New Year's Tips
Weight Watchers, the world-renowned leader in weight management, has announced it is introducing a successor to its popular POINTS weight loss system–the new ProPoints program. ProPoints uses the latest scientific research to create a program that goes far beyond traditional calorie counting to give people the edge they need to lose weight and keep it off in a fundamentally healthier way.
Emma Stirling, Weight Watchers Nutrition Advisor, has provided some top tips on how to kick start your weight loss in 2011.
1. Dear Diary
Studies prove that keeping track of your food intake can boost weight loss success. A side effect of being more aware can be a subtle change in your eating habits. That’s because eating is often mindless. We do it without thinking. If you record accurately and truthfully, you become aware of habits that may be sabotaging your weight loss efforts. But forget about the idea of carrying around a chunky old diary or filofax. With the rise of the smart phone and online tools, there’s a user friendly app or website to take care of that. Look out for the new Weight Watchers Australia app for iPhone and Weight Watchers calculator for android launching on January 1, 2011.
2. Get ready, set and go
Studies show that good results in the early weeks of a weight loss journey are linked to long-term success. So before you get going, make sure you are really committed and have everything in place for a great start. Success breeds success.
3. Keep expectations reasonable
There is no question that a weight loss of 5 per cent to 10 per cent of initial body weight improves health, reducing the risk of diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Despite this, research has found that overweight individuals often desire weight losses 2 to 3 times more than this amount. In one study that included obese women, a 17 per cent weight loss was viewed as "disappointing" by the participants and it took a 25 per cent weight loss for the rating to be "acceptable." The gap between realistic and desired weight goals can lead to a "discounting" of the results that are achieved. Some studies suggest that having unrealistic weight-loss goals can work against consistently making the behaviour changes needed for lasting weight loss. Moderating expectations, particularly as they relate to the speed with which weight-loss is achieved, may help keep weight-loss efforts on track. Set small goals and set new ones when you achieve these, to help stay motivated.
4. What are the biggest mistakes you see Australians making in regards to portion size?
Most people still relate the size of a food in relation to the predicted number of kilojoules it contains. They may say, I only had a small chocolate or just half a donut but the kilojoule density of these foods is very high. Weight Watchers’ new ProPoints plan recognises this, and how counting kilojoules alone is no longer enough to make healthy food choices. It takes more energy to process protein and fibre than it does fat. So, rather than the chocolate or donut, you may have been able to eat several pieces of fruit for the same kilojoules, satisfy your appetite for far longer and reduced your total kilojoule intake for the day.
5. How can we retrain ourselves to be more aware of portion size? Some tricks of the trade?
Research has shown that portion sizes of many foods and beverages nowadays, like those jumbo choc-chip muffins, are two to five times larger than when the item first became commercially available. The dramatic increase appears to have started in the 1980s and parallels the rising rates of obesity. Not only do people tend to eat more when presented with a larger serve or packet of food, but even larger crockery can lead to overeating.
Dr Barbara Rolls, a well-respected US nutrition researcher based at Pennsylvania State University, has widely investigated this finding. In one study, participants were asked to pour out how many M&M’s they would eat while watching a movie. Those in the study selected about twice as much from a jumbo pack when compared with a small pack, resulting in over a thousand kilojoule difference in their intakes. In another study, over the course of several weeks participants were served macaroni and cheese in one of four portions ranging from two and a half to five cups. All participants ate more when more food was available, but didn’t report feeling any fuller after eating. Once you appreciate that ‘size does matter’ there are so many tips and tricks to help rein in your portion sizes, without going hungry.
6. Here are just a few top tips to try at home:
- Keep a cup measure in your breakfast cereal container
- Invest in digital bench top kitchen scales
- Draw a mental mark (185mL) on your usual wine glass
- Go for mini versions of your favourite treats (stick to just one!)
- Stick to individually wrapped ice-creams and bars
- Use a single serve Asian bowl to portion out 1 cup of cooked rice
- Count out your nuts at snack time and close the jar
- Transfer your cooking oil into a spray container
7. What are some of the benefits of monitoring portion size and weight of food in terms of diet/weight loss but also health?
Learning portion control and dietary restraint is important for weight loss success, but it also important to enjoy life and have flexibility. Weight Watchers ProPoints program teaches a system of flexible restraint, by giving people on the program an additional allowance of ProPoints (49) each week that they can choose to spend whenever they like. This allows for spontaneity and all those fabulous food occasions, and reflects our modern lifestyle more accurately.
8. How do you personally maintain an awareness of portion size?
I still use measures and digital scales when cooking new recipes or with new crockery. We stick to 10inch dinner plates as research shows you will make subtle kilojoule savings than larger plates. And I know some people will laugh, but I count out my 20 almonds at each snack break.