the food you eat in a day – and try to have wholegrain versions where you can

If you eat fish, try to have 2 portions a week. At least 1 portion should be oily fish like salmon, sardines, trout, mackerel or herring

Pick lower-fat milk and cheese and go for lower-fat and lower-sugar yoghurts

Go for olive, sunflower and rapeseed oil, which have unsaturated fats

Choose lower-fat spreads and only eat it in small amounts

Drink 6 to 8 cups of fluid a day. Water, lower-fat milk, tea, coffee, sugar-free drinks all count

Can coffee and tea really help me lose weight?

While all things are good in moderation, it's not just water that's good for you. According to one study: "The results of in vitro and animal studies suggest that coffee can reduce storing of fat in the body by several mechanisms."

Tea is another drink boating several benefits. In a post by Harvard Health, it notes that while "you won't find many vitamins or nutrients in tea", it is "rich in phytochemicals - compounds that give plants their characteristics (such as colour and smell) and have pharmacological effects when we consume them. Tea's primary phytochemicals are caffeine and polyphenols."

According to Doctor Frank Hu, chair of the Department of Nutrition and professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: "Green tea has more polyphenols than black tea, but black tea has more caffeine.

"And matcha is dried green tea that's ground into fine particles. It's more concentrated - higher in caffeine and polyphenols than plain green tea."

So while water should be your main drink, remember that your regular cup of tea or coffee can also support your weight-loss goals.

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