Public 'in denial about diets'

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AppId is over the quota
13 October 2011 Last updated at 13:40 GMT By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News Dame Sally Davies: "People are not honest with themselves about what they're eating and drinking "

People need to be more honest about how much they eat and drink if obesity levels are to be cut, ministers say.

The message formed a central theme of the new obesity strategy for England as the government tried to stress the importance of personal responsibility.

In doing so, it rejected calls to introduce legislation to change behaviour, such as a "fat tax".

But the strategy was labelled "pathetic and stupid" by experts, who warned it would do little to solve the problem.

Instead of proposing using regulation, the strategy talked about creating the right environment for individuals to make healthier choices.

This included getting councils to use their powers to encourage more physical activity through schemes such as cycling networks and green spaces.

It also said industry had a role to play and promised to build on the responsibility deal, which was announced at the start of this year and saw private firms sign up to a series of pledges, including introducing calorie counts on menus and reducing salt levels in food.

Reverse the tide

Mr Lansley said: "We have to halt and then reverse the tide of obesity in this country.

"Government has a role to play, but it is clear that we cannot do this alone."

When asked about why the government was not more keen on legislation, he said by working in partnership, more could be achieved faster.

However, he admitted officials would continue to monitor the international evidence where countries were trying tougher legislation.

Continue reading the main story Alongside the obesity strategy, ministers also announced new recommended levels of energy intake following a review by advisers.It is the first time for 20 years that they have been changed.Despite calling for people to eat less, the guidelines actually increase the amount people can eat to maintain a healthy weight.For a man of average height, the daily amount has increased from 2,550 calories to 2,605.For women it has increased from 1,940 to 2,079.But before you get too carried away, officials stressed that most people are already eating more than the new guidelines.More than 60% of adults and 23% of four to five-year-olds are overweight or obese in England, making it one of the most overweight nations in Europe.

As part of the strategy, Mr Lansley said the government was looking for rates to start falling by 2020.

To achieve this, individuals need to be honest about what they are eating, Professor Sally Davies, the chief medical officer said.

"It is about what we eat, how we cook it and about portion size."

She said one of the problems was that people were not even honest with themselves about their diets, never mind health professionals.

Figures set out in the strategy suggest that the average adult consumes 10% more calories than they should.

But Professor Philip James, of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, said it was a "stupid" and "pathetic" response to the problem.

"It is not simply a question of personal responsibility. There is an environmental problem in terms of the food system we have."

He went on to say that the junk food industry "manipulated" individuals into consuming their products and that was why legislation was needed.

And Charlie Powell, campaigns director of the Children's Food Campaign, said: "This is a deeply disappointing and utterly inadequate response which represents a squandered opportunity to address the obesity crisis.

"High in rhetoric and lacking in substance, it is nothing less than an abdication of the government's responsibility to protect public health."

Shadow public health minister Diane Abbott added: "This is very disappointing. We need to do much more to tackle this problem."

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Diets fail 'because advice is wrong'

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AppId is over the quota
22 September 2011 Last updated at 02:58 GMT By Michelle Roberts Health reporter, BBC News Weighing and measuring yourself regularly helps track your weight-loss progress Eat less and you will lose weight.

This simple piece of advice is true, but it's one that many of us struggle to follow.

It is easy to blame a lack of willpower or a penchant for sugary, fat-laden snacks. And often weight does pile back on because people revert to their old way of eating too much of the wrong foods.

But researchers say the reason so many of us relapse and fail on diets is because we have unrealistic expectations.

And this is not our fault but that of experts, because the advice they give us is flawed.

Long slog

Most people start dieting with the notion that they will start to see results fast.

Experts tell us that if we cut around 500 calories from our daily diet, or burn them off exercising, then we can expect to lose 1lb (0.5kg) in weight every week.

Continue reading the main story

Studies show that somewhere between 50% and 80% of dieters will put weight back on”

End Quote Dr Kevin Hall of the US National Institutes for Health The British Dietetics Association, the NHS and the American Dietetic Association all say losing weight at this rate is "about right" and that if you stick at it for 12 months, for example, you will shed about 52 lb (26kg).

But US researchers from the National Institutes for Health say this is a gross overestimation because the calculation used is flawed.

They say it takes much longer to lose the weight - around three years to be precise, according to their work published in The Lancet.

For example, a year of dieting will result in only half of the amount of weight loss that experts currently predict.

Dr Kevin Hall and colleagues say this explains why many of us give up within months, because we expect unrealistic results that cannot be achieved.

Studies of outpatient weight loss programmes show most dieters peak at six months with the pounds starting to creep back on after this.

Continue reading the main story The recommended daily calorie intake for men is 2,500 and for women is 2,000The lowest intake per day recommended for men is 1,500 and for women is 1,200 calories, unless they are in a medically supervised settingSome, incorrectly, attribute this to the body getting used to having less food and metabolism slowing down. The dieter then feels that the regime is no longer working and often gives up altogether.

Alternatively, as the slimmer begins to see the weight falling off in the early months they are so pleased with their achievement that they begin to relax and the diet slips. But because weight loss is slow there is a lag phase where weight continues to drop even though the person is now eating more. The dieter then mistakenly concludes that they don't need to be so rigid with their diet in order to lose weight.

But eventually, the weight will catch up with them and they may well find they are now heavier than they were when they first started the diet.

Dr Hall explains: "The slow timescale for weight change is responsible for the gradual weight regain over many years despite the fact that the original lifestyle was resumed within the first year.

"Studies show that somewhere between 50% and 80% of dieters will put weight back on."

He says professionals need to change the advice that they give to dieters so they don't fall into this trap.

Continue reading the main story

We all recommend it - it's what we are taught. But I don't know what the scientific evidence for it is”

End Quote Helen Bond from the British Dietetic Association "If you can give a realistic picture, that can inform people and help them make choices."

Dr Hall says the error occurs because the "500 calorie-cut a day" sum fails to take account of how metabolism changes as we diet.

The mathematic equation relies on the assumption that one pound of fat contains 3,500 calories, so to lose one pound a week a person should consume approximately 3,500 fewer calories a week, or 500 fewer calories a day.

But in fact, weight loss is not this steady.

Natural fluctuations

Using knowledge about how the human body responds to changes of diet and physical activity, Dr Hall's team have created a computer program that they say gives a more realistic and reliable prediction of weight loss.

Their calculations reflect the fact that one person may lose weight faster or slower than another, even when they eat the same diet and do the same exercise.

For example, heavier people can expect greater weight change with the same change in diet, but it will take them longer to reach a stable body weight than people carrying less fat.

Plus the body adapts rapidly to a reduced calorie diet, regardless of the type of food eliminated to get this reduction.

This means that all diets with similarly reduced energy content will have the same effect in the short term, whether the food cut out is fat or sugary carbohydrates.

Habits can be hard to break

Dr Hall said: "We tested it on about 100 people and it gave a good fit. It was pretty accurate, whereas the old rule does not fall anywhere near.

"This means we can use it to make realistic predictions.

"The rough rule of thumb to go by is 10 calories per day per pound. And it takes a year to lose half of the excess weight and three years to get to 95%."

It's not clear why the advice was adopted in the first place.

Helen Bond, from the British Dietetic Association, admitted: "We all recommend it - it's what we are taught. But I don't know what the scientific evidence for it is.

"It stems from how much energy it takes to burn fat. A lot of diets are not proven by science."

She said some dieters might find it depressing to be told that it takes far longer to get weight down than previously thought.

"It's not very motivating to tell someone that if they cut their intake by 10 calories a day every day for the next three years they will lose a pound of weight.

"But saying 'cut out your daily habit of a 250-calorie chocolate bar and you will lose about 25 pounds and, if you stick at it, the weight will stay off' - that is."

However, Dr Hall says the computer model also shows how people can achieve more rapid weight loss if that is what they desire.

For example, someone could follow a very strict diet for the first year to get rid of a large bulk of their excess weight and then switch to a less restrictive diet to continue and maintain the weight loss. Adding in extra exercise will also have an impact.

At the end of the day, it still boils down to willpower. There is no quick fix to dieting and if you want it to work you need to stick at it, says Dr Hall.

A healthy diet is for life, not just post-Christmas.

View the original article here

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Diets fail 'because advice is wrong'

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
22 September 2011 Last updated at 02:58 GMT By Michelle Roberts Health reporter, BBC News Weighing and measuring yourself regularly helps track your weight-loss progress Eat less and you will lose weight.

This simple piece of advice is true, but it's one that many of us struggle to follow.

It is easy to blame a lack of willpower or a penchant for sugary, fat-laden snacks. And often weight does pile back on because people revert to their old way of eating too much of the wrong foods.

But researchers say the reason so many of us relapse and fail on diets is because we have unrealistic expectations.

And this is not our fault but that of experts, because the advice they give us is flawed.

Long slog

Most people start dieting with the notion that they will start to see results fast.

Experts tell us that if we cut around 500 calories from our daily diet, or burn them off exercising, then we can expect to lose 1lb (0.5kg) in weight every week.

Continue reading the main story

Studies show that somewhere between 50% and 80% of dieters will put weight back on”

End Quote Dr Kevin Hall of the US National Institutes for Health The British Dietetics Association, the NHS and the American Dietetic Association all say losing weight at this rate is "about right" and that if you stick at it for 12 months, for example, you will shed about 52 lb (26kg).

But US researchers from the National Institutes for Health say this is a gross overestimation because the calculation used is flawed.

They say it takes much longer to lose the weight - around three years to be precise, according to their work published in The Lancet.

For example, a year of dieting will result in only half of the amount of weight loss that experts currently predict.

Dr Kevin Hall and colleagues say this explains why many of us give up within months, because we expect unrealistic results that cannot be achieved.

Studies of outpatient weight loss programmes show most dieters peak at six months with the pounds starting to creep back on after this.

Continue reading the main story The recommended daily calorie intake for men is 2,500 and for women is 2,000The lowest intake per day recommended for men is 1,500 and for women is 1,200 calories, unless they are in a medically supervised settingSome, incorrectly, attribute this to the body getting used to having less food and metabolism slowing down. The dieter then feels that the regime is no longer working and often gives up altogether.

Alternatively, as the slimmer begins to see the weight falling off in the early months they are so pleased with their achievement that they begin to relax and the diet slips. But because weight loss is slow there is a lag phase where weight continues to drop even though the person is now eating more. The dieter then mistakenly concludes that they don't need to be so rigid with their diet in order to lose weight.

But eventually, the weight will catch up with them and they may well find they are now heavier than they were when they first started the diet.

Dr Hall explains: "The slow timescale for weight change is responsible for the gradual weight regain over many years despite the fact that the original lifestyle was resumed within the first year.

"Studies show that somewhere between 50% and 80% of dieters will put weight back on."

He says professionals need to change the advice that they give to dieters so they don't fall into this trap.

Continue reading the main story

We all recommend it - it's what we are taught. But I don't know what the scientific evidence for it is”

End Quote Helen Bond from the British Dietetic Association "If you can give a realistic picture, that can inform people and help them make choices."

Dr Hall says the error occurs because the "500 calorie-cut a day" sum fails to take account of how metabolism changes as we diet.

The mathematic equation relies on the assumption that one pound of fat contains 3,500 calories, so to lose one pound a week a person should consume approximately 3,500 fewer calories a week, or 500 fewer calories a day.

But in fact, weight loss is not this steady.

Natural fluctuations

Using knowledge about how the human body responds to changes of diet and physical activity, Dr Hall's team have created a computer program that they say gives a more realistic and reliable prediction of weight loss.

Their calculations reflect the fact that one person may lose weight faster or slower than another, even when they eat the same diet and do the same exercise.

For example, heavier people can expect greater weight change with the same change in diet, but it will take them longer to reach a stable body weight than people carrying less fat.

Plus the body adapts rapidly to a reduced calorie diet, regardless of the type of food eliminated to get this reduction.

This means that all diets with similarly reduced energy content will have the same effect in the short term, whether the food cut out is fat or sugary carbohydrates.

Habits can be hard to break

Dr Hall said: "We tested it on about 100 people and it gave a good fit. It was pretty accurate, whereas the old rule does not fall anywhere near.

"This means we can use it to make realistic predictions.

"The rough rule of thumb to go by is 10 calories per day per pound. And it takes a year to lose half of the excess weight and three years to get to 95%."

It's not clear why the advice was adopted in the first place.

Helen Bond, from the British Dietetic Association, admitted: "We all recommend it - it's what we are taught. But I don't know what the scientific evidence for it is.

"It stems from how much energy it takes to burn fat. A lot of diets are not proven by science."

She said some dieters might find it depressing to be told that it takes far longer to get weight down than previously thought.

"It's not very motivating to tell someone that if they cut their intake by 10 calories a day every day for the next three years they will lose a pound of weight.

"But saying 'cut out your daily habit of a 250-calorie chocolate bar and you will lose about 25 pounds and, if you stick at it, the weight will stay off' - that is."

However, Dr Hall says the computer model also shows how people can achieve more rapid weight loss if that is what they desire.

For example, someone could follow a very strict diet for the first year to get rid of a large bulk of their excess weight and then switch to a less restrictive diet to continue and maintain the weight loss. Adding in extra exercise will also have an impact.

At the end of the day, it still boils down to willpower. There is no quick fix to dieting and if you want it to work you need to stick at it, says Dr Hall.

A healthy diet is for life, not just post-Christmas.

View the original article here

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