Things you need to know about losing weight

“I wish people understood that weight loss and weight maintenance behaviours are two sides of the same coin. Too many people seem to want to shed kilos quickly as possible without really trying to change their eating and lifestyle behaviours for the long term; they figure they’ll deal with the weight maintenance later on. When people say they are ‘going on’ a diet, it implies that – at some point – they’ll be ‘going off’ their diet. I always tell people that when you are changing your habits in order to lose weight, you’re just practicing for weight maintenance. I want them to focus on the behavioural changes much more than their goal weight.”

– Susan Bowerman, dietitian

“I wish people understood the value of keeping really accurate food diaries. I encourage my patients to not only keep a diary, but to also write down ahead of time what they plan to eat and when they plan to exercise. This encourages them to stick to the plan. I also encourage people to use the diary as a tool to record their hunger level before and after eating, as well as their mood. The feedback from a well-kept food diary is invaluable. People learn if they are eating for emotional reasons rather than hunger, and they can also see how often they eat until they are more than comfortably full.”

– Susan Bowerman

“When you manage your emotions instead of pushing them down and following them with a food chaser, you save a whole bunch of kilojoules. Figure out what’s really eating you, so to speak, and deal with that rather than depending on a sugar bomb to soothe your soul. When you face your issues, you no longer need to stuff your face. This gives you back the control you desire.”

– Renée Jones, counsellor and author of  What’s Really Eating You?: Overcome the Triggers of Comfort Eating   

“Research published in the European Journal of Nutrition shows that people consume more net kilojoules the day after they don’t get enough sleep – about 1600 more kilojoules. With roughly 7000 kj in a kilo, an individual could theoretically gain over 2 kg in 10 days if they’re not getting enough sleep.”

–  Dr Joseph Ojile, CEO and medical director of the Clayton Sleep Institute

“As if eating nearly 1600 more kilojoules a day wasn’t enough, research published in Sleep shows that sleep restriction amplifies and extends the blood levels of a chemical signal that ‘enhance the joy of eating, particularly the guilty pleasures gained from sweet or salty, high-fat snacks.’ This made people crave and eat more of these unhealthy snacks. Over time that can cause significant weight gain.”

– Dr Joseph Ojile

“Thanks to new research, we now know when people are most vulnerable to cravings (early evening) and which age groups crave more (young females crave more than older males, and younger female dieters crave more than older male dieters). Knowing your personal ‘risk factors’ can help you manage your cravings.”

– Dr Frank Greenway

“One of the biggest misconceptions about weight loss some of my patients have is the belief that cosmetic plastic surgery, especially liposuction, is a way to lose weight. Liposuction may remove up to a few kilos from the midsection during surgery, but it is a sculpturing tool, not a weight loss tool. If a patient is overweight, I actually ask them to lose weight by other means first before I will perform liposuction.”

– Dr  Joshua D. Zuckerman, plastic surgeon

“Shedding kilos shouldn’t be your focus. Your main focus should be figuring out what caused the weight gain in the first place. Without knowing that, you’ll likely see the weight creep back on because the underlying issue hasn’t been solved. The issue(s) could be anything from hormone imbalances to cravings, but in most cases, it is solvable.”

– Leah de Souza-Thomas, epidemiologist

“The average food craving lasts for about 15 minutes, so if you’re craving something that isn’t the best fit for you that day, distract yourself for 15 minutes. Chances are good that the craving will pass, and even if it doesn’t, you will likely have more insight into why you’re having that particular craving.”

– Dr Kelly Morrow-Baez, counsellor and private weight loss coach

“Many clients come to me and are terrified of eating avocados, nuts, hummus, and other healthy fats as they claim that the foods are ‘too fattening and high in kilojoules.’ I explain that fat is digested slower than carbs and protein and will also help promote satiety. Full-fat dairy products, nuts, and plant-based fats promote weight loss, not inhibit it.”

– Dr Eliza Savage, dietician nutritionist

This type of thinking is counter-productive. Here are 14 ‘bad’ foods you can stop demonising.