How to eat well on a budget

The old adage, “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse,” has become a sad reality for many Brits recently and we are currently experiencing the fallout of the so called “Horsemeat” scandal.  For many health and fitness professionals like myself it has been an extremely interesting news story, one which both disgusts me but also allows me to feel slightly vindicated as I openly speak out against processed food on a daily basis to my clients.  The fact the food industry has been caught red handed in lying to consumers over the content of its products is no surprise to me and my colleagues, but it gives me the perfect opportunity to present a positive counter argument to something that I hear time and time again; “I can’t afford to eat good food”.

First of all I want to set out my stall; I am not naive in thinking that in today’s financial climate has not affected many individuals and families on low incomes, and I am certainly not arrogant in thinking I can give parenting advice.   I do know if many of us change the way we think about food we can improve our diets (and those of our families) and do this on a budget that suits your circumstances.

The recent news scandal has highlighted that processed food cannot be trusted;  in fact I was told by reliable source that someone is needed to literally count the animals going in and out of these meat processing plants due to the corrupt nature of the business.   For those who do not know, processed food is food that has been pre-prepared and will have instructions to either be re-heated or to be cooked from frozen.  Apart from the ambiguous meat sources, these food types are also packed with sugar, salt, artificial flavouring, fillers and sweeteners. As a general rule of thumb, if the ingredients list is longer than a few items avoid it.

Buying what we in the industry called “whole foods” and cooking from scratch is the ideal solution to make sure that you are getting good quality, healthy and nutritious meals on a regular basis.  This is usually where the phrases “organic” and “free range” pop up and on the whole I would recommend buying as much of these products as you can, but first of all; What are they and what do the terms mean?

Organic Food

According to the soil association organic food is, “... food which is produced using environmentally and animal friendly farming methods on organic farms.”  The problem with a definition like this is it is still quite ambiguous in its meaning, especially as different countries have different organic regulation.  But to put it in lay terms, Organic food will not be grown using industrial chemicals to aid the growing process, it will not be genetically modified and organic meats/poultry will not be fed with non-organic animal feed. 

Free Range

Free range food doesn’t mean Organic, what it means is that the animal in question would have been living in conditions that allow it to roam around and forage for food naturally.  In the case of chickens for example; this means they will not be kept it battery farm conditions (artificial light, nowhere to move or flap their wings).  Why is this important? If an animal cannot move around its muscles and connective tissue cannot develop correctly, which means a terrible quality of animal is produced.  The food industry has tried to get around this by using hormones to help their animals grow and by injecting water into meat to make it look more succulent, but this is purely for aesthetics to help them sell a bad product with low nutritional value.  So just think, if your diet is mainly made up of this poor quality produce, then how are you supposed to get energy and essential nutrients from it?

Below I have put together a list of common ingredients, different levels of quality and their prices.  It makes worrying reading.  The Organic Supermarket produce is over 300% more expensive than the Supermarket Value brands, which is terrible as it does price out a lot of hard working families.  But the mid range brand, which includes free range eggs, chicken and organic milk is not that different to the value brands, so is definitely affordable, especially if unnecessary products such as sweets, crisps, biscuits, cakes, alcohol and frozen food are taken off the shopping list.

Table of common Ingredients

	Supermarket Value Brand	Mid Range Brand	Organic Supermarket
Wholemeal loaf of bread (800g)	£0.90	£1.50	£3.78
Dozen Eggs	£2.18	£2.65 (free range)	£4.38
4 Pints of Milk	£1.29	£1.79 (organic)	£4.30
Whole Chicken	£4.00	£5.50 (free range)	£17.32*
Total	£8.37	£11.44	£29.78

* Available for delivery in London only, which has affected the price on this delivery service

My advice for people who wish to improve the ingredients quality of their shopping list, but cannot afford to buy at organic supermarkets (that’s most of us) is to make up your shopping list with a mix of ingredients from your supermarket (look for the better quality produce such as free range and organic), local green grocers and when possible your local butcher.  If you are unable to buy organic vegetables the make sure your scrub them well before cooking, a tip would be to use apple cider vinegar to scrub them before rinsing in cold water (this removes any pesticides).

Another piece of essential advice is to change the way we look at our diets.  Why do we need to eat animal produce every day?  You can get essential protein from combining cheaper vegetable protein sources; for example a homemade daal (lentil curry) with brown rice and vegetables can provide all of the essential amino acids to make a wholesome protein rich, vitamin rich and energy rich meal that can feed a family at a fraction of the price of a meat based meal.

If you do want to use meats and fish then look at traditional working class dishes from home and abroad to make your meals go further; Stews, curry, paella, tagine, Bolognese, stir fry’s etc. All these dishes use whole food ingredients with some meat, but can be made in bulk portions to feed a family on a budget or to feed an individual for multiple days.

To sum up, it is not impossible to eat well whatever budget you are on, just make sure you shop smart and buy your ingredients whole.  It’s really easy to blame others for the state of your health, but taking some responsibility and cooking more will not only improve your health but the quality of your life and those around you.

Stay healthy!

For more information and recipe ideas email James directly to arrange a consultation james@hutchisonpt.co.uk

Do yourself a favour and do something different!

One of the most frustrating aspects of being a Fitness professional is seeing such inconsistency in peoples training regimes and diet.  I am forever hearing next week is the week I’m going to sort my food out; on Monday I am going to stop drinking so much; after my holiday I am going to take my training more seriously etc.  

This table from Stanford University’s psychology research department makes interesting reading and can shed some light on why people seemingly find it so difficult to add an exercise or healthy diet regime to their life,  give up a bad habit or break away from self destructive behaviours that affect their overall health. The table highlights the fact that not enough focus is on recognising or understanding how much our behaviours, therefore our lives are controlled by habits.

	Stanford University’s Top 10 mistakes in behaviour change
1	Relying on will power for long term change
2	Attempting big leaps instead of baby steps
3	Ignoring how environment shapes behaviour
4	Trying to stop old behaviours rather than create new ones
5	Blaming failure on lack of motivation
6	Underestimating the power of triggers
7	Believing that information leads to action
8	Focusing on abstract goals more than concentrating on concrete behaviours
9	Seeking at the outset to change the behaviour forever
10	Believing that behaviour change is always difficult

It is human nature to think that we are all in control of our lives and all of decisions and behaviours are completely rational and all of the choices we make are conscious.  The truth is that they are not; our brains may only make up 2% of our body-weight but they consume 20% of our energy resources.  It has also been shown that willpower behaves like a muscle in the sense that it burns more energy and can get tired when overused, which suggests that it is natural for the brain to want to conserve energy.  A way this can happen is to run on auto-pilot and just do what is comfortable and requires less thought.  

Our lives are run by habits, so when it comes to changing your diet, or committing to an exercise regime or giving up drinking or smoking it is no wonder so many fail at the first hurdle as they are battling against environmental triggers that they don’t know exist.  The good news is there is something you can do to help.  It is quite simply learn new behaviours and create new brain connections by doing something completely different.

Professor Ben Fletcher, Head of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire has spent his career researching this field and has overwhelming evidence that shows that when people commit to trying new things it opens their mind to change, which has a positive effect on breaking habits, losing weight and making sustainable long term changes.  It can even improve your creativity, work productivity and overall enrich your life.  

Professor Fletcher advocates “Do Something Different” interventions that require people to come out of their comfort zone and take part in seemingly innocuous tasks such as eating different food, reading a different paper, watching new television shows, walking a different route to work or striking up conversations with new people. The result of these interventions is a mind that is open to change, as he puts it, you learn how to use the other 9/10ths of your personality.

Remember, Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome.

So, if you have been struggling in 2013 to keep to your health goals, my advice is to mix it up and do something completely different and help improve your chances of success!

For more information and guidance on how to change your health behaviour and build a successful exercise regime contact James directly on james@hutchisonpt.co.uk or enquiries@aayou.co.uk.

How much Protein do I need in my diet?

PROTEIN! PROTEIN! PROTEIN! This used to be the war cry of the free-weight section in the spit and sawdust old school gyms.  It then got hijacked by any 16 year old lad who could fit into a top-man tank top and who wanted to “bulk up”.  It is now common terminology for all gym users and most people on a diet.   

So what is protein, what does it do and how much do we need in our diets?

Protein is a macro-nutrient that is made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and the all important element nitrogen, and is often known as the building block of life;  in-fact the word protein in fact means "of primary importance".  They are essential for;

• Growth and repair of teeth, hair, bones and muscle;
• Transportation of oxygen around the body;
• A source of energy (a gram of protein is 4 calories);

So you can see that for the body to work efficiently eating protein is a must for all: males, females, adults and children.  However with the advent of high protein diets it must be explained that excess protein is bad for the body.  Unlike carbohydrate and fat, protein cannot be stored in the body as energy, therefore it needs to be broken down into waste produce; 

• The nitrogen element of protein gets converted into urea and passed out in our urine, which can over work the kidneys and cause dehydration.  
• The acid elements get converted into carbohydrate, which when in excess will be stored as fat.
• Bone strength can be affected as a huge amount of calcium is lost in urine.

The national research council recommends 0.42g of protein per lb of bodyweight, but as with most government lead research the numbers are based on averages, therefore personal circumstances should be taken into consideration before working out how much protein you should consume.  For example a study by the American Council of Sports Medicine recommends that strength trained athletes should consume 0.5-0.8g of protein per lb of body weight for the best performance and health.  In essence the more active you are the higher amount of protein you need for optimal performance and repair of muscles.  If you are pregnant, recovering from illness of an elite athlete then you would use the highest figure.

So for example a man of 180lbs (12 stone 12lbs) who exercises 4-5 times a week at a high intensity will use a number at the higher end of the scale such as 0.70g per lb of body weight;

180 x 0.7 = 126 g of protein per day.

Or a woman of 140lbs (10 stone) who is a moderate exerciser 3 times a week would consume 0.5g per lb of bodyweight.

140 x 0.6 = 70 g of protein per day.

It is a common misconception when working out what protein foods to consume that the whole of the fillet of fish or chicken or the whole beef steak is protein.  For example when I asked a client to eat 80g per day of protein they thought that that would be 1 chicken breast; in fact 1 chicken breast only has approximately 26g of protein.

Here is a chart with some common protein foods and their approximate values;

Tuna steak (baked)        113g = 34g protein  - 1 steak

Rib eye steak (baked)    113g = 32g protein  - 1 steak

Minced beef  (fried)       113g = 32g protein  - 1 serving

Chicken Thigh (skinless) 100g = 28g protein  - 2 thighs

Chicken Breast (skinless) 80g = 26g protein  - 1 breast

Salmon Fillet (baked)     85g = 22g protein    - 1 fillet

Cod Fillet (baked)          90g = 21g protein  -  1 fillet

Protein Shake (1 scoop) 25g = 20g protein  - made with water

Protein Bar                     50g = 15g protein   -  1 Pulsin sport bar

Lentils (cooked)             100g = 9g protein   - small serving

Kidney Beans (cooked)  88g = 8g protein    - small serving

Spinach (raw)                 30g = 1g protein    - small serving

1 large hard boiled egg           = 6g protein

This list is just an accumulation of some common protein foods and does not list all.  I have only included a few vegetable proteins, but it is important to point out that although meat, fish and poultry have higher protein quantities per serving they do not provide essential fibre into your diet.  Therefore it is important to consume your proteins from various sources including meats, fish, poultry, nuts, beans, lentils, rice, breads and grains such as quinoa.  When eating vegetable proteins it is important to combine foods to create what is called a "complete" protein which can then be used by the body more effectively.

So an example of a meal plan for the previously stated 180lb man who needs 126g of protein in his diet per day;  

Breakfast:  2 hard boiled eggs (12g protein), 2 slices of rye bread toast (5g protein)

Snack:  Protein Bar (15g protein)

Lunch:  1 Tuna steak (34 g protein) with steamed green vegetables (3g protein)

Post workout snack:  Protein Shake with 250ml water (20g protein)

Dinner: 1 chicken breast (26 g protein) with a large portion of raw spinach (2 g protein) and a portion of mixed pulses (9 g protein).

Total Protein = 126 g

For more information on how to plan an optimal nutrition food plan, contact me at the All About You studio; enquiries@aayou.co.uk or directly; james@hutchisonpt.co.uk.

Why Pilates is the best exercise for pregnant women.

For many women the thought of exercising during pregnancy can cause confusion; should we continue with what we were doing? Is it too much impact on my body? What if I haven’t done any exercise before? Can I lie on my back? Is it safe...? These are just a few examples of the many questions fitness professionals are asked by their clients when they become pregnant.  In short the answer to this question is yes, you can exercise during pregnancy as long as you stick to some basic guidelines;

1.  Do not exhaust yourself
2. Keep the body temperature and heart rate under control
3. Keep hydrated
4. Do not lay on your back after 16 weeks
5. No contact Sport or activities that can risk falling over.
6.  Make sure you get the advice of a qualified professional.

I have found over the years that the most effective exercise for pregnant women is Pilates.  Pilates is a style of exercise developed by its founder, Joseph Pilates, and focuses on building core strength and improving posture through a series of low repetition low impact and conditioning exercises.

So why is Pilates so good for pregnant women?

As previously stated Pilates is focused on building core strength and maintaining correct posture; during pregnancy the enlarged abdominal area shifts the load point on the body which can result in back pain, weak abdominal muscles, poor balance and poor spatial awareness.  The Pilates method can counter all of these issues by allowing a pregnant woman to build strength in her deep abdominal muscles and lower back which allows the body to cope with the extra load. Maintain posture by strengthening weak muscles, stretching tight muscles and developing a greater overall awareness of the body; which in turn will improve balance, co-ordination and spatial awareness.

Enlarged abdominal area creating a shift in load on the body

Tiredness and fatigue is a common complaint during pregnancy, which is why it is so vital to keep fit and healthy throughout the gestation period to help combat the extra effort that is needed to carry an unborn child around whilst continuing daily life.  Pilates offers a low impact, non exhaustive way of building strength for the whole body.  It also involves a lot of guidance with breathing control that can actually help a pregnant women relax and sleep better.  In fact the guidance given on breathing control can actually benefit a pregnant woman whilst in labour.

Pregnant women can suffer with swollen ankles, cramps and varicose veins.  The Pilates method includes many dynamic exercises that not only move limbs, but also stretch tight muscles improving circulation of blood around the body, which can help prevent the for mentioned ailments becoming a problem.

After 16 weeks it is recommended that women do not exercise flat on their backs; this position may put pressure on the vena cava, which in turn reduces blood to your heart and possibly your brain causing dizziness and nausea.  The Pilates method uses a variety of floor-work and reformer techniques that can safely work your core muscles and whole body without having to lie on your back.

Exercising on a Pilates Reformer machine

One of the greatest benefits of exercising whilst pregnant that is especially relevant to those participating in regular Pilates, is that recovery post pregnancy can come much easier if your core muscles have already been conditioned.  It will also help with problems such as mild incontinence that can be an embarrassing issue to women post pregnancy as they will have greater control over their body.

What do we offer at All About You?

At All About You we have a team of highly qualified Pilates Instructors who can take you for Personal Pilates sessions; tailoring a programme that is suited for your specific stage of pregnancy, and guide you through safe effective exercise sessions.  Post natal our instructors can either resume working 1 on 1 with you or guide you into semi-private or floor work sessions that are regularly held at our studio.  Whichever form of Pilates you wish to participate in an All About You, we guarantee you will not be disappointed and experience the benefits that Pilates can offer.

For more information visit www.aayou.co.uk or contact James at the studio on 020 8348 9706.

James Hutchison's Top 10 Tips for a better body

1.  Get expert advice

If your car broke down you would go to a mechanic to get it fixed, and if you were ill you would go to see a doctor to get a diagnosis; so why do people insist on getting their health and fitness advice out of showbiz magazines or attempting it alone?  I would recommend anyone attempting to make real changes in their lifestyle and to their body to go to see a Health & Fitness professional for at-least a consultation and a programme session.  A good fitness professional will be able to plan an exercise programme that is suitable for your specific exercise goals and focus your training on the areas that need most work.  Most importantly they will make the sessions interesting and reduce your chances of injury.

2.  Failing to plan is planning to fail

Making major changes to your lifestyle and your body takes time and effort.  Where many fall at the first hurdle is lack of planning; they don’t know what they want to eat or shop when they are hungry, and go to the gym without a plan and walk around aimlessly attempting to exercise.  To greatly improve chances of success it is absolutely vital that a person; 1) Has a personalised exercise program to follow, 2) Keeps a food diary, 3) Plans their meals each week and shops appropriately.

3.  Train smart

Exercising for hours on end is not necessary if your programme is efficient and targets the right areas.  Smart, effective exercise plans should be based around compound primal pattern movements that combine multiple muscle groups simultaneously.  These are; squats, lunges, dead-lifts, pushing, pulling and twisting.  These movements not only strengthen the body and build muscle (essential for an athletic toned look), they also raise the heart rate sufficiently and can burn many more calories per session than an average cardiovascular session.  A training programme that is efficient will fit into 40-60 minute gym sessions.

4.  Eat well, move more

Nutrition is one of the major keys to success.  An effective meal plan is not one that is just aimed at short term weight loss; it is also not just a diet based around protein shakes and supplements.   It is a meal plan that caters for the body’s optimum nutritional needs by providing the correct balance of carbohydrate (40-50%), protein (30%), fats (20-30%), vitamins and minerals.  Eating a balanced diet consisting of breakfast, lunch, dinner and a couple of nutritious snacks, alongside plenty of fluids and a generally active lifestyle will give you not just a healthy body but a healthy mind.  I would recommend that an individual should be participating in structured exercise sessions 3-4 times per week and on top of that (especially those in desk jobs) getting out for a decent walk (40 minutes +) a couple of times per week.

5.  Consistency is the key to success

If you want a great looking healthy body then you need to commit to a healthier lifestyle long term.  Exercising 3 times a week and taking an 80:20 approach to your eating (be good 80% of the time and indulge 20% of the time) long term will not only get you a great body but will also mean you will keep it.  One of the major failings of many in their quest for the body beautiful is they only want it before they go on holiday or after Christmas, which usually means they only try to exercise hard and eat well for 2-3 months a year.  In fact this will be detrimental to your health and most likely result in extra weight gain every time you stop.

6.  Sleep isn’t for wimps

Sleep is vital for a healthy body and a healthy mind.  A person who regularly gets their full quota of sleep (I will refrain from giving a number as we all know our own bodies) will start the day with more energy, therefore will not need caffeine and sugar to get through the day.  A person who is well rested will more likely have the energy and motivation to exercise frequently and eat well and more importantly their bodies are able to recover properly from the resistance training they will be doing to build their perfect body.

7.  Fit people eat fat

For 15 years the diet industry has plugged the message that people should avoid eating fat to keep healthy.  The fact the UK is now officially the most obese nation in Europe shows how good this advice is.  The truth is that Fat is an essential macro nutrient and is required for the body to function efficiently.  Therefore my advice is forget what your generic slimming club tells you, and make sure you are adding essential sources of fat into your diet using olive oil, nuts, coconut oil, avocado, eggs, meats (not just lean cuts) and fish.  In fact a diet needs 20-30% of its content to be made up of good fats so the body can have hormonal balance.

8.  Men don’t forget remedial work

If you walk into most gyms you can guarantee that if you walk into the weights section you will see guys bench pressing, bicep curling, tricep extending and doing multiple sit-ups.... even the guys by the squat rack, who actually know their way around a gym will rarely be spotted doing flexibility work or actually doing effective core work.  So my advice is to never forget remedial work; joining a Pilates or a Yoga class and spending a few hours a week will be an investment in your health.  These classes will improve mobility, strengthen your core, improve your posture and reduce chances of injury.

9.  Ladies you do need to lift weights

Resistance training is essential for gaining a fit, strong and lean body.  This look will not be achieved by plodding on a treadmill for hours on end or doing hundreds of aerobic classes, NO it will be achieved by working the major muscle groups in the body to failure and building muscle mass (alongside some cardiovascular exercise).  Don’t panic ladies, you WILL NOT end up looking like a body builder, if growing muscles was as easy as that then every man on the planet would be walking round like Arnold Schwarzenegger.  But to get a butt like J-Lo and a body like Angelina then you need to add resistance exercises at least 3 times a week to your programme.

10.  Don’t be scared to try something new

Boredom and routine are two major hurdles to overcome in this quest for a great body; our bodies can adapt to routine extremely quickly so it is essential to constantly change the order and intensity of exercises to prevent a plateau in your results.  Boredom is also a factor that can stop someone from keeping to an exercise program, so my advice is make sure you have fun whilst exercising; if you are fed up of working out in the gym try something new like an outdoor Boot-camp or attempting a sport or activity you have never tried.  Just doing this every few months can make the gym more enjoyable and more effective once you return.

Any questions about planning an effective fitness and (or) diet plan, contact James at the studio james@hutchisonpt.co.uk.

UK Seasonal Foods For November

Welcome to the second in the series of monthly articles on seasonal foods in the UK.  November is the month when the days are getting noticeably shorter, the temperature begins to drop and the shops are full of reminders that the holiday season is not too far away.  The list of foods that are in season in November are as follows;

Apples, Brussels sprouts, Chestnut, Clams, Cranberry, Cabbage, Horse Radish, Jerusalem Artichoke, Mussels, Parsnips, Pomegranate, Quince, Pumpkin, Pheasant, Scallop, Sea Bass

Continuing the theme from last month, I will present three recipes; A meat/poultry/fish dish, a vegetable based dish and a fruit dessert.  All recipes will be low in calories but high in taste and full of fantastic ingredients which are great for your health.

Brussels Sprouts are the first ingredient I am going to highlight.  This vegetable is full of goodness and share many of the same benefits as cabbages and other cruciferous vegetables.  They are high in fibre which is great for digestion, however the main health benefits come from its high content of Vitamin C and cancer protecting bioflavanoids.  In fact it has been reported that men who eat 3 portions of cruciferous vegetables per week (Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli) are 41% less likely to develop prostrate cancer than men who eat 1 portion per week.

Brussels Bubble & Squeak with Poached Egg (serves 4)  This tasty recipe is a great way of using up left overs from a roast dinner.

400g Potatoes, cooked and crushed
200g Brussels Sprouts, cooked and roughly chopped
2 small onions, halved and sliced
4 free range eggs
Butter

Cook the onions in a small amount of butter until soft.  Mix with the potatoes and sprouts, season with sea salt and pepper and form into 4 rough flat cakes.  Fry the cakes in a small amount of butter or olive oil in a separate pan until golden crusted on both sides.  Keep warm in a low heat oven.

Bring a wide, shallow pan of water (with a small amount of vinegar) to a simmer. Crack in the eggs then turn down the heat and leave for 6-8 mins until cooked. Drain well, then top each cake with a poached egg and serve.

Sea Bass with sizzled ginger and spring onions (serves 6) An easy but impressive looking meal adding a host of flavours to a protein packed piece of fish.

6 Sea Bass fillets, about 140g each. Skin on.
3 tbsp sunflower oil
Large knob of ginger, peeled and shredded into matchsticks
3 Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 fat, fresh, red chillies de-seeded and thinly shredded
Bunch Spring Onions, shredded long ways
1 tbsp Soy Sauce

Season the fish with sea salt and pepper, then slash the skin 3 times.  Heat a heavy based frying pan and add 1 tbsp oil.  Once hot, fry the fish, skin side down, for 5 minutes or until the skin is very crisp and golden.  The fish will be almost cooked through.  Turn over, cook for another 30 secs-1min, then transfer to a serving plate and keep warm.

Heat the remaining oil, then fry the ginger, garlic and chillies for about 2 minutes until golden.  Take off the heat and toss in the spring onions.  Splash the fish with a little soy sauce and spoon the over the contents of the pan.

Pomegranate is well known in the media for it's "Super Food" status, but this is because they are extremely beneficial for your health.  Pomegranates are high in fibre, Vitamin C, potassium and niacin all which are associated with greater energy levels.  They are also packed full of anti-oxidants which are vital for a healthy immune system to help fight off disease.  Pomegranates are often consumed as a juice, but I am going to provide you with a fantastic smoothie that also is packed full of other seasonal berries;

Pomegranate Fruit Smoothie An anti-oxidant packed healthy smoothie.

1.5 cups of pomegranate juice (non concentrate)
0.5 cup blueberries
0.5 cup of blackberries
1 peeled banana
3 large spoonfuls of a good quality live yoghurt
ice

Blend to desired consistency and serve

Enjoy!!

Recipes taken from "The Healing Power of Nature Foods" and www.bbcgoodfood.com.

The Psychology of Weight Loss

If you picked up any health or lifestyle magazine it wouldn’t take long to find an article on the latest celebrity diet and an abundance of advice on how to shift unwanted pounds.  More reliable sources of information on the subject from fitness professionals and nutrition experts give a similar message; eat less and move more.  This of course on face value is correct, if you consume less calories than you burn you will lose weight.  It is also true that to maintain a healthy weight and body you should consume more unprocessed foods and focus on building a menu around fresh fruits, vegetables, complex carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats.  So the question is; if it is that easy, why do so many fail?

I believe the reason for this is because many people do not understand the psychological factors that are associated with dieting success.  These factors range from understanding habitual behaviour, theories of behaviour change and finding true motivation.  If a diet program can incorporate knowledge of psychology it will not only help an individual reach their goal weight, but improve the chances of keeping their weight off for life.

Human beings are habitual by nature.  From birth human development is dependent on the brain creating neural networks that remember actions and feelings so that we are able to learn to survive.  Eating is obviously an essential component of survival so from very early on if our lives we begin to develop a pattern of behaviour that is associated with food.  This could be a certain feeling associated with foods (positive or negative), it could be a particular time you eat or an order that you eat in.  The simple fact is, by the time you have reached adulthood the neural networks associated with your eating habits are deeply entwined with everything you do; so it is no surprise to find out losing weight is slightly more complicated than having a young fit and perfectly toned fitness professional telling you not to eat certain foods.

Professors at the University of Hertfordshire have dedicated many years of research to understanding habits and how they can have a negative affect on life.  In their book, “The no diet diet”, Professors Fletcher, Pine & Penman explain how that changing non diet based behaviours can actually help untangle the web of neural networks associated with eating behaviour.  They suggest that taking time to make small changes in your life such as; reading different papers or magazines, watching different television programs, taking up knew hobbies and taking different routes to work allow the body to break out of routine and make a natural adjustment to its metabolic functioning, resulting in weight loss of up to 2lbs a week. Unlike many other diet books, this has years of scientific research and results to back up its claims.  Looking at this habit breaking task from another perspective can see it as a great way of practising and building up will power before attempting to cut something as addictive as processed sugar from a diet.

Understanding behaviour change cycles are vitally important in planning a successful weight management programme.  For example; a well known theory in social psychology is the theory of planned behaviour.  This theory has shown that a person’s behaviour can be predicted using knowledge of their attitude towards the behaviour, subjective norms about the behaviour and said persons perceived behavioural control.  What this means in relation to dieting behaviour is that knowledge of a persons attitude towards food and diets, what they believe others will think of them if they do or do not diet and whether they have the tools to succeed in their weight loss goals can be used to predict their action.  These important nuggets of information should be established during a consultation with fitness professional or a nutritionist, however if you are deciding to seek dieting success with no external help then you should take time to think about and write down the answers to the points I have highlighted.  If you happen to have a positive attitude to the idea of dieting, feel that others will be supportive and you feel you have the necessary will power and support network around you then you have a greater chance of success.

Timing when to start a weight management programme is also essential for success.  By this I don’t mean that you should peruse your diary to find a week where you have no social engagements, but choosing a time when you are ready for change.  Dr. James Prochaska and colleagues have studied behaviour change interventions for many years and have established six stages of behaviour change.  These are; pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance and termination.  Establishing which stage you are at can help determine what is needed to help move on to the next stage and most importantly whether you are ready for change in the first place. 

Pre-contemplation is a term used to describe the stage in which people are in denial over their need for change.  Take for instance a person who is lives on fast food and consumes dangerously high quantities of alcohol.  They may see an article on the dangers of processed food and skip over it or become defensive if any body questions them about their negative behaviour.  Pre-contemplators are not ready for change and usually will only start a weight loss programme under pressure from those around them.  Contemplation is the stage when a person acknowledges that they have a problem and like to talk about it, read about it and think about it.  In fact they like to do anything except act on it.  This stage of change can take some people years to overcome whilst they research their problem deeply in hope of finding the Holy Grail that will send them on the path to change.  Others may contemplate for a short while and move on to the next stage; preparation.  This is quite simply preparing for action.  In the case of dieting behaviour it can involve seeking out a personal trainer or gym membership, planning meals, deciding what foods you are going to cut out of your life etc.  A key part of this stage is to go public.  Fear of failure is something that holds many people back when committing to any sort of change, so going public adds a certain amount of pressure to the situation, but can also be the factor that pushes a person into action.  The action stage of any change period is busy and time consuming.  In dieting behaviour it is a period that seems all consuming whilst a routine of new foods and exercise dominate your thoughts, whilst trying to combat cravings and negative influences that make it their mission to bring you down.  This is why before action the preparation stage is key!!  It is also important to recognise that in most change cycles, individuals get most support from peers before action.  Once someone is visibly changing it is not unusual for external support to dwindle as they believe that you have already succeeded; however every successful change cycle needs a maintenance period in which the new behaviour becomes engrained into a routine.  This maintenance period can last from 6 months to a lifetime before you can safely put yourself in the termination stage in which there is no danger of resorting back to old habits.  In a weight loss programme this maintenance phase is as important as many people lose weight quickly before regaining even more a few months down the line.  Remember CHANGE NEVER ENDS WITH ACTION. 

What these six stages of change show is that there is much more to weight loss than just deciding to go on a diet.  Before you should even consider starting a diet plan it may be worth trying to establish what stage you are at.  Once this is established you can work on getting to the action and maintenance stages.  I imagine if you are taking the time to read an article of this nature you will be at least in the contemplation stage so I recommend a task for you; write down all the negatives and all of the positives involved in losing weight.  Once your list of positives outweighs the negatives you are ready for change.

True motivation must come from within.  Understanding this simple statement is necessary to plan a successful weight loss programme.  As explained in the pre-contemplation stage, those who attempt a weight loss under duress will ultimately fail, which in principle is the same as somebody whose motivation is to lose weight to make someone else happy.

So, in danger of sounding a bit like a bad actor, what is my motivation?  There are two types of motivation; intrinsic and extrinsic.  Intrinsic motivation is gained from an internal satisfaction of completing the task in hand.  Research has shown that if a person has intrinsic motivation they are more likely to complete a task, however in the case of dieting and weight loss it is unlikely they will have an innate desire to lose weight or change their eating habits or they would not be overweight in the first place.  However, what can be established is a person’s true desire to lose weight.  A great way of doing this is to take time to write a letter to yourself and explain in detail why you believe that losing weight will change your life.  It is important not to focus on why it will make others happy, instead focus on the emotions involved and why you think your life will change for the better.  Extrinsic motivation is influenced by external factors such as rewards that are gained from success.  These can be anything from material rewards such as a new clothes or a holiday, to more personal rewards such as improved self esteem from the compliments that others are showering you with.  I suggest that anyone entering a weight management programme should take time to create a motivation wall.  This should contain anything that motivates you to succeed, such as; old pictures of what you used to look like, words and quotes that inspire you, pictures of a beach reminding you of the holiday you are going to take etc.  This motivation wall can be referred to in time of need when you feel like giving up giving you a boost.

So, as you can see the psychological factors involved in weight loss are too important to ignore.  Losing weight is not rocket science, but it is also not as simple as being told to change.  Remember you have to take time to break old habits and form new ones.  You have to understand your behaviour cycles and establish your attitude to change before being able to plan and maintain a new diet.  But before all of that, you need to want to do it in the first place.  Change for yourself and you will experience success and happiness.

Good luck!!

For more information on planning a successful weight management programme email me at james@hutchisonpt.co.uk