OK, so it didn’t work too well last year, but how can we achieve more success with losing weight this year? “What you have to remember is that losing weight is not an all-or-nothing process,” says diet psychologist and health scientist Dr Ailis Brosnan.
“It’s not a case of either being on the (diet) wagon or off it. The key is to focus on gradually changing your habits. If you try to change everything at once, you will probably only stick with it for a week or two. This is why 95% of people who lose weight through dieting regain it all again. That’s why a gradual, steady approach is best.”
Dr Brosnan is director of www.yourhealthylivingcoach.com and received her doctorate for the development of a physical activity programme for overweight women.
Exploring the reasons why you want to lose weight is really worthwhile, she believes, whether it’s to feel more confident, fit into your clothes, to be able to reduce medication or to set a good example for your children, for example.“These reasons – or your ‘why’ – will help on days you struggle, as they will remind you of why you want to change,” she says.
THINK THIN
Having the right mindset is also important when you are trying to lose weight. “I ask people to start to think – and act – like they are at their ideal weight. Think to yourself: ‘I am a slim person in a body that is temporarily too big for me,’” suggests Dr Brosnan.
Realistic goal-setting is also important, she states. “Saying ‘I want to lose weight,’ is not specific enough. Whereas saying ‘I want to lose 24 pounds by Easter,’ is. Remember, though, that one to two pounds per week is a safe weight loss – but this depends on your starting point and your dedication to taking action.”
Belief that you can do something will help you achieve your goal too. “Taking small steps will help increase your confidence that you can do it and being around supportive people will help.”
PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION
Making healthy choices, one decision at a time, one day at a time is the way to go, she maintains: “Creating a healthier lifestyle is about making as many healthy choices as you can. Start to focus on each meal decision. If you don’t make a healthy choice for lunch – that’s OK. Learn from it, move on and make a healthier choice for dinner.”
Emotional or comfort eating can play havoc with eating plans sometimes. While this kind of eating can take our mind off uncomfortable feelings that we aren’t able to deal with occasionally, indulging in this type of behaviour too often isn’t a good idea.
“If reaching for the ice-cream tub is becoming a habit, then it’s time to start to pay attention to the feelings that need to be addressed,” she says.
Dr Brosnan suggests that using the Halt method is a simple way to start doing this: “Ask yourself are you hungry or are you angry, lonely or tired? Quite often it is one of these emotions, and once you have recognized the emotion and named it, it often lessens the drive for comfort eating.”
Eating mindfully is important as well, because you are becoming more aware of what you eat – and how much.
“Mindfulness plays a big role in weight loss. Just think how you may have opened a bag of crisps. Before you knew it, you were looking into an empty bag – and you didn’t realise you’d eaten them all.
“That’s mindless eating. Mindful eating is the opposite. It is about enjoying and savouring every bite we eat. That way we are much more aware of what and how much we are eating,” he says.
Dr Brosnan also advocates eating more vegetables and including some strength training in workouts, ideally twice a week. This helps to build muscle, which in turn will increase your metabolism and burn up to 15% more calories – even while at rest.
WHY WE EAT MORE when tired
Getting the proper amount of sleep has a bearing too. Seven to nine hours of sleep are needed in order for our mood not to be affected and our weight loss hindered.
“One study has shown that people who only get two thirds of their regular amount of sleep eat an average of 549 calories extra the following day.
“This is because our hormones get out of balance when we don’t get enough sleep. The levels of ghrelin increase, which makes us feel hungry. While the levels of leptin decrease, and this leaves us feeling dissatisfied even after we eat.”
Top weight-loss tips
• Drink wight glasses of water a day, including herbal teas. • Water is vital for many chemical reactions in our bodies, including digestion and metabolism. • Starting the day with a glass of lemon water (half a lemon squeezed into a glass of warm water) will help boost your immune system and detox your body as well as give you a feeling of fullness.why do we all overeat?
What are the triggers – in our bodies, our minds and those things in society – that lead us to “stuffing our faces”? This topic was addressed at a conference organised by safefood this winter.
Professor Jason Halford from the University of Liverpool was the keynote speaker, and he talked to Irish Country Living about this topic.
“Eating behaviour is influenced by regulatory components of appetite (satiety – feeling full) and hedonic components (liking or wanting). The satiety aspects are driven by signals generated by ingestion (the process of eating) but the liking and wanting component is driven by signals generated by palatability of foods and the wider food environment,” he says.
HUNGER IS ALSO SITUATIONAL
Hunger is obviously a very important driver of food intake,” he said. “Hunger
is determined by a number of physiological parameters, such as blood glucose,
the hunger hormone ghrelin which is
secreted by the stomach and also lactin levels in the blood. Lactin is a hormone secreted by the fat tissue. These are all (physiological) components in triggering hunger but hunger is also situational.
“You tend to get hungry at the same time and in the same places, because you’ve learned that’s your normal structure of eating behaviour. So there is an element of learning and of situation along with the physiological (body) signals.”
He highlights the difference between hunger and wanting, too. “While hunger is general, wanting is associated with cravings – and cravings are for specific, reward-driven foods. The whole concept of energy balance (eating only what your body needs each day) can get forgotten in an obesogenic environment,” he states.
“People say losing weight is easy: just eat less and do a bit more. But that doesn’t really work. Behaviour change is very difficult. Even if you manage to make that change, when you put individuals back in an obesogenic environment it’s very hard to sustain that over a period of time.
“Sugary foods/processed foods are highly palatable because they are energy dense, so this is an issue. Portion sizes are generally too large as well – that’s one of the key issues,” he explains.
DOUBLE WHAMMY FOR OBESE
Those with obesity unfortunately tend to demonstrate weaker biological regulatory control at the same time as demonstrating an increased responsiveness to the food environment (like cheap, ready-prepared, easily available foods), according to Professor Halford.
“This weakens their ability to resist food. Environmental cues, like seeing food or TV ads, tend to overwhelm the more regulatory components of appetite (the body’s satiety mechanisms). This is, unfortunately, a double whammy, making it very difficult to resist consuming food and making it very easy to overconsume,” he says.
SOLUTIONS FOR SOCIETY
“There is no quick fix. If there was, we’d have done it by now. As a society, we need to work on portion size, on labelling, on how to promote healthy eating, particularly to children, and at trying to take fats and sugars out of products (reducing energy density of foods).
“It can be done, but it takes time, and (food) companies are reluctant to do it. That’s not because they want people to be unhealthy, but because they are afraid they will lose custom.
“If they innovate and put new products on the market but their rivals don’t do that and people don’t like their new products as much, they will lose market share. Therefore the economic system doesn’t work in favour of innovation. That’s why there is a role for policy and legislation. Global food policy needs to be about health and nutrition,” he says.
tips to curb overeating
• Don’t shop when hungry. • Plan your meals.• Plan what you’re going to buy before you go into the shop. • Make the changes as a family, rather than as an individual, so that you are all doing it together.• Give yourself treats – but be measured in the treats you give yourself. • Learn to eat more healthily, but still maintain joy in your diet. Trying to become Puritans, who are completely averse to pleasure, in the long term, is the road to failure. • If you have a blip, don’t just say ‘I might as well give up’ – get back to healthy eating. find
out more
Professor Halford’s full report on the role of appetite in obesity is available on www.safefood.eu. See ‘All Ireland Obesity Forum.’
OK, so it didn’t work too well last year, but how can we achieve more success with losing weight this year? “What you have to remember is that losing weight is not an all-or-nothing process,” says diet psychologist and health scientist Dr Ailis Brosnan.
“It’s not a case of either being on the (diet) wagon or off it. The key is to focus on gradually changing your habits. If you try to change everything at once, you will probably only stick with it for a week or two. This is why 95% of people who lose weight through dieting regain it all again. That’s why a gradual, steady approach is best.”
Dr Brosnan is director of www.yourhealthylivingcoach.com and received her doctorate for the development of a physical activity programme for overweight women.
Exploring the reasons why you want to lose weight is really worthwhile, she believes, whether it’s to feel more confident, fit into your clothes, to be able to reduce medication or to set a good example for your children, for example.“These reasons – or your ‘why’ – will help on days you struggle, as they will remind you of why you want to change,” she says.
THINK THIN
Having the right mindset is also important when you are trying to lose weight. “I ask people to start to think – and act – like they are at their ideal weight. Think to yourself: ‘I am a slim person in a body that is temporarily too big for me,’” suggests Dr Brosnan.
Realistic goal-setting is also important, she states. “Saying ‘I want to lose weight,’ is not specific enough. Whereas saying ‘I want to lose 24 pounds by Easter,’ is. Remember, though, that one to two pounds per week is a safe weight loss – but this depends on your starting point and your dedication to taking action.”
Belief that you can do something will help you achieve your goal too. “Taking small steps will help increase your confidence that you can do it and being around supportive people will help.”
PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION
Making healthy choices, one decision at a time, one day at a time is the way to go, she maintains: “Creating a healthier lifestyle is about making as many healthy choices as you can. Start to focus on each meal decision. If you don’t make a healthy choice for lunch – that’s OK. Learn from it, move on and make a healthier choice for dinner.”
Emotional or comfort eating can play havoc with eating plans sometimes. While this kind of eating can take our mind off uncomfortable feelings that we aren’t able to deal with occasionally, indulging in this type of behaviour too often isn’t a good idea.
“If reaching for the ice-cream tub is becoming a habit, then it’s time to start to pay attention to the feelings that need to be addressed,” she says.
Dr Brosnan suggests that using the Halt method is a simple way to start doing this: “Ask yourself are you hungry or are you angry, lonely or tired? Quite often it is one of these emotions, and once you have recognized the emotion and named it, it often lessens the drive for comfort eating.”
Eating mindfully is important as well, because you are becoming more aware of what you eat – and how much.
“Mindfulness plays a big role in weight loss. Just think how you may have opened a bag of crisps. Before you knew it, you were looking into an empty bag – and you didn’t realise you’d eaten them all.
“That’s mindless eating. Mindful eating is the opposite. It is about enjoying and savouring every bite we eat. That way we are much more aware of what and how much we are eating,” he says.
Dr Brosnan also advocates eating more vegetables and including some strength training in workouts, ideally twice a week. This helps to build muscle, which in turn will increase your metabolism and burn up to 15% more calories – even while at rest.
WHY WE EAT MORE when tired
Getting the proper amount of sleep has a bearing too. Seven to nine hours of sleep are needed in order for our mood not to be affected and our weight loss hindered.
“One study has shown that people who only get two thirds of their regular amount of sleep eat an average of 549 calories extra the following day.
“This is because our hormones get out of balance when we don’t get enough sleep. The levels of ghrelin increase, which makes us feel hungry. While the levels of leptin decrease, and this leaves us feeling dissatisfied even after we eat.”
Top weight-loss tips
• Drink wight glasses of water a day, including herbal teas. • Water is vital for many chemical reactions in our bodies, including digestion and metabolism. • Starting the day with a glass of lemon water (half a lemon squeezed into a glass of warm water) will help boost your immune system and detox your body as well as give you a feeling of fullness.why do we all overeat?
What are the triggers – in our bodies, our minds and those things in society – that lead us to “stuffing our faces”? This topic was addressed at a conference organised by safefood this winter.
Professor Jason Halford from the University of Liverpool was the keynote speaker, and he talked to Irish Country Living about this topic.
“Eating behaviour is influenced by regulatory components of appetite (satiety – feeling full) and hedonic components (liking or wanting). The satiety aspects are driven by signals generated by ingestion (the process of eating) but the liking and wanting component is driven by signals generated by palatability of foods and the wider food environment,” he says.
HUNGER IS ALSO SITUATIONAL
Hunger is obviously a very important driver of food intake,” he said. “Hunger
is determined by a number of physiological parameters, such as blood glucose,
the hunger hormone ghrelin which is
secreted by the stomach and also lactin levels in the blood. Lactin is a hormone secreted by the fat tissue. These are all (physiological) components in triggering hunger but hunger is also situational.
“You tend to get hungry at the same time and in the same places, because you’ve learned that’s your normal structure of eating behaviour. So there is an element of learning and of situation along with the physiological (body) signals.”
He highlights the difference between hunger and wanting, too. “While hunger is general, wanting is associated with cravings – and cravings are for specific, reward-driven foods. The whole concept of energy balance (eating only what your body needs each day) can get forgotten in an obesogenic environment,” he states.
“People say losing weight is easy: just eat less and do a bit more. But that doesn’t really work. Behaviour change is very difficult. Even if you manage to make that change, when you put individuals back in an obesogenic environment it’s very hard to sustain that over a period of time.
“Sugary foods/processed foods are highly palatable because they are energy dense, so this is an issue. Portion sizes are generally too large as well – that’s one of the key issues,” he explains.
DOUBLE WHAMMY FOR OBESE
Those with obesity unfortunately tend to demonstrate weaker biological regulatory control at the same time as demonstrating an increased responsiveness to the food environment (like cheap, ready-prepared, easily available foods), according to Professor Halford.
“This weakens their ability to resist food. Environmental cues, like seeing food or TV ads, tend to overwhelm the more regulatory components of appetite (the body’s satiety mechanisms). This is, unfortunately, a double whammy, making it very difficult to resist consuming food and making it very easy to overconsume,” he says.
SOLUTIONS FOR SOCIETY
“There is no quick fix. If there was, we’d have done it by now. As a society, we need to work on portion size, on labelling, on how to promote healthy eating, particularly to children, and at trying to take fats and sugars out of products (reducing energy density of foods).
“It can be done, but it takes time, and (food) companies are reluctant to do it. That’s not because they want people to be unhealthy, but because they are afraid they will lose custom.
“If they innovate and put new products on the market but their rivals don’t do that and people don’t like their new products as much, they will lose market share. Therefore the economic system doesn’t work in favour of innovation. That’s why there is a role for policy and legislation. Global food policy needs to be about health and nutrition,” he says.
tips to curb overeating
• Don’t shop when hungry. • Plan your meals.• Plan what you’re going to buy before you go into the shop. • Make the changes as a family, rather than as an individual, so that you are all doing it together.• Give yourself treats – but be measured in the treats you give yourself. • Learn to eat more healthily, but still maintain joy in your diet. Trying to become Puritans, who are completely averse to pleasure, in the long term, is the road to failure. • If you have a blip, don’t just say ‘I might as well give up’ – get back to healthy eating. find
out more
Professor Halford’s full report on the role of appetite in obesity is available on www.safefood.eu. See ‘All Ireland Obesity Forum.’
SHARING OPTIONS