healthmedicinet

• Transform your body and mind with our girl in New York

By

Ruby Warrington for The Mail on Sunday

Published:
16:04 EST, 4 October 2014

|
Updated:
16:05 EST, 4 October 2014

View
comments

Early pioneer: Gillian McKeith was one of the first people to suggest a complete overhaul of the contents of your fridge as a good way to lose weight

I’m 50 and have spent my life overweight. I’ve done the Atkins and Dukan diets and Lighter Life, which left me bigger. I’m now on the 5:2 Diet but have lost only 5lb in two months. Am I cursed?

You should be proud of yourself for persevering, but it sounds like you’ve fallen into the yo-yo dieting trap. 

The Atkins, the Dukan and Lighter Life are some of the most extreme diet plans on the market, and while this often works in the short term, restricting your calorie intake or cutting out whole food groups leads to fat gain when not on the diet.

On the 5:2 you can eat what you want for five days a week, then restrict your calorie intake to a quarter of what’s recommended (600 for men, 500 for women) on the others. But this is a little misleading.

If what you like eating on the normal days is processed food and sugary cakes and biscuits, you aren’t going to see the results you want. 

Is it also possible you have been treating yourself on these days, due to your disappointment at failing to get to the weight you want?

Eating emotionally is another pitfall, as you’re more likely to reach for high-fat, high-sugar foods to make you feel better.

I suggest a total overhaul of the contents of your fridge and kitchen cupboards. Gillian McKeith was one of the early pioneers of what’s considered a really healthy diet now, and one that will help you shed the pounds effortlessly.

This will mean cutting out all processed foods – that’s anything that comes in a packet or has ingredients that sound like they were made in a laboratory. 

• Want to lose weight? Only go out for dinner with your slim friends, and choose what you want before…

  Sit-down dinners and desserts only on weekends: Michelle Obama reveals how her family maintains a…

Dairy products, especially cheese, are also restricted. Instead, stock up on fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, organic eggs and other forms of animal protein, and nuts and seeds to snack on.

I guarantee that combining these foods with the 5:2 eating plan, as well as adding some regular exercise (even fast walking) will help you see the results you want.

The Alcohol Education Trust, whose supporters include Carol Vorderman, above, have launched a ‘Dryvember’ sobriety challenge 

Go sober…every month 

Last week I had my first glass of wine in a month – just as ‘Go Sober For October’ was being launched. 

I had been on ‘Sober September’, despite my belief that moderation is better than an all-or-nothing approach. However, my mood definitely improved without a tipple and I felt more focused. 

Now the Alcohol Education Trust – supporters include Carol Vorderman – have launched another challenge called ‘Dryvember’. Perhaps my new approach will be a month-on, month-off.  

Tara Stiles rules in the kitchen 

I love the idea behind a new book by New York yogi and It Girl Tara Stiles. Called Make Your Own Rules Diet, it is divided into three sections – mat, cushion and kitchen – and designed to help you tap into the foods your body really needs with the help of regular yoga and meditation.

The idea is that by taking the time to get in touch with your body, you won’t need to go on a ‘diet’ because you’ll be able to distinguish between real hunger and cravings, and nip emotional overeating in the bud. Tara’s also a vegan, so the recipes in the book are all plant-based – but the message is about finding a healthy approach to eating that’s 100 per cent right for you.

• tarastiles.com 

DO YOU DO YOU HAVE A DIET OR FITNESS QUESTION FOR RUBY WARRINGTON?

Email us at [email protected] or write to Health,The Mail on Sunday, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT. Ruby can only answer in a general context and cannot respond to individual cases, or give personal replies. 

or comment on this article

• Teen felled with killer punch after picking fight with…

• Dana Vulin unveils her horrific burns after being set on…

• Couple shares their fertility journey in heartwarming video

• Adorable baby elephant needs rescuing after going belly up

• HILARIOUS! Boy thinks Beyonce lied to him after wisdom tooth…

• White House evaluating video of Alan Henning’s murder

• He’s alive! Moment ‘dead’ Ebola victim nearly sent to…

• Watch moment cute dogs discover apples grow on trees

• Orlando Slingshot ride causes guy to pass out THREE times

• GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING: Brazillian woman knifed in head

• Residents reaction on possible exposure to Ebola patient

• How to remove a tick (related)

• ‘I hope the scum get what’s coming to them’: Family of…

• Hiker discovers abandoned Tennessee town untouched and over…

• Ebola scare at Newark: CDC officials rush to airport in full…

• Has Kim Jong-Un lost control of North Korea? Pyongyang is on…

• How former U.S. Army Ranger threatened with beheading fought…

• Two female teachers accused of group sex with student, 16,…

• ‘We will bring them to justice’: Obama promises revenge as…

• ‘You’d look beautiful in a hijab… will you marry me?’: How…

• Ordeal at the Dallas Ebola apartment moves on as TEN…

• CDC have not contacted second family in Ebola ‘quarantine’…

• Couple’s priceless reaction when they find out they are…

• A tale of two caliphates: Hospitals shut down and boys sent…

Comments (0)

what you think

No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts,
or debate this issue live on our message boards.

Find out now