Introduction

Below is the best available scientific information concerning how to manage your food and drink intake. At the time of writing (January 2024) I have just finished watching Ronnie O’Sullivans documentary ‘The Edge of Everything’ on prime video. In the documentary amongst other things Ronnie discusses how he manages his addictions. This struck me as something we should consider with food and drink intake. In theory it would be great if we could after a good Christmas switch off the need to eat and drink but we can’t thus taking on board what Ronnie is saying and managing our food and drink intake might be worth a look. What I hope to do is point you to the most scientifically reproducibly methods to lose weight and help you access your best quality of food and drink intake. At the outset only some of the below may work for you. Take what works and leave the rest for consideration on another day.

Diets and Nutrition Plans

Firstly everyone has a diet or nutrition plan. We all at some stage undertake a weekly or poly weekly food shop. It is the quality of this shop that we might tinker with if say we wanted to lose weight and/or develop muscle.

Weight loss diets can be classified into four broad categories

Low Calorie Based Diet

If you are using a low calorie based diet this is perhaps the most studied, most utilised and easy to understand diet out there. Essentially you are aiming to take in less energy than you are expending during your daily activities. People have successfully lost weight using just caloric restriction (ie no notable increase in activity via exercise) both inside and outside the science lab. People have been more successful at losing weight using a combination of both exercise and caloric restriction. The real question here is whether the level of activity and caloric restriction is sustainable over the long term for the individual losing weight. Often times in the short term most of us will accept some level of sacrifice to achieve a goal. Once the goal is achieved we have attained new options for our lives, e.g. further education leading to a promotion. With a weight loss goal the end result isn’t money or social currency in the bank; it needs maintenance three times a day 365 days a year or however often you eat and drink. That may sound bleak but there is hope scientists have started implementing theories from psychology to address lifestyle problems like over eating. Given the right tools it appears that individuals undertaking weightloss are sustaining it for longer though the average weight loss sustained is usually between 5 - 10% of starting body weight. In my opinion we shouldn’t be disheartened at all by this. I’m certain somewhere along the line you know or have seen on social media people telling stories of huge weightloss. The outliers as Malcolm Gladwell would describe them. The thing about outliers in weightloss is next to no one has thought like Malcolm Gladwell and gone out of their way to study them.

Low Fat (High Carbohydrate) Diets

The evidence here is that yes whilst a low fat, high carbohydrate diet is effective in bringing about weightloss there are at least two further things that need to be understood here. The studies involved show that the carbohydrates involved were high quality carbohydrates we’re talking fruit, vegetables, pasta and rice here. Often times the diets involved followed the low glycemic index food route which means that the energy was released gradually throughout the day for the participants thus blunting any tendency to over eat. The second point to consider is what terms like ‘low Fat’ and ‘high Carbohydrate’ actually mean. A typical diet comprises of the following macronutrient content 60-70% Carbohydrate, 20-30% Fat and 10-15% Protein. There isn’t a hard and fast definition of what constitutes high or low. In effective a diet comprising of 75% Carbohydrate and 15% Fat could fit the description of a High Carbohydrate and Low Fat Diet respectively.

Low-Carbohydrate (High-Fat, High Protein or both)

Please bear in mind what I’ve written above again. The high fat content eluded to here was the healthy fats found in fish oils for example. Also they say low carbodydrate not no carbohydrate.

Low-Carbohydrate, Low-Fat (High Protein)

A number of years ago there was a theory that a high protein but low carbohydrate diet triggered an ancient protein metabolic pathway. The theory was that because protein was less calorie dense than carbohydrates and our phyisology could operate on this alternative metabolic engine maybe this could help in the fight against obesity. The theory was subsequently shown to be inaccurate. Although individuals on this kind of diet lost weight and still do the sudden use of an ancient yet inefficient metabolic pathway was not the reason for the weightloss. What seemed to be happening was the high amount protein was causing an increased sense of satiety and the overall calories coming in dropped leading to an energy deficit. Yes we went right back to square one of caloric restriction again.

Drawbacks, Dangers and disadvantages of some Diet and Nutrition Plans

• Many are based on false scientific premises

• Others were developed on the basis of valid scientific information that is inappropriately interpreted

• Some are scientifically and behaviourally valid but virtually impossible to maintain and adhere to over long periods of time. Some studies take participants in hotels or other living quarters and prepare every meal for them and cater to their activities of daily living like washing clothes and paying bills. Even if the particular diet works some of the food and drink was so difficult to source or prepare that it was unsustainable in the real world.

Strategies to manage food and drink intake

Order your shopping online

This tactic is one of the most successful lifestyle interventions for helping people stick to their diet or nutrition plan. People naturally investigate what they’re buying online. They check reviews for electronics, they check the size guide on clothes, they ask if this company has good reviews on trust pilot before they add the service to the basket. When food shopping online suddenly it’s a lot easier to look at the calorie content and macronutrients. Online you browse one item at a time. There is no confusion caused by the massive shelves of the same food, no sales associate pushing a free sample and no items placed perfectly for you to impulse buy. These are completely removed and your band width for reasoned decision making is restored. Suddenly your ability to make rapid progress with your diet is both out of arms reach but also at easy to access eye level. Nowadays grocery chains are allowing consumers to repeat their previous order in three clicks. In theory you could set out your nutrition plan on Jan 1st, order it on the 2nd, get it delivered on the 3rd and repeat the habit until Christmas. There is also evidence that this helps you save time and money. Who knew a diet and nutrition strategy was the real three for the price of one?

Food Diary

Awareness is curative. When discussing food the first thing I ask is what my client ate for their last meal. They usually can’t remember. That’s ok. Before I begin nudging clients in the right direction lets look at what you’re actually eating. Myfitnesspal and and Fitbit have comprehensive free food diaries but pen and paper works just as well. 40% of what we do in life is a habit. Most people are completely unaware of what they are eating, the quality of their food, the quantity of their food, the energy contents of their food and how to manipulate the timing of their food intake. When I draw attention to it I’m often holding my clients back from dumping the entire content of their refridgerator and freezer. They often have a blindspot for food and drink intake. It gets even better when I start with education on portion sizes and better quality options for food and drink they already like. I know I can’t help a client break what would could be decades of food and drink habits in weeks but I can help them tweak it substantially without changing the taste of their meals.

Improve your Diet Quality

Subtract low quality high glycemic index food or add high quality low glycemic food. I prefer adding concentrate on adding the positive food. I often get clients to visualize themselves eating their way to a weightloss goal. If you think about it how else are you going to get there? At some point you will need to eat.

High Quality Food examples are below;

• Fruits

• Vegetables

• Lean Meats (Chicken, Turkey, Fish)

• Nuts & Seeds

• Whole Grains (Watch the percentage of wholegrain)

• Dairy

Low Quality Foods examples are below

• Refined grains

• Sweets

• Fried Foods

• Fatty Proteins

Where should you start?

Being as direct as I can start at the bottom of the food pyramid. Even if you are adding high quality food little by little works better than wholesale. It’s hard to spot the things that aren’t working for you when you make wholesale large changes. With an incremental approach you avoid feeling overwhelmed and it lets you see if something just isn’t working clearly and allows you to move on quickly.The Food Pyramid emphasises the foundations of all good Nutrition plans. You should examine your diet and ensure that you are sticking to the basics regularly. Once you have become excellent at adhering to the basics then you can examine the advanced nutrition ideas and techniques.  You can also get one of your own for the fridge here

Conclusion

I am not advocating for or against a particular type of weightloss diet. I’m simple pointing out that they change name every few years but they tend to anchor on the four categories above. You should think about what might work best for you in the long run and if you need help my appointment calendar is here