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Our most common request for advice is from readers who struggle to lose their unwanted weight.
Losing weight is, of course, straightforward - but it certainly isn’t easy. We all know that we need to ‘eat less and move more’ but it is so much more complicated than that. We are unique human beings, all living very different lives with a vast variety of sometimes complex issues to cope with.
Let’s take a moment to try to understand what it must be like to have a family member who’s been diagnosed with a life-limiting health condition. Perhaps you yourself are living with constant pain or a disability, and life is unbearably tough every single day. Maybe you are just ‘existing’ in an unloving relationship and dread going home – feeling sad and unwanted. For others, you may be suffering from stress at work or juggling with finances in this challenging economic climate. All of these very real situations make tackling a healthy eating and exercise regime particularly difficult and my heart goes out to anyone in any of these situations.
Unsurprisingly, our brain is absorbed with sadness and anxiety in such circumstances and no matter how determined we are, finding the willpower and making the effort to focus on eating healthily and exercising regularly becomes disproportionately challenging.
When life becomes unbearably tough, we often turn to food for comfort - our ‘default’ mechanism. Of course, sadly, this only compounds the problem. Difficult situations knock our confidence and binge eating makes us feel even worse. I’ve been there and I hated myself for being so weak but we are just human. So how do we try to beat it?
I will leave Mary to help you manage your exercise activities but I will aim to give you some tips that I have learned over the many years of managing my own weight - and that of many others.
Avoiding temptation
- If our favourite high-calorie treats are lurking in our home, we will eat them so we mustn’t fool ourselves! Recognise your danger areas – mine is ice cream! I daren’t have it in the house because I know I can’t be trusted.
- If we need to have biscuits in for the children or a loved one who is unwell, buy your least favourite brand to stop you being tempted.
- Encourage children to eat healthy snacks rather than sweet or salty processed ones. Baby bananas, satsumas, strawberries, or blueberries with some yogurt go down really well.
- Plan menus for the week and shop accordingly. Planning is unbelievably powerful. It stops you having to think what you are going to eat for dinner every day. It really helps.
- Make a shopping list and don’t be tempted by special offers on foods you don’t need.
- Batch cook recipes where possible and freeze them in appropriate portions. Label them with the content, portion size and the date you cooked it.
- Within the parameters of a healthy eating plan, choose the foods you really enjoy. Going on a weight-reducing plan is not a prison sentence, it is a way of eating that will help you feel better, give you more confidence and keep you healthier, but we need to enjoy the journey.
Fill yourself up wisely
- Try eating a small salad before your meal – chopped leaves, cucumber, grated carrot, tomatoes, red onion, peppers, celery, raw mushrooms. It will help to fill you up before your main course, as well as giving you lots of healthy fibre to help you feel fuller for longer.
- Add an extra can of chopped tomatoes to your spaghetti Bolognese or chilli con carne to help it go further thus reducing the calories per portion. (A whole can is only 80 calories).
- Drink a glass of low-cal drink or, better still, water before you eat. It helps to fill us up.
- Fill your plate with unlimited vegetables or salad. They are low in calories and high in fibre.
- Prepare a stir-fry with more veg and serve with less rice or noodles.
- Avoid cooking too much food otherwise you may be tempted to pile up your plate to avoid wasting it.
- If you can’t help yourself from snacking, prepare a ‘nibble box’ with sticks of celery, cucumber and carrots, baby mushrooms, cherry tomatoes.
If you are looking for a Plan to help you lose weight, we have two:
- The 28-Day Immunity Plan which Mary and I wrote together is achieving amazing results but you have to be prepared to go for it for the first 28 days.
- The 3-2-1 Diet is designed to offer a plan for different personality types – The Comfort Eater, The Feaster or The Grazer. In the first week you have 3 light days (800 cals), after that you have 2 light days then, once you reach your goal weight, you just have 1 light day a week to maintain it. It is very effective.
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This is another recipe from one of my diet books which has been requested by a reader, Linda, who remembered making it but had lost the book. It comes from my Whole Body Programme, which was published in 1992.
Serves 4
Per serving: 413 Calories, 1.5g Fat
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
200g carrots
400g white cabbage
1 small cauliflower
1 large onion
200g mushrooms
600g potatoes
415g can baked beans
400g tinned chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon mixed herbs
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
- Prepare the vegetables: Peel and dice the carrots. Shred the cabbage and trim and chop the cauliflower. Peel and slice the onion. Slice the mushrooms and either peel or scrub the potatoes and cut into slices.
- Boil the carrots and cauliflower in a pan with a vegetable stock cube for five minutes then remove from the water and place to one side. Retain the water and add the onion and cabbage and boil in the same pan for five minutes.
- In another pan, boil the potatoes for 15 minutes.
- Place the carrots, half the mushrooms and all the beans into a large casserole or lasagne dish.
- Place the drained onion and shredded cabbage on top, followed by the chopped tomatoes and herbs. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
- Cover with the cauliflower and the sliced potatoes. Place the remaining mushrooms on top of the sliced potatoes. Sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese and more freshly ground black pepper.
- Place in a preheated oven at 150°C, 300°F or Gas Mark 2 for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked.
- Serve immediately.
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 In response to the many requests we have received, you can now download and print a copy of our recipes. Just scroll to the bottom of the recipe page and click on the download button. This is available on all new recipes and is gradually being added to all the existing recipes on the site.
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Fun, Facts & Fitness from Mary Morris MSc.
It is not uncommon for people to think that doing a lot of exercise is the holy grail to losing weight. Sadly, this is really not the case. If you are not losing weight (yet want to) and you are doing a load of exercise, then your food intake is where you need to focus your efforts.
Exercise is brilliant at aiding your rate of weight loss and maintaining lost weight, because, combined with a sensible and measured food intake, your ‘calories in’ and ‘calories out’ are easier to manage and will give you the result you want. But it is not enough on its own if you do not control the 'calories in.'
One major problem is that exercise requires physical effort (apologies for stating the obvious) and too many people think that because they have worked SO hard, they must have burned a HUGE amount of calories and therefore can up their food intake! Sorry folks, but the chances are you have way overestimated how many calories you have burnt and vastly underestimated the calories in the Chinese takeaway you bought on the way home! This is called the 'Food Compensation Trap'.
So, let's get back to basics if you want to lose weight. Rosemary's advice to consult The 28-Day Immunity Plan or The 3-2-1 Diet on the food front is vital, so take that on board and follow strictly whichever one you decide upon. I can tell you with confidence that if you do this you will lose some weight without moving a muscle all day. Yes. Even without any exercise.
It is important to remember that we burn most of our daily calories just by being alive. Our body works so hard every day and night maintaining our heart pumping, our brain working and all that breathing in and out! Be assured your body will be burning plenty of calories just by existing. The individual rate at which our body burns calories is based on our BMR - Basal Metabolic Rate - which is calculated by our gender, age and weight. You can find your BMR easily using an online calculator.
Of course, I am not suggesting you don’t exercise. You know me better than that! But the great news is that we can increase our rate of weight loss by adding plenty of movement and a moderate amount of exercise. By cutting back on our food calories and burning extra calories with activity, the result will always be a quicker rate of weight loss. If not, then your portions are too big or you are miscalculating or misjudging somewhere along the line.
I remember my husband remarking upon retirement that he was shocked at how little he could eat if he wanted to lose weight. This came after retiring from owning a gym, which involved a lot of physical effort. Of course, back then, he could eat a lot of food because he was burning it off with activity. When that all stopped and he became seriously less physical, the weight began to creep on. I am happy to report that a balance of regular exercise, dog walking and correctly portioned meals has addressed the problem!
Plenty of Everyday Activity is Key
Never underestimate the value of just moving at regular intervals throughout the day. Here are a few tips:
- Think of every movement you make as being a calorie burner and you will feel more motivated.
- Always take the stairs whenever you can. Never leave anything on the bottom step. Take it up every time. It's hard work taking the body uphill so calorie burning is much greater.
- Park further away from where you need to be. The far corner of the supermarket car park is a good start.
- Stand up and move around every 30 minutes. Set a timer on your phone. It only needs to be for 2 - 3 minutes.
These are only small things but they really add up over a day and make a difference.
The Best Exercises for Weight Loss:
Walking
This should come as no surprise as it is what we recommend you do every week. No formal planning is involved and no fancy kit needs to be worn and it’s free. It is low impact so kind to the joints. According to Harvard Health (a renowned oracle) we will burn around 175 calories every 30 minutes. So, going for a 30-minute walk every day is golden on every level.
Cycling
Using either a stationary bike or cycling outside is a good choice for weight loss. It burns an estimated 252 calories every 30 minutes according to Harvard Health, and not only will you lose weight but it has been proven to be good for insulin sensitivity, lowering your risk of heart problems and some cancers.
Weight Training
Here is another activity that we recommend you do every week and it is great for weight loss. Not only do you build muscle strength but it promotes muscle growth, raising your metabolic rate. Not only will you burn more calories during your workouts but you will continue to burn extra calories long after the workout has finished. Go to our website to find the best strength workout for you.
Interval Training
This is often referred to as HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). This is a broad term for intense exercise that alternates with recovery periods. Due to the intensity of short bursts of activity, calorie burning is at a premium. Numerous studies also show that it works particularly well in reducing fat around the middle which is commonly associated with many chronic diseases. Go to our HIIT Workout on the website.
Pilates
Although Pilates may not burn as many calories as an aerobic workout it is still found to burn 150 calories in a 30-minute workout so is not insignificant. An 8-week study of middle-aged women found that performing Pilates three times per week significantly reduced waist, stomach and hip circumference compared with a control group who did no exercise. You also get better balance, posture and overall body strength as an added bonus! Go to our Pilates workouts on the website.
Be realistic! To lose 1 - 2lbs per week is an excellent rate of weight loss and can easily be achieved with the right level of food intake and by keeping moving.
It is so important to get your head in the right place before you start and be determined to make it work this time.
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This Week's Fitness Challenge
- Make your 30+minute daily walk work harder for you and burn more calories. Use the lamppost interval method (go hard from one lamppost to the next, then ease off to the next one). Time yourself to help you speed up.
- Get out on your bike if you have one. The evenings are lighter now so we have more time and opportunity to get out there. No bike? Find another activity outdoors that will get your heart rate pumping: gardening; lawn mowing, car washing, sweeping… or, if you feel fit enough, why not try the HIIT Workout?
- Choose a Strength programme or a Pilates or Ballet programme from the website. Do 3 sessions this week.
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Did you know... 
Canned Baked Beans are produced by sealing raw haricot beans and tomato sauce in tins, which are then placed in large pressure cookers. This gives the sauce its thick consistency and ensures a long shelf life for the product.
In the UK Baked Beans first appeared in Fortnum & Mason's department store in London in 1886 produced by American manufacturer H.J. Heinz.
The Heinz slogan, "57 varieties", was introduced 10 years later, inspired by an advertisement for a shoe shop boasting "21 styles" which he saw while riding a train in New York. Heinz picked the number 57 even though the company manufactured more than 60 products at the time, more or less at random because he liked the sound of it and because "5" was his lucky number and "7" was his wife's.
Clearly the company had a way of picking winning words as nearly 100 years later, in 1967 they launched an advertising campaign that contained what went on to become one of the best-known advertising slogans of all time. And I bet just thinking about it you are now secretly singing along in your head...
"A million housewives every day
pick up a tin of beans and say
... Beanz Meanz Heinz."
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And finally...
Having experienced my own weight problems back in the day, I am only too aware of the trials and tribulations, temptations and challenges that can knock us off course. They make sticking to a ‘diet’ really hard but it doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Exercising regularly will help your heart and your head as well as your weight loss. When we do achieve success, we feel like a whole new person so it is so worth working for!
Have a great week
With love and best wishes,
Rosemary Conley CBE DL
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LIVE LONGER | LIVE HEALTHIER | LIVE HAPPIER
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