AWCH The Art of Weight Loss

This article cannot tell you all there is to know about weight loss. No one knows all the answers, not even the most eminent doctor – and certainly not me! My aim is to extract the parts of a healthy diet that seem to me to be most helpful and relevant to someone wishing to lose weight. It is not intended to replace the advice gained through a personal consultation with a dietician or doctor.

Being overweight has a negative effect on your life expectancy. People who are significantly overweight are classed as obese, and it is worth noting that they are two or three times more likely to die prematurely than their lean counterparts. Obesity is the most common nutritional disorder in the world and according to the World Health Organisation is increasing at an alarming rate. It is frightening that 25% of American women are now classified as obese.

A good way to start is by keeping a food diary for five days. Include everything that passes your lips each day. Also make a note of anything else that you think is important for you. This could include the time you ate something or how you were feeling when you did. No point skipping things: you are only cheating yourself! When you have completed this diary, sit down and look at it. Can you honestly say you have the perfect healthy diet or are there a few things that you could improve? By identifying current problems in your diet, making small changes and following simple advice, weight loss can be achieved relatively easily. The most important aspect is having the motivation to make changes and stick to them. It really doesn’t have to be that difficult. Here are a few things to consider when looking at your diet:

Timing

With busy lifestyles, work pressure, family and friends it can be difficult to “watch what we eat”. Strangely, recent studies have shown that most people eat not only to satisfy hunger, but in response to other feelings. I’m sure we have all had a drink with friends to be sociable, but other reasons for eating include: boredom, stress, tiredness and depression. Think about your cues for eating. A healthy diet, especially for weight loss, consists of regular meals and snacks. People who eat breakfast have been shown to be leaner than those who don’t. I always say that the actual time you eat your food is unimportant. Eating late at night may cause indigestion, but a calorie is a calorie whenever it is consumed. Aim for three meals per day. If you are hungry between meals, snack on fruit or vegetables.

Quality and Quantity

All foods and drinks can be part of a healthy diet, what is important is how often you have them. Calorie counting is tedious; far more emphasis is now placed on the type of foods that you eat and how often you have them. This makes having a healthy diet much easier to follow. Fruit, vegetables and wholegrain carbohydrates should form the basis of your diet. You should then aim to have low-fat dairy and lean protein foods twice daily each. At your main meal, 50% of the plate should be vegetables or salad, 25% bread, rice, pasta or potatoes and 25% meat, fish, eggs, or tofu. By following this pattern the size of your meal does not need to decrease, but the fat and calorie content will be lower whilst the amount of fibre, vitamins and minerals that you consume will be higher. There is nothing worse than being hungry and feeling deprived. If you follow the “rules” most of the time, there is no reason why you can not “indulge” occasionally.

Drinks

It has been shown that drinking calories does not fill you up in the same way as if you eat those calories. It is easy to drink a litre of fruit juice and think that this is healthy but this can contain up to 600 calories. Milk, although healthy in moderation, can provide lots of extra calories in drinks and desserts. Try to stick to low-calorie drinks, water and tea/coffee without sugar. Beware the demon drink! Alcohol is loaded with calories. One 200ml glass of wine provides 200 calories! I call these “empty calories” because they provide you with no other nutrients, while at least with the fruit juice you get fibre and vitamins. Enjoy alcohol in moderation, perhaps only at the weekends.

Exercise

You will lose weight if you use more energy than you consume. Changing your eating habits decreases the amount of energy you consume but by increasing your activity levels you can use up more energy, leading to faster weight loss. Exercise has also been shown to make people feel good as it leads to the release of “happiness” hormones. It is worth noting that a formal exercise programme is now favoured over medication as first-line treatment for depression. Any increase of activity is good; you don’t have to join a gym and wear pink lycra. Three 10-minute blocks of activity per day is as good as 30 minutes in one go. Increase your activity gradually, take the stairs, walk to town instead of getting the bus, park further from the shops. Every little bit helps!

I hope that you find these tips useful. If you have any other questions please contact me.