for losing weight keeping it off

Transcription

1 Questions and answers for losing weight and keeping it off Produced by Registered Dietitians from Leeds Community Adult Nutrition and Dietetic Services

2 Introduction This booklet aims to give you answers to commonly asked questions around losing weight. This food guide has two sections: 1 The Eatwell Plate Model This plate is divided into five food groups and can be used to help you to plan your meals whatever your weight. Eating the right variety of foods is important and the plate model can help you to plan this. The Eatwell plate includes all foods. There are no good and bad foods. 2 Questions and answers This section replies to questions often asked around losing weight and provides tips for successful weight loss. Useful contacts If you have any questions about this booklet, losing weight or being more active, contact one of the people below. Practice Nurse Community Dietitian Useful web sites for further information Food Standards Agency - Diet and Health BBC lifestyle section - then select food British Dietetic Association Change for Life Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and Queen s Printer for Scotland 1

3 Whatever your age or weight, try to eat at least 3 meals a day. Include foods from the different groups: Try to have at least 5 portions of different coloured fruit and vegetables every day. A portion is a handful. Fresh, frozen, canned or dried all count. These are rich in vitamins and minerals and will fill you up. Eat plenty Fruit and vegetables Include a starchy food at each meal. They should cover about a third of your plate when served. Choose high fibre or wholegrain varieties to improve your digestion and bowels. Eat plenty Bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods Aim for 2 3 servings each day for stronger bones. A serving is 1 /3 pint milk, 1 pot of yogurt or small matchbox size piece of cheese. Switching to low fat types, cuts the fat not the calcium. Eat some Milk and dairy foods Have small servings 2 3 times a day. Plan to eat fish at least twice a week; one white and one oily for a healthy heart. Don t add extra fat when cooking and cut off any fat or skin before you eat it. For meat-free meals, choose beans, peas, lentils, soya or tofu. Eat some Meat, fish, eggs, beans, and other non-dairy sources of protein Use small amounts of all fats including margarine, butter, spreads, and cooking oils. Choose sugar-free drinks. Cut down the amount of sugar you use in drinks, on cereals and in cooking. Remember that there are hidden fats and sugars in cakes, pastries, ready meals and take-aways so use more fresh foods. Eat just a small amount Foods and drinks high in fat and/or sugar Fluids: To make sure you drink enough, plan to have about 8 cups or glasses, such as tea or water every day. Salt: Our diets are high in salt due to the salt in processed foods, ready meals and take-aways. Use more fresh foods where possible. Use less salt in cooking. Try flavouring with herbs and spices. Add less salt at the table. Alcohol: Drinking alcohol in moderation means having less than the maximum units of alcohol per week. Have alcohol free days every week. Maximum amounts are 21 units for men and 14 units for women. A unit is ½ pint of standard strength beer or lager, small glass of wine or single pub measure of spirit. Questions and answers Do diets work? Most people think of dieting as something you do for a couple of weeks as a quick fix. These diets are often too restrictive, and because of this they are hard to stick to. On crash or fad diets, the promise of weight loss can be up to ½ a stone a week to start with. Most of this weight loss is water and muscle. When people come off the diet and return to their old eating habits the weight is often regained. Dieting and thinking about dieting also tends to make people more preoccupied with food and this can lead to overeating. Eating more healthily is not a diet. It is about making healthier choices on food and daily activities, which become part of your everyday life. And remember, being more active along with changing your eating habits is the best and healthiest way to lose weight. 4

4 Can I lose weight safely and keep it off? Before you do anything sit down and think about what permanent changes you need to make. How confident are you that you can achieve these changes? Set yourself one or two goals you know you can stick to and gradually build on these. Think about making healthier changes to what you eat for example: What changes could I make to what I eat to lose weight? Think about what you eat. Do you manage to do most of the following? Eat regular meals including breakfast everyday Eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables each day Eating regular meals Eating more fruit and vegetables Eating less fatty and sugary foods Use the Eatwell Plate to help you to plan your meals. Think about doing some activity each day Start with a short walk and build up to minutes each day Aim for a weight loss of 0.5-1kg or 1-2lbs a week If you lose more than this amount each week, it is likely to be lost muscle and water, not body fat. If you have previously been gaining weight it is an achievement to keep your weight stable. It is important you are realistic about the amount of weight you wish to lose within a certain time and that you are able to keep to the changes you make as this will help to keep off the weight you have lost. 5 Eat foods from all the food groups Include starchy foods such as potatoes, breads, pasta or rice at each meal. Only drink alcohol in moderation - maximum amounts are 21 units for men and 14 units for women with some alcohol free days. Start with one or two of these ideas and add in others as you are successful. Keeping a food diary will help you to check what you are eating and monitor your progress (see page 8). 6

5 How can being more active help control my weight? We all tend to lose muscle as we get older as part of the ageing process. Therefore we have a tendency to put weight on (eg. middle aged spread). We also have a tendency to become less physically active. Being active is the key to losing weight and keeping it off. Being active builds muscle. Muscles burn calories - this raises your metabolism and helps you to lose weight and keep it off. Do my emotions affect what I eat? Everyone eats for reasons other than being hungry. Your thoughts and feelings affect when and what you eat. For some people being bored, stressed, upset or wanting to cheer themselves up can lead to overeating. The same emotions can lead to eating less. Keeping a diary, noting what you eat, when and how you feel will help you to look at the links between your feelings, thoughts and eating habits. See the example below Time What I ate and drank What activity I do - How did I feel - and how much for how long, was tired, bored it easy or hard Going on a diet can encourage your body to lose muscle as well as fat unless you become more active. Too much food and too little activity results in a gain in body fat. Your weight is a balance between what you eat and how active you are. Doing 30 minutes moderate activity, which gets you slightly out of breath, five times a week can help you to lose weight and be healthier. The 30 minutes doesn t have to be all at once, you can break it up throughout the day. For example a 15-minute walk, 10 minutes gardening and 5 minutes housework. Check with your doctor before you start any strenuous exercise or activity. 7 8

6 Will I lose weight faster if I miss meals? No, in fact you may lose it even more slowly. Missing meals slows down your metabolism, makes you hungry and more likely to snack. Every time you eat your body has to work to digest food. Eating little and often can use up more calories and stop you getting too hungry. Make sure you eat regularly and don t be tempted to miss meals. Aim to have three meals a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Try to have a starchy food at each meal (see the breads, cereals and potato group). If you need a snack have a low energy food like fruit. If you prefer to graze try to have six smaller meals spread evenly through the day. Remember to keep the portions smaller. What do I eat on special occasions? One of the main principles of healthy eating is that it includes all foods. It is important to allow yourself to join in special occasions and celebrations by eating or drinking with others, but don t go wild. Think how often you celebrate in this way - is it every week, month or year? By doing this you will feel more able to continue with your healthy eating plan long term. You will be less likely to have feelings of guilt or failure and feel more in control of your eating habits. If you can maintain your weight during festive seasons you should see this as a success. Just remember to keep these times occasional and enjoy them! Can I eat ready prepared meals? Yes - make your ready prepared meal healthier by serving it with extra vegetables, salad or fruit juice or finish off with some fruit! Check the food labels with ready prepared meals or snacks: Don t always take the picture labels at face value, for example attractive chocolate biscuits that claim to be light on fat, can be very high in sugar! Many foods are now also labelled with traffic light colours, so you tell at a glance if they serves 2 - half a pack provides are high (red), medium (amber) or low (green) in Calories Fat Saturates Sugars Salt fat, sugars and salt. For a 360 kcal MEDIUM HIGH LOW healthier choice, try to pick 16.8g 9.0g 5.8g 1.8g products with more greens 24% 45% 6% 30% and ambers and fewer reds. 9 of your guideline daily amount MEDIUM Can I eat take aways? The average take away meal eg. pizza, burger, curry are high in calories. This is because the portion size is bigger than you would normally eat at home and they are high in fat. Try a smaller portion or share a take away dish. Choose lower fat options eg. dry curries, pasta in vegetable sauces, boiled rice or noodles. Add salad or vegetables to your order. Enjoy them just occasionally. 10

7 Should I weigh myself? If you are doing quite a lot more physical activity you may not see much weight loss on the scales. This is because muscle is denser than fat, therefore your weight may not change but you will however, lose inches, feel fitter and have a better body shape. If you weigh yourself daily you may see your weight going up and down and it might make you feel despondent. These slight changes are due to fluid and can mask your actual loss of fat. Weigh yourself once a week at most too much weighing can lead to a preoccupation with weight which can get you feeling down and may lead to overeating or missing meals. Weight maintenance is an important achievement, managing to stop gaining weight or not regaining lost weight is a success. You could judge your progress without weighing. Waist measurements are a good way to check your progress as most of the inches round your waist are due to fat not muscle. Measure your waist or measure your progress by the loosening of your clothes or a notch in your trouser belt. For women if your waist is bigger than 81cm/32 inches, your health may be at risk. For men if your waist is bigger than 94cm/37 inches, your health may be at risk. I have heard that there is a tablet to help me lose weight? There is one type of tablet available to help those who meet specific criteria to lose weight. Orlistat - reduces the absorption of fat in the bowel. For the tablet to work and to avoid side effects you need to follow a low fat diet. For your GP to prescribe this you must lose 2.5kg in 1 month to demonstrate you are able to follow a healthy diet before receiving the medication. You must also continue to eat a healthy diet and lose weight whilst on the medication to be able to have continued prescriptions. Continuing to eat a balanced diet and being more active is essential after drug treatment is stopped, to prevent weight from being regained. I have heard that there are tablets that can cause weight gain? All medication has side effects, and some can make losing weight difficult, i.e. steroids, anti depressants, oral contraceptives, insulin and other hormonal treatments. However, it is still possible to lose extra fat around your middle and improve your health by eating a balanced diet and increasing your activity

8 12 - yes 12 top tips for successful weight loss! 1 Eat regular meals every day. Going for long periods of time without eating will not help you to lose weight, it will only make you hungry. 2 Eat a breakfast - scientifically shown to help people lose weight. 3 Increase fruit and vegetables eaten to at least 5 portions a day. 4 If you are hungry between meals swap to healthier snacks eg. fruit, a slice of wholemeal bread or a small bowl of cereal. Change Plan Write down here the changes that you want to make to your diet. Be realistic - start with 1 or 2 goals to build your confidence and remember, small changes add up and make a big difference. The changes I am going to make Example To eat an extra piece of fruit each day How will I do it? Have an apple or banana after lunch each day 5 Be more active because it helps to keep and build muscle. Increasing muscle helps you to lose weight and keep it off. 6 Think about your portion sizes (except of fruit and vegetables) eg. change from a large to a small plate at meal times. 7 Plan meals ahead so you are prepared and less likely to eat snacks instead of a meal. 8 Make a shopping list and stick to it and don t go shopping when you are hungry - you will be tempted to buy and eat more. 9 Alcohol is high in calories. For some people, reducing the amount drunk will be important for general health as well as weight. 10 Think about the times of day when you eat more, eg. if you eat when you are bored, try something else to occupy your mind such as a walk, a cup of tea, a book or magazine. 11 Get support from family and friends, for walks, recipe ideas, a chat. 12 Remember it is not just about weight - losing inches from your waist improves your health

9 Help us get it right If you have any complaints, concerns, comments or compliments please let us know. We learn from all comments we receive and use the information to improve our services. If you have a concern, please speak to a member of staff at your clinic or health centre. If you would rather talk to someone outside the service, you can contact PALS. Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) PALS provides confidential non-medical advice about local NHS services. Call freephone , Monday to Friday 8.30am 4.30pm. Contact us Leeds Community Adult Nutrition & Dietetic Services Parkside Community Health Centre 311 Dewsbury Road Leeds LS11 5LQ Tel: (answer phone) Fax: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm We can make this information available in Braille, large print, audio or other languages. We can also provide interpreters for languages or signing at your appointment. Please contact us to find out more. NHS Leeds Community Healthcare (Leeds PCT) August 2010 Review date August 2012 ref: 0078/S NHS Leeds Community Healthcare is responsible for providing healthcare services in the Leeds area and is hosted by Leeds Primary Care Trust (NHS Leeds).