Losing weight is actually a really simple concept. It is a matter of energy in vs. energy out. Eat less, burn more and you will see the number on the scales go down. But why then do we all seem to struggle?! Is that difficult to have a healthy diet?
Quick Disclaimer
First of all, let me do a disclaimer – I am not a nutritionist or dietician. I am just speaking from experience and what has helped me lose weight in the past. I am hopeful that this can help someone who has previously struggled to lose weight. If you want more information or support then contacting your GP or someone trained in nutrition is a great place to start.
Obesity in the UK
According to the NHS website, in the UK it is estimated that 3 in 5 adults are overweight and 1 in 4 are classified as obese. This is a large proportion of the population and over the years the statistics have only gone in one direction. This has lead to weight issues starting at a younger age, with it now estimated that obesity affects 1 in 5 children aged 10-11. This is astounding! Obviously this is not a localised problem and we are also seeing similar trends in other developed countries. Before we can begin to understand how to lose weight, maybe we should look at why people need to lose weight in the first place.
So why are people overweight?
People are complex so it is not surprising that weight issues are due to a range of factors. Weight gain is due to the energy input being higher than the energy expenditure. I.e. eating more than you burn. But why is this a problem for such a large number of people. Is everyone just lazy and greedy? Of course not. So lets look at this in a bit more depth. Losing weight it more complex than you might think.
Family and Culture
Many studies have shown that if your parents have weight issues then you are likely to also have weight issues. This could be because of genetics but the most likely reason is because of the bad habits that you also inherit. This could be eating large portion sizes, low activity levels, takeaway habits and even understanding what counts as healthy food. Additionally, family plays a big role in childhood obesity and why weight problems may start early in someone’s life. When your parents told you that you had to eat everything on your plate before you could leave the dinner table, this actually could have caused more harm than good.
In the UK especially, there is a lot of ‘meat and potatoes’ which means the meals your parents are cooking for you may not necessarily the healthiest. If we are not eating healthy meals, then it is going to be difficult to lose weight. There should be more of an emphasis on nutritionally dense vegetables but not everyone knows how to cook with these.
Diets and Education
With a lot of fad diets constantly being promoted online and in the media, its no wonder that people are digesting a lot of misinformation. Diet shakes, special detox teas, unsustainable calorie restriction and demonising carbohydrates are just a few ways that companies are trying to trick you into losing weight unsustainably. In reality, you are on an extreme diet for a limited amount of time you are not making any changes to your lifestyle for long term weight loss.
This means that when you return to your normal eating and activity levels, you will eventually return to your original weight and potentially even put on more weight. As cliché as it sounds, a diet is not a diet, it is a lifestyle change. It has to be sustainable!
Diet Culture
In addition to fad diets, there are also slimming groups such as Weight Watchers and Slimming World. Personally, I am not a fan, I don’t think they are effective BUT there always exceptions so I’m sure some people have success with these clubs and I like that it can be a positive community. I think the problem is that these type of groups tend to demonise certain foods which encourages food guilt and at the same time it does not seem to educate about portion control.
Do you understand what a healthy meal is?
Not only is it easy to follow diet fads but I don’t think it is also clear to a lot of people where most of their calories are and what actually is a healthy and nutritious meal. I have seen so many examples of a salad with iceberg lettuce, cucumber, maybe a few tomatoes or carrot…… and lots of salad dressing and / or cheese or coleslaw. This is not a good salad but because it has elements of a salad, you could be convinced that this is helping you cut the pounds. In reality, this type of meal is likely loaded with sugars and fats.
Hidden calories are everywhere, in that jar of pasta sauce, in the coffee you order at brunch, in the cooking oil and especially in that salad dressing. Once we learn to recognise the calories and understand what a healthy meal actually looks like, then we can start to truly understand our eating habits.
Money
Whilst it is a controversial topic, a lot of people will argue that living on a lower income makes it a lot harder to eat healthy. Sometimes it is just a lack of education but I think there is more to it than that. Whilst fresh fruit and vegetables are not always that expensive, living on the poverty line would make you more concerned with trying to feel fuller after a meal, rather than eating nutritiously. Furthermore, it may be easier and more efficient to cook a large amount of pasta rather than a fresh salad, especially considering the vegetables would have a shorter shelf life.
Poverty may also lead to unhealthy fasting which can affect your metabolism and make it difficult to lose weight. With the current cost of living rising, sadly I think this will only make the obesity crisis worse.
Convenience
In addition to lack of education and money, a lack of time is something that pushes us towards convenient food (which is also something that could affect the poor more than anyone else). When we lack time, it is much easier to order a takeaway, cook a ready meal or something beige that you can chuck in the oven. This is something that a lot of food manufacturers will take advantage of and promote easy to use products that can be full of sugar, salt and unnecessary additives. Whilst it’s not always possible to cook from scratch at all times, I would promote doing this as much as possible.
For those times when it is not possible we need to make sure to check the food labels and try to choose products that are healthier i.e. higher protein, low in saturated fats, low in sugar, low in salt and as unprocessed as possible.
Remember eating vegan doesn’t necessarily make you healthy…
With the vegetarian and vegan community growing everyday, there is a noticeable rise in these convenience food products as well. What we must remember is that just because something is vegan, it does not mean that this is necessarily healthier than a meat product. Vegan junk food can be just as bad, if not worse than processed meat. Just like a non-vegan diet, a vegan diet is only healthy if you make it healthy.
Please check out my vegan and vegetarian recipes if you want some inspiration.
Other reasons we can struggle losing weight…
I have only listed a few of the main causes of an unhealthy lifestyle but of course the issue is even more complex. Genetic traits or metabolic disorders could also play an active role, however this is likely a small portion of the population. Mental health could also be a main contributor as well as eating out of boredom so its just important to try and understand why you eat the way you do and learn to correct it.
So how can we start losing weight?
Just like the causes of being overweight, losing weight also has many factors and may vary for each individual. We must remember that the overall goal is to be HEALTHY and not just to lose weight. Please also note that losing fat and losing weight are not the same thing. Ideally we want to lose fat and maintain or build muscle.
A Simple Equation… burn more calories than you eat
As previously stated, losing weight is just simple mathematics equation. If you eat a lower amount of energy than you burn then your body will use stored energy from your body – this is called a calorie deficit. Technically speaking, if you only ate chocolate, you could still lose weight as long as the overall calorie intake is still lower than the expenditure. Now obviously, I wouldn’t recommend this as this is not nutritionally healthy and you would be very hungry but it is just to show that calories are very much important.
Exercise
Some people will try to over-train the body in the form of exercise, but it is pretty much impossible to out-train a bad diet. You need to make sure that you are eating enough to provide your body with sufficient energy and you should never aim to severely restrict calories as this can not only lead to muscle loss but it is just unsustainable and can lead to food binges and low moods.
Unfortunately, losing weight slowly is best way to make sure that you are adapting your eating habits, getting healthy and losing weight in a sustainable way.
Calorie Counting?
Personally, I sometimes use a calorie counter to ensure I am aware of the energy I am putting into my body and this helps me stay on track – there are so many apps out there that are really good tools. These not only help you calculate and understand what your target calorie intake would be, but they can also help you identify any hidden calories in your diet.
I don’t think it’s a good idea to count calories all of the time and frankly this would be very difficult to sustain long term, but as a starting point, this is a good option to understand your own food energy consumption. Please note that if you think you may be prone to eating disorders then this might not be a good option for you. I think it is important to once again remember that losing weight is not the end goal. We should be aiming to become happy and healthy.
Can Fasting help with losing weight?
One way of cutting calories that worked for me is intermittent fasting. I used the 16:8 method where I fast for 16 hours of the day and only eat within an 8 hour window. I usually fast between 8pm and 12pm (midday) so most of my fasting is overnight whilst I was asleep. Basically it means that I skip breakfast.
Now I know that we are taught from a young age that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, however there are numerous benefits to fasting and I actually function better when I don’t eat breakfast. If I am ever really hungry or want to eat then I will eat, the important thing is that I listen to my body. I’m not going into too much detail and I am not a nutrition expert but fasting helped me curb my hunger, reduce my snacking and actually gave me more energy. Please note this method is not for everyone and if you are unsure, consult your doctor or dietician before making any big changes.
Vegetables, vegetables and more vegetables…
One thing I would recommend, especially as a starting point is to increase the number of vegetables in your diet. These are a low calorie and nutritionally dense option that will help you keep fuller for longer.
Most of my recipes are based around vegetables as these are a main part of my diet. I think its also important to ensure you are eating a wide variety of vegetables as this will allow you to get a range of vitamins and nutrients.
Once you increase the amount of vegetables, you could decrease the amount of carbohydrates which will help lower your calorie intake. Speaking of carbohydrates, it is easy to think that cutting out the carbs is the answer.. No carbs = fat loss right?? Not quite. This definitely can help you lose weight in the short term but it may also leave you looking for something sugary to snack on after your meal and the long term effects could impact your health. Instead of removing carbohydrates from your diet, you should think about eating in moderation and focusing of those that will keep you fuller for longer. Aim to consume a good amount of fibre rather than refined carbohydrates which can cause spikes in your blood sugar. Carbohydrates are not the enemy and we should focus on a balanced and well rounded diet.
Protein
Another macronutrient that will keep you fuller for longer is protein which means that adding more protein into you diet will help you stop snacking. I would recommend lean forms of protein and whilst I usually try to stay away from processed food, protein powder is actually a good way to implement protein into your diet. Proteins are basically chains of amino acids and are essential for cell growth and repair. If you want to build muscle then you need to have a protein rich diet.
As a vegetarian it can be a lot harder to incorporate high amounts of protein compared to a meat eater. If you eat meat then lean chicken is a great way to add protein. If like me, you prefer to keep away from meat / fish then I recommend protein from soya, bean, grains such as quinoa, seeds and nuts, pulses etc. I try to point out the nutritional benefits in my recipes and especially point out the sources of protein.
Exercise
Of course exercise is important to being healthy. In many ways an ideal exercise regime would consist of weight training and cardio. The protein fuels the weight training and helps you maintain and build muscle whilst the cardio improves cardiovascular health and aids in calorie burn. If you are on a calorie deficit diet and don’t exercise, it is possible that you not only lose weight in the form of fat, but also in the form of muscle. If you want to be strong or look toned then you should definitely be incorporating some kind of weight or resistance training to your regime.
It should be noted that if you are heavily obese or new to exercise then you should start slow and not push yourself too much. This would put you at risk of injury or lead to giving up too soon.
Summary
Overall, if you want to lose fat and be more healthy then eat at a calorie deficit with a diet full of protein and nutritionally dense vegetables. Exercise with cardio and weight training and try to break any bad eating habits. If you try to make big changes or too many changes too quickly then you are setting yourself up for failure.
SOOO… start small and slowly incorporate changes to your eating and exercise. Be consistent. And . Don’t lose motivation.