Being overweight is wretched - glances in the street, snide comments from teenagers who don't know what manners are, people happy to stand when there is a seat on the bus next to you. It's true that there are some people who are content with their weight .That is their perogative (and their right) - and it is not this researcher's intention to decry them in any way. But there are many more who claim to be content and are not.

Dare IEat That?

It is a common view today that the traditional 'Diet' so frequently resorted to simply does not work. A 'Diet' in this case being a sudden, drastic drop in food intake and complete removal of sweet, sugary, stodgy or any other form of food considered to be 'unhealthy' from one's daily eating habits. Such a regime is virtually impossible to sustain, and before long resolutions are abandoned and cake wrappers are scattered around the kitchen. Self esteem collapses even lower than it was to start with and any weight loss (mostly fluid) is regained and added to.

For the purposes of this entry - 'Diet' will be used in it's medical context as the intake of food for maintaining survival. The weight loss connotations of the word will be referred to as 'slimming'.

Dietitians and Nutritionists have always maintained that the secret to successful and permanent weight loss is a complete overhaul of eating habits and overall lifestyle. The equation is simple. All you have to do to lose weight is ingest fewer calories than you burn off in a day. Easy¹.

If only it were. The average person in the Developed World is now surrounded by more stodge, sugar, fat and general goo than ever before. It's a miracle that anyone can actually not be overweight!

I lost six and a half stone in three weeks and still ate chips!

The other secret to successful weight loss (apart from the healthy eating and sensible exercise bit) is (are you ready for this?)

Patience

We've all seen those adverts for slimming aids which promise that all that flab you have in the spring will be gone by summer if you drink this or blend that or swallow the other. But it really doesn't work like that. Such schemes are probably fine for getting rid of a few pounds just before going on holiday, but they are no use at all if you are looking to lose a number of stones as they are still a 'diet', in that people 'go on them' and 'come off them' - no sooner has the person lost the weight and then gone back to their old eating habits than they find that lost poundage coming back again. If you want it to come off, and (more importantly) stay off, it's going to involve much more than that.

A Long Term, Low Risk, High Yield Investment

Proper, healthy, sustained weight loss is a slow, measured process. Depending upon how much you need to lose, you can take anything from a few months to one or even up to two years or more to get rid of it (if you are not particularly committed to the idea it can take even longer). Weight loss requires a level of sheer bloody-mindedness that almost defies description. But it really is worth it.

It worked for me!

Based on one researcher's experience, here are a list of dos and don'ts for losing weight successfully. It has worked not only for the researcher, but also for her mother and sister.

DO

Lose weight because you want to do it for yourself. It is human nature to resist doing something because others are telling you to do it - even if doing that thing may save our lives. You are more likely to succeed as you will be more committed.

Consult your GP - particularly if you have a lot of weight to lose. They can offer all sorts of guidance and help - and even refer you to a nutritionist/dietician if they think this is useful.

Join a slimming club, if you want to or feel you can. Clubs offer more than just a weekly weigh in. You will find absolutely everyone else around you is in just the same boat as you, which is great for support - one of the most vital ingredients to a successful weight-loss regime. Don't feel that you are going to be looked at or criticised - particularly if you have a lot to lose. Everyone is there to lose weight and they all feel the same about it. You won't be alone.

Take regular exercise. You can lose weight without exercising, but it's really, really slow - and you have to reduce your calorie intake more quickly, and by more calories than you would otherwise. You don't have to join a gym - simply using stairs rather than lifts and walking/cycling rather than using the car are good for raising the heart rate, which is one of the things you're looking for in exercise

Be prepared for people to say things like 'Don't lose too much!' or 'I preferred you fat' 'Don't get anorexic!'². They are used to seeing your overweight body shape and are not able to visualise a slim you any more than you are. Also be prepared for people not to comment at all. Some may not want to say anything to you as they are afraid to compliment your weight loss in case it's caused by an illness. Others may even ask if you have been ill!³

Invest in a calorie counter book, and a notebook to enter your portions and how much you've eaten. Some slimming clubs actually require you to do this and publish official 'diaries' for this purpose. Okay it's a real chore - but the benefit is that you can keep tabs on what you've eaten, and also fit nice nibbles in to your daily plan. You can do it by guesswork but the diary way is more accurate.

Take it slowly. The more weight you have to lose, the less you should reduce your calorie intake at the start. That way, you will lose weight at a safe pace. It may not be instantaneous, but the slower it comes off, the less likely it is to go back on again. Use the time taken to get rid of it to re-train your palate and digestive system

Treat yourself! Try not to get into a pattern of rewarding yourself with a chocolate bar - try something else. Say for each stone you lose you could get yourself perhaps a nice lipstick, that book you really fancy reading (you could even get it on audio tape and listen to it while you exercise!), a concert/cinema/theatre trip.

Be proud of yourself! If you have just started and you still have a long way to go - it's the first step to a new you. Every pound you lose is an achievement - never forget that.

DON'T

Use dress sizes or general looks as a benchmark. Everyone's body shape is different, and just being a certain weight won't mean that you are going to be a certain dress size or body shape. The best form of working out what you should aim for is the Body Mass Index, which is a calculation based on your body weight and height and is individual to you. Every one should ideally have a BMI of between 20 and 25. Work out your BMI here

Expect all the weight to come off too soon. That is one of the two classic mistakes that so many people make - and it almost inevitably leads them to believe that traditional weight loss doesn't work for them. A reputable slimming club will ask you to lose no more than one pound each week. Too much weight lost too quickly will put your health at risk

Cut out so-called 'bad' foods - this is the other classic mistake that puts people off 'dieting'. There is no such thing as 'good' or 'bad' food in a healthy diet. Moderation is the key. A sensible eating plan makes space for packets of crisps, chocolate bars, cakes or nuts (note the 'or' rather than 'and') - just don't eat nothing but crisps, chocolate bars, cakes and nuts!

Weigh yourself too often. Once a week is the norm for slimming clubs, and they will ask you not to do it any more than that. Your weight doesn't just change from day to day, but from hour to hour depending upon whether you've eaten, drunk, exercised or even depending upon your menstrual cycle if you're a woman. Weighing yourself every day will just make you paranoid.

Give up! That might sound silly, but slimming can be a very lonely, frustrating, boring, disheartening experience. It is a slow chipping away of years of build up - it will take time to get rid of it.

Focus too heavily on your final 'goal'. It's easier to achieve a number of 'milestone' targets on your way than to head for a final target and aim at that. If you've got a lot to lose then it can just seem too far away and unattainable. Where there are a number of stones to be lost, just aim for a stone at a time - and remember that bit about every pound being an achievement - it really is!

Worry if you gain weight from time to time. It's inevitable that this will happen several times during the course of your slimming. It can be a blow to your esteem and is actually quite de-motivating. Remember that you are human being, not a robot - and the same as every other slimmer in the world. It's not the end of you as a slimmer and what goes on will come off again.

Maintain a 'fat' wardrobe with clothes in larger sizes put away as they become too big in case you might need them again. You are not going to need them again - send them off to a charity shop today!

And Finally

Don't attempt to lose weight if you don't need to. Seriously! If your GP tells you you don't need to do it - don't!