If you are trying to lose weight, it is important to have three small nourishing meals a day.  A lot of people tend to skip meals in the belief that it will help them lose weight, but this is not advisable.  Keeping to “strict diets”, or following a “crash” diet can result in rapid weight loss, but there is more of a problem with over eating once the target weight is reached.  This is because you have not taught yourself how to eat sensibly. Remember “slowly but surely”

Aim for no more than 0.5 kg to 1 kg weight loss per week. Work out how many kilograms you need to lose, and this will give you an indication of the realistic time in which you can successfully achieve the weight loss.  It may seem like a long time, but you will be re-educating yourself to follow a healthy way of eating on a long term basis.

Work out your body mass index (B.M.I.),  and aim to get down to the next lower B.M.I. category.  Aim to lose 10% of your current weight and to keep it off.

It is usual for the weight loss to be more rapid when you first start, and it tends to plateau after a few weeks.  Do not lose motivation – continue with your sensible eating plan and the weight will drop.

Key-points to put into place
You may need to allow two to four weeks before you can achieve the key-points below, as it is unrealistic to make all these changes over night!

1. Have three small nourishing meals each day – remember to vary your meals so that they are not repetitive.
2. Fill up with starchy foods at each meal – choose either potatoes, bread, pasta, rice, unsweetened breakfast cereal, pitta bread, noodles, chapatti.  This prevents you from feeling hungry in between meals, and stops you from eating unnecessary snacks.
3. Eat plenty of vegetables – either fresh, frozen or as salads.  You may include fat-free salad dressings to enhance the salads.
4. Aim to have three portions of fruit each day – they can be eaten as a snack if you are feeling hungry or after meals in place of stodgy pudding.
5. Cut down on fried and fatty foods.  This is important as fat contains the most calories.

• Grill, steam, poach or microwave instead of frying.
• Choose lean cuts of meat including minced meat, and remove the skin off poultry before cooking.
• Use low fat products, e.g. skimmed and semi-skimmed milk, fat reduced cheeses and low-fat yoghurts
• Use the minimum oil in food preparation; shallow fry instead of deep frying.
• Restrict margarine to ½ kg. per person per month.  Try low-fat spread.
• If you have chips more than once a week, aim to reduce the frequency to once a week or less.  Choose thick-cut oven chips and aim to reduce the portion sizes each time.
• Watch out for “hidden” fats in foods such as doughnuts, burgers, meat pies, sausage rolls, crisps, fish in batter and savoury pastry dishes

6. Cut down on sugar and sugar-rich foods.

• Use a sweetener if necessary although it is preferable if you can lose your “sweet-tooth”.
• Choose sugar-free beverages.
• Cut down on the frequency of sweets, chocolates and cakes per week.
• Choose breakfast cereals which are not sugar or chocolate coated.
• Look out for sugar-reduced foods, e.g. sugar-free jelly, sugar-free instant whip, and sugar-reduced jams and marmalades.
• Shop for tea cakes and malt loaf instead of doughnuts, fruit pies and cakes.

7. Drink less alcohol if possible.  Alcohol contains a lot of calories and few other nutrients. 

Did you know that:-

• ½ pt of beer/lager contains between 80-100 calories.
• 1 pub measure (25 mls) whisky, gin, rum, brandy contains 60 calories.
• 1 glass red/white wine (100 mls) contains 65-70 calories.
• Ideas for sensible meals
• “Break-the-fast”

Start the day with breakfast – you may be surprised how much variety you can include.  Breakfast cereal and fat-reduced milk.  Include toast or bread – use a low-fat spread and a sugar-reduced jam or marmalade.

Choose from Branflakes, Weetabix, Shredded Wheat, Porridge, unsweetened muesli, Puffed Wheat. Cornflakes and Rice Krispies can be included but the wheat and bran-based cereals will keep you feeling full for longer.

If you enjoy fruit, try half of a fresh grapefruit or tinned fruit in natural juice.

Pure fruit juices are best avoided as they contain calories.  It is better to eat a piece of fruit as it is more satisfying and contains approximately the same amount of calories as a small glass of fruit juice.

Cooked breakfasts need not be avoided.  Some mornings treat yourself to one poached egg or two rashers of lean grilled bacon, with either tomatoes and mushrooms cooked without fat, or sugar-reduced baked beans.

Ideas for snack meals

Sandwiches and bread rolls are ideal for a snack meal.  You can make them as interesting and tasty as you wish.

• Choose different types of bread – wholemeal, granary, crusty, pitta.
• Use a variety of fillings – grated fat-reduced cheese, turkey, ham, pork, lamb, beef, chicken, egg, tinned fish in brine, low-fat pate´, lean grilled bacon.
• Add salad vegetables, low- calorie coleslaw or a small amount of relish or pickles, for extra taste.
• Take fruit, sugar-free jelly, a low-fat low-sugar yoghurt or fat-free fromage frais with some tinned fruit in natural juice.

Ideas for cooked meals

• Choose from a selection of starchy foods cooked without adding extra fat, e.g. baked potato, boiled potatoes, white or brown rice, pasta, noodles, chapatti, pitta bread.
• Vary the main dishes to include poultry, lean red meats, white fish, oily fish, cheese, egg, and vegetarian dishes containing pulses.
• Cook in different ways, e.g. Roast, steam, bake, casserole, grill, stir-fry, poach, barbecue, or serve with a low-fat sauce or as a curry.

Treat yourself

It is important to acknowledge success and to reward yourself each time you lose weight.  Plan several rewards, at different stages.  It is best to choose treats that are not food-related, for example, go to the pictures, or a football match, new hair style, a book or a holiday break.  These will motivate you to continue and keep up with the sensible meal plan.

Activity

Combining a healthy eating plan with activity is more likely to succeed than either of those on their own.

Moderate activity such as gardening, walking, housework, cycling will help to improve the heart and circulation.  It helps improve general well-being by enhancing your mood and relieving stress.

Be realistic with the amount of activity that you do.  If you have not done much recently, it is important that you discuss which activity would suit you best with your doctor.

Remember – any activity is better than nothing.

Changing for the better

It is important to have an action plan which you can refer to.  This will help you measure the desired results.

• List down the way in which you can improve your meals.
• Identify reasons for snacking or eating more than you need – is it boredom, comfort-eating, stress-related or do you enjoy eating because it is a habit?
• Include some form of activity and the frequency per week.
• Consider whether it is easier for you to lose weight with a friend or family or in a group.  You need moral support and it may help your motivation if you are not on your own.
• Keeping a record of what you currently eat and comparing it with what you eat in a month’s time will help you identify the positive changes that you have made.

Key message

Praise yourself for the successful changes made however small.

Aim to lose weight and keep it off.

Keeping the weight off

It is important not to regain the weight you have lost, for your own self-esteem and confidence. 

The following tips are useful to help you achieve this:-

• Always shop after you have eaten and stick to your shopping list.
• Throw away left-overs.
• Resist temptation especially if you are not hungry.
• Try not to taste foods or eat while preparing meals.
• Do not buy foods that you know will tempt you.
• Whenever possible, eat at a table without any distractions such as the television or radio.
• Focus on the benefits gained from weight loss.
• Drink plenty of water with every meal.

Waist:hip ratio

This is a useful indicator of health risks associated with being overweight.

Apple-shaped

High waist:hip ratio

Pear-shaped

Low waist:hip ratio

To measure, take the mid-point between the bottom of the ribs and top of the pelvis as the waist, and the widest point around the hips.  In men, a waist:hip ratio greater than 1.0 and in women a waist:hip ratio greater than 0.8 is an indicator of increased risk.

For this category of people, weight loss is strongly recommended even if their B.M.I. is in the “overweight” band.

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