IT'S the worst feeling in the world.

You start a new diet and fitness regime, only to be told you have to cut all your favourite food and drinks.

Whether that's a pint of beer in the pub with your mates or a slice of pizza or even cake at home, it's these little things we get pleasure out of.

It's clear that when we eat and drink more calories than we consume it leads to weight gain.

But while most of us know we need to eat our five fruit and vegetables each day, we can sometimes get sucked into fad diets that don't actually work in the long term.

Giving up the things we enjoy is tough, but one expert has said it's not always key to reaching your goals.

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Personal trainer Sam Prynn said calorie counting is something most people turn to when they start out on a diet.

Sam, who is the co-founder of StrongHer in Bethnal Green London, said diet traps are something that personal trainers can even fall into.

Speaking to The Sun she said: "At the beginning all I really ate was chicken, rice and broccoli. That's rubbish and it's just not sustainable".

She said that if you do want to lose weight then to some extent you do have to track what you are doing – but explained that it doesn't mean all you can eat is lettuce leaves.

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"It's all about planning what you are doing. You can have a beer or a pizza but if you're doing that then you maybe need to look at what else you eat for the rest of the day.

"There's no need to cut things out, because when you do that you're 'on a diet' and it just won't stick.

"Just plan, if you want a big one on a Friday night then reduce your beers throughout the rest of the week."

Sam said that she has always followed the 80/20 rule – which is having food you know you should have – such as veggies and lean meats 80 per cent of the time and having the foods you want, such as beer and chocolate, 20 per cent of the time.

"You can 100 per cent have a beer and stay on track", she added.

Sam also highlighted that a little bit of what you fancy every now and again is good, but added that if you want to lose weight, then ultimately you need to be in a calorie deficit.

This means consuming less calories than you burn through daily activities and exercise.

She highlighted a previous client who she trained who had been struggling to lose weight.

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Sam said that this client loved chocolate and was having binges because it was something she had cut out of her diet.

"I told her to have one bar a day, she was shocked, but it meant that she wasn't giving up what she enjoyed and helped her stay on track", Sam added.

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