General advice

Jump to links for: General weight loss advice Focus on obesity surgery and medications  The history of dieting Glossary of dieting terms

Introduction 

• Hunger—the powerful force
• Fighting your own body
• Avoiding triggers to eat
• Avoid food places
• Avoid food images
• Maximise ‘free’ exercise

This section of the website will give you some general advice on approaching weight loss and is taken from my book, Healthy Intentions: Make it a Habit.

Millions upon millions of people struggle trying to lose weight every day. A large number of these people fail in their attempts. Theoretically it should be easy to lose weight. Weight loss should occur if the amount of energy you use (energy expenditure) is greater than your food intake. Unfortunately your body is not a simple machine. It behaves differently and always tries to compensate for any changes that occur. The body says to itself: ‘I’m not used to this, so I will try to get back to what I’m used to’. The body has at its disposal a large number of mechanisms to try to maintain your weight at the current level, so you must outsmart your body to lose weight.

Hunger—the powerful force

The first and most important mechanism the body has at its disposal is hunger. The moment you decide to reduce your food intake, your body will give you signals to go and eat. Hunger is a very powerful primordial (primitive) signal. It is present in all animals and has been with humans since the beginning of time. It can even be painful. Resisting hunger is difficult; near impossible for most people. Hunger will drive you crazy, it will prevent you from sleeping and it will prevent you from concentrating on your work. Hunger can only be resisted for a small amount of time. And once you cave in to hunger, you will probably overeat and then feel guilty. The body is saying: ‘Give me more, give me more’.

So how do you get around this problem? The solution is to eat something that contains little energy but fills you up. This low-energy, high-bulk food exists and is called fibre. By filling your stomach with fibre, it gives out signals saying: ‘I’m full, stop eating now’ and your hunger goes away. The reason that fibre is such a good alternative to other foods is that the body is not able to break down fibre, so it passes through your digestive system without having contributed to your fat stores. Chapter 5 will provide more detailed information on the different types of fibre and examples of what to eat.

Because hunger is one of the oldest and most powerful and emotional/physical signals, willpower alone is not going to conquer it. If there is food available and you are hungry then you are going to eat it. If there is no food available then you won’t be able to eat. This may sound simplistic, but if you have a cupboard full of cookies and a fridge full of sweet or fatty foods then the temptation is going to be irresistible. So one trick in weight loss is to not have anything available at home that you are not supposed to eat. Don’t have lots of cookies, chocolate and candy within reach. Fill your fridge with salad, fruit and vegetables. This way when you are hungry you will have to eat healthily, as there is nothing else to choose from.

Fighting your own body

Apart from hunger, your body has another mechanism at its disposal to prevent you from losing weight. The second mechanism the body uses to conserve fat is to reduce the amount of energy that you use. It will reduce the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) so you will feel sluggish and less inclined to move, thereby conserving energy. The body is telling you to sit down as you don’t have the energy to do anything more strenuous, but it will be lying to you and keeping all of the fat in reserve. At this stage you have to keep to your exercise program and not stop your activities even if you feel tired. See Chapter 4 for more information on BMR.

In a way you are fighting your own body. Your body is trying to do everything in its power to get back the weight that you have lost and you are trying to lose more weight. The only way to overcome this is to stick with it, until your body resets its internal weight memory and accepts your new weight as the new set point. But once you reach this new set point, your body will actually help you to maintain your new weight. You will find that you are not as hungry as before, that you have more energy to do things and that maintaining the weight loss is easier.

Be careful, because unfortunately it is easier to gain weight than it is to lose it. This tendency for the body to gain weight is understandable as the body always tries to deposit any excess energy from the foods you eat as fat. Developing a new set point for your weight can take a long time, and this time frame is different in different people.

This is one of the reasons that dieting does not work. In dieting you lose a lot of weight rapidly, but the body does not have a chance to adjust to the new weight and it panics, doing everything it can to get back to your old weight. As the body is furiously trying to get the weight back it overcompensates and you end up bigger than when you started the diet. The problem is that most diets are usually of a very short duration, whereas you need to have longer-term objectives to be successful with weight loss.

Avoiding triggers to eat

Nearly 90 per cent of people who want to lose weight fail. This is not only due to a lack of commitment, as many people who are trying to lose weight have a very strong commitment to this goal. The reasons are complex and much is due to the society we live in. There is easily available food everywhere you turn, from supermarkets to fast food outlets. Most people would have access to 24-hours-a-day food if they wanted to. There is also constant stimulation of your appetite by delicious food images from advertising and the people around you.

In addition, our society makes it easier and easier not to mobilise, from escalators, lifts and cars. This makes exercise difficult. From this you can see the three main strategies that you can use to improve your chances of weight loss. Firstly you need to avoid food places, secondly you need to avoid images of food and thirdly you need to maximise ‘free’ exercise.

1. Avoid food places

You need to avoid food places as much as possible. Living in the desert with no people around you and no access to food would help you to lose weight, but is not practical for day-to-day living. So you need to use some strategies to avoid unnecessary contact with food. These strategies are aimed at reducing the time that you spend thinking about food and the time that you spend around food items. You obviously need to eat, but use these strategies to minimise your exposure to food.

You should make a detailed list of everything that you need for the coming week. If you make the list once a week you don’t have to think about what food to buy every day. Also try to only shop once a week, as this will also minimise your exposure to food. If you find that you forgot something from the store try to make do without it, as going back to the store will temp you again.
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When you go to the store, buy only what is on your list. Don’t go anywhere in the store where they do not have the products on your list and don’t browse. The danger with browsing is that you will buy something that you didn’t need to buy in the first place. These items are usually the foods that you are not supposed to eat, such as candy, chocolate or ice cream. These items, more than anything, make your mouth water and the brain will be sending out strong signals for you to buy these delicious foods. Once you give in to the temptation you will surely eat whatever you bought. The only way to avoid this happening is to be as stubborn as a mule. Follow your list to the letter and do not deviate from it.

Avoid or minimise your time in places that have a lot of aromas—such as bakeries—as the aromas will make you feel hungry. Many of these places use aromatherapy techniques to elevate the smells even more and make you even hungrier, so that they can sell more products. Don’t be pulled in, be focused. To minimise any temptation to buy extra food or to snack, you should eat before you go shopping. By eating first you will feel content and not hungry. Your brain and stomach will be telling you: ‘We are content, we don’t need anything more’. You will not feel tempted to buy something to eat while you are out or feel inclined to buy more food than is on your list.

Another major area that causes concern is the time you spend with your family and friends. This is of course vital time, but a lot of the time it involves food. For example having a meal if you go out with friends, buying candy or popcorn if you go to the cinema, or being served potato crisps as a snack if you go to someone’s home. So when you are with friends try to do something that doesn’t involve food. Instead of going out for lunch or dinner with friends, go to the beach or do some sport or go for a walk. Use you imagination and not your stomach.

2. Avoid food images

Everywhere you look there are images of food, food, food especially in larger cities. There are food advertisements on the television and programs show people cooking and eating food. There are billboards in the street for fast food places. Displays from shops show food. It is therefore difficult, but not impossible, to avoid all these food images. Try to identify places with the minimum number of food images. These places may include your local park, the beach or a friend’s home.

Once you have identified these places, try spending as much time there as possible. Use it as a refuge if you start feeling hungry. For example try to go for a walk, run or other activity in your local park instead of sitting at home watching the television when you start feeling hungry. This will minimise the triggers that your brain receives to be hungry and eat. If you feel lazy hire a movie, which will not contain food advertisements or go to the cinema and make sure that you do not buy any snacks.

Maximise ‘free’ exercise

Maximise the amount of exercise that you do during the day. As previously mentioned, one of the major reasons that there is an obesity epidemic today is that people move less than they did in the past. All the modern comforts make it easy to minimise the amount of exercise that you do throughout the day. By trying to increase the amount of activity that you do throughout the day, you will naturally increase the amount of energy that your body burns up. There are literally millions of ways to increase your energy expenditure throughout the day, from the trivial to the really big. This of course depends a lot on your personal situation, including where you live and work.

Take a piece of paper and write down all the activities that you do throughout the day and try to come up with more energy demanding ways of doing the same things. Walk up stairs instead of taking the elevator. Park your car a couple of blocks away from your office and walk the rest of the way. Use your imagination. Any activity in which you can be moving instead of being stationary you should go for. For example, read a book while standing up, do stretching exercises or push-ups while you are watching the television. More tips on exercise can be found in Chapter 3 of my book, Healthy Intentions: Make it a Habit.

Focus on obesity surgery and medications

• Bariatric (obesity) surgery
• Medications

Being a surgeon and doctor, I have a particular interest in the medical side of weight loss. However the majority of people will not require medication or surgery for their weight loss. Another area of special interest to me is cosmetic medicine. In our society weight and beauty are closely related. Although losing weight has significant health benefits, most people who are trying to lose weight do it to ‘look better'. Please contact us if you have questions on any of these medical areas.

Bariatric (obesity) surgery

Bariatric comes from Greek, Baros meaning weight and iatrikos the art of healing. In this section I will include several of the operations that are performed these days. These operations are usually reserved for people that have a BMI (Body Mass Index) of more than 40. Recently there has been some progress in understanding the long-term effects of these operations. A large research study was recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine called the Swedish Obesity Study, which provides a better understanding of the effects of these operations.

No-one is in doubt that the majority of western countries are experiencing an obesity epidemic that is poised to get worse. The country most severely affected is the USA, but England and Australia are unfortunately not far behind. More than 30 percent of the US population are obese (BMI more than 30) and around 5 percent are morbidly obese (BMI more than 40). There are numerous health problems experienced by overweight people, ranging from joint problems, breathing problems, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart problems to diabetes. These health problems both shorten life and reduce the quality of life. Medications such as xenical have a limited effect and can only be taken for a limited time. Surgical treatment is currently the only effective treatment for very overweight people.

The Swedish Obesity Study is a research study that has been going for 10 years. Around 4000 people have received operations ranging from gastric banding to gastric by-passes. Extremely promising results have emerged from this study, which compared people that have received operations with those that did not. For the people that received operations, weight reduction was greatest in the first 6 months and ranged from 38 per cent for gastric by-passes to 21 per cent for stomach banding. Ten years after the operations were performed, the weight loss was still substantial but less than the initial weight loss -gastric by-pass had an average weight loss of 25 percent compared to patients who had gastric banding with a 13 percent weight loss. The majority of the obesity related illnesses were improved over the 10 years and it was also noted that people were exercising at a higher frequency after their operation than people that did not have an operation. Around 3 in 1000 people died after the operation and there were also a number of complications noted after the operation. The group of people who did not have surgery actually gained weight during the same 10-year period.

So what does all this mean to you? Surgery does frighten many people. So far bariatric surgery has only been offered to people that are very overweight. The rational has been that these people carry a high risk of dying from being overweight and the risk of these operations is therefore justified. So far bariatric surgery is the only demonstrated effective long-term treatment for obesity. Gastric banding operations can be done with key-hole surgery and carries a much smaller risk than the more invasive gastric by-pass operations; the draw back is that gastric banding causes less weight loss. There has been great progress in the area of bariatric surgery and with a demonstrated effect it should become a more available treatment for obesity. The risks and complications of laparoscopic banding (key hole surgery) is now far less than it has previously been and certainly much less than the larger gastric by-pass operations.

If you are contemplating surgery you should first discuss this with your local medical officer/general practitioner. You should also try to go to a center that specialises in these operations. To find out more you can contact the surgical society in your local area.

Medications

There is unfortunately a limited number of effective medication for weight loss and the available medications may also have significant side-effects. If you are contemplating taking medications for weight loss, you should see a doctor so that you are fully informed about the risks and you are properly evaluated before starting any medication as people have died from taking some of these medications. You should never take any of them without first seeing a doctor.

History of Dieting

• Introduction
• Dr. Sawdust and his crackers
• Now to England and the Banting Plan
• The dieting torch is passed on to `The Great Masticator'
• Calories arrive on the scene
• What combination to use?
• Time passes

Introduction

So being fat was not a problem encountered by most, but maybe they would have wished it was, as an outward sign of prosperity and plenty.

Those diets that did exist, whenever a prince or bishop decided that not being able to move around freely was a problem, involved no more than a slight reduction in quantity of the same food. Perhaps deciding to have only three fowl, one barrel of ale or mulled wine, and one roast hog per day instead of overdoing it!

As time progressed, so did a relative redistribution of wealth. This inevitably led to those lower down the financial scales, but on their way up, having too much of what was hitherto unavailable to them. They probably shouldn't be directly blamed for this either, as excess food and drink can be a pleasure indeed, especially when newly found.

Another problem is that the human body is particularly well suited to putting on the pounds. Fatty and sugary foods are digested enthusiastically and the excess energy given is stored by the body for a time when such riches may not be an option. This is after all, a sensible measure to take by a bodily system that has evolved over millions of years, during which time a truly enormous number of people must have starved to death.

As a defensive measure against starvation, our bodies know that getting fat is a good thing, and biologically, the modern man and woman is no different from our pre-history and ancient history ancestors. A couple of centuries of freely accessible food for all are nothing compared to the survival struggle it has endured for so long. The human body has not had enough time to adjust to modern realities (realities in developed countries, at least) and that may turn out to be a good thing if one of those lurking asteroids hits us sometime! Let us not be arrogantly presumptuous that all will be well forever in the times ahead, our bodies certainly are not and hence the continuing likening for the flab.

All very well, but civilization destroyed by asteroids is only a faintly possible threat. Rising cholesterol, blood pressure, cancers, heart disease and other not too delightful diseases and conditions associated with obesity are here today, killing us off with all too often frequency.

Dr. Sawdust and his crackers

But strangely enough it wasn't entirely the health factors of being overweight that first got the modern diet off the starting blocks, as well as health concerns, it was the war against sin! Yea, the immorality of excess from the glutton will cause a more sinful world. And we all know what the punishment of sin is.

A world entirely full of thin sticks of people would doubtlessly be just as sinful, but not to the American Presbyterian minister Sylvester Graham, who after being ordained in 1826, began to preach in the 1830's that the ills of health; physical, moral, and spiritual, could all be remedied by a basic vegetarian diet.

He also encouraged such behavior as; sleeping on hard and unyielding mattresses, the opening of bedroom windows (whatever the weather), regular cold showers, brisk hearty exercise, clothing to include only loose garments, pure water (fair enough), and of course chastity!

So as you can imagine, this luminary of the temperance movement in the city of Philadelphia was not entirely popular in some quarters, and he was referred to as ‘Dr. Sawdust' by his detractors. Though he did attract a number a followers who obediently did as they were told and became known as ‘the Grahamites'. They, after being converted to the ways of the diet, further spread his word, and thousands would attend his lectures. Those not able to could read of his theories in the Graham Journal of Health and Longevity.

The originator of Graham flour and the flat bread known as Graham crackers, he stated that the vitality, strength and all-round health of the orangutan proved that vegetarianism was the way forward, and tirelessly campaigned against all alcohol and also coffee, tea and tobacco as stimulants.

Because of his regaling against the bakers of the day, who used refined flour where the wheat had been stripped of most of its nutritional goodness to facilitate a faster baked loaf, he sometimes needed bodyguards at his meetings. Milk producers also suffered his wrath, who fed their cows on swill leftover from the distilleries, and had to add the likes of chalk and molasses to their sold milk, to neutralise the taste of the alcoholic content and make it presentable to the public.

Now to England and the Banting Plan

In 1850s England, a man called William Banting was in a seriously obese state of affairs, and he had had enough of it. This unfortunate fellow was so fat that he supposedly could not tie his own shoes, and it is said that he had to go downstairs backwards. Despairing at the inability of the doctors to help him, their advice on exercise, steam baths, temporary starvations and chemical purges had all come to naught, he at last found something that worked.

One medical practitioner, a Doctor Harvey, had suggested that he might find the answer by not eating any more than a minimum of sugars and starches.  Low carbohydrate diets had been born.

William Banting followed this advice, and lost fifty pounds in a year. So delighted at his success, he wrote a book, which was the world's first diet book, to tell of his experience, the splendidly titled: Letter on Corpulence Addressed to the Public, that was published in 1862.

His obesity had been cured but the British Medical Association immediately attacked this approach, and because Banting was not a scientist, claimed that it had no scientific value and would not work for others. The public however were impressed, and people all over the English speaking world read of his plan and lost weight themselves, not caring about the doubters. So popular did it prove to be, that it was translated into other languages and thus spread even wider.

The dieting torch is passed on to `The Great Masticator'

One way of success had been found, but many approaches can work. Another was to involve the mechanism of chewing, or masticating, as it is properly known. Around the end of the nineteenth century; William Ewart Gladstone, the four times British Prime Minister, had apparently advised that a person should always masticate thirty two times before swallowing (why thirty two? - the same number as the total of teeth in the mouth). This would inevitably lead to a lessening of the appetite and subsequent weight loss for better health.

Powerful world leaders usually have their opinions listened to with respect, but one American considered this with more than a passing interest. He was to come to believe that it was the perfect answer to the fat problem. This man was Horace Fletcher, who would become better known to the citizenry in the United States by the nicknames of ‘The Chew-Chew Man' and `The Great Masticator.'

Horace Fletcher might have been himself inspired by Gladstone, but he was to take this enthusiasm for chewing to heights surely undreamt of, even by that worthy. The chewing should continue, he proclaimed, until the food becomes a liquid in the mouth. And any food that does not (like fibre) should therefore not be chewed in the first place.

Leaving fibre out of a diet leads to constipation, as those caught up in the frenzy of mastication were to painfully discover, but Fletcher persisted that this was right and a small price to pay, and lost over sixty pounds in weight by this approach.

In an unlikely parallel with Rev. Sylvester Graham, that earlier notable of American dieting, the Great Masticator held that all meat should be avoided, as well as coffee, tea and alcohol. He also wrote in his book, The A-Z of our own Nutrition, that no-one should eat until they were hungry, and that they should try to be happy at mealtimes. Most important though, they should chew until ‘the food swallowed itself'.

A side note here is that a Dr John Kellog thought that the advice from Fletcher to avoid fibre was so wrong that he founded his famous cereal company to make sure Americans were getting plenty of fibre in their diets.

Calories arrive on the scene

The theory of the calorific value of foodstuffs, which is how much thermal energy they give off when burned, was started by a chemist called Wilbur Atwater. But it was around two decades later, in 1918 before the calorie left the world of academia and hit the mainstream.

Lulu Hunt Peters, a Californian doctor, introduced the concept of counting calories in a diet to aid weight loss in her bestseller book, Diet and Health with a Key to the Calories. This scientific way of looking at things was a big hit with the public, and despite her honest message that dieting could be a tough road to follow at times, with an emphasis on self-discipline and willpower to win the war against fat, her work is influential to this day.

She also showed that a lot of money could be made by anyone coming up with new ideas to help overweight people. More of whom were now around in society than ever before, and combined with the phenomenon of movie theaters and subsequent beginnings of the hero worship of the stars of the silver screen, almost all of whom were good looking of course, the public's obsession with fat was off to a running start. This was noted by both genuine writers on the subject of dieting advice, and complete cranks.

What combination to use?

Some came up with variations of the idea (and still do) that how much food is eaten is almost an irrelevance; the only thing that matters is what combinations of foods are consumed at the same time.

The first of these was William H. Hay, who recommended that proteins, starches and sugars should be eaten completely separately to avoid the putting on of excess fat. He also advised that having an enema each and every day was a key to proper health.

Others took this up and altered it slightly, claiming that some food could change the fatty properties of other foods, if digested together. This was apparently the miracle cure for obesity. But despite the validity of this theory never being even part proven by proper research, it has been still loudly proclaimed by many that their particular method of matching foodstuffs will guarantee that fat is burned quicker, or otherwise dispensed with.

Time passes

And people are still eating more, weighing more, and dieting more.

There have been far too many diets set upon the public to discuss in one article, but let's have a look at a timeline and include a few notable points in dieting history.

• 1930s - The Hollywood Diet (soon to be better known as the Grapefruit Diet) is introduced.
• Seaweeds, such as kelp and bladderwrack, are promoted as the food of choice to end weight problems.
• Diet ‘guru', Victor Lindlahr, regularly broadcasts on the nations' radios to spread news of ‘reverse calorie foods'. This is a catabolic system of weight loss he has discovered where some foods use up more calories to be digested, than they give out to the body; like celery and apples.
• 1940s and 1950s - Ideal weight charts are invented by matching a weight with gender, height and frame.
• Diet pills are introduced that are based on Amphetamine derivatives. It is soon realised that they are dangerous.
• 1960s - A woman named Jean Nidetch and friends hold a meeting in her apartment to share support and advice on dieting. It is the beginning of Weight Watchers.
• Dr. Atkins releases his plan for weight loss. The high-protein, high-fat and low-charbohydrate diet causes a storm of controversy that still rages today as multiple health fears are voiced by critics.
• 1970s - The FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) calls for a ban on saccharin in the United States. Because of voter fury, the US Congress does not heed this advice.
• The Pritikin Diet Program with low-fat and high-fibre is introduced for those with heart complaints, but quickly is taken up by others for weight loss.
• The eating disorder anorexia nervosa is described for the first time by psychiatrists as many continual dieters are becoming underweight.
• A new diet drug called fenfluramine is introduced which makes the brain think the stomach is full.
• Dr. Robert Linn invents a protein drink called Prolinn, which is made up of slaughterhouse by-products like crushed horns and hooves and hides, which are treated with artificial flavourings and enzymes. He urges for all looking to lose weight, to completely omit food and break the fast only by the use of his product in The Last Chance Diet. Somewhere around three million weight worriers give it a go.
• The book entitled, Fit for Life is written by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond. In it are claims that the human body has changing physiological needs for certain foodstuffs depending on the time of the day.
• 1980s - The Beverly Hills Diet becomes the latest dieting craze. It holds that only fruit should be eaten for the first ten days of the plan.
• An anti-diabetes system called The Glyceamic Index is developed by Dr David Jenkins and a team of scientists at the University of Toronto. To help simplify the problems suffered by diabetics, this index charts how quickly a range of diverse foodstuffs affects blood sugar levels. It is embraced by most diabetes organisations around the world, to help them better assess the sugary and starchy carbohydrates. However, this research is also often misappropriated by authors of fad diets to back up their weight loss claims.
• TV personality Oprah Winfrey loses almost 70 pounds on a liquid diet.
• Health writer Susan Powter advises her female readers to diet less and exercise more.
• 1990s - The FDA demands that food labelling should include more detailed information about calories and fat content to assist dieting consumers, and for better general public health.
• A shocking report indicates that 40 per cent of nine- and ten-year-old children in the United States are dieting for weight-loss reasons.
• The diet pills containing fenfluramine and the related dexfenfluramine are withdrawn by their manufacturers as the FDA reports on them being a cause of heart valve disease.
• 2000s - some researchers claim that for the first time in recorded human history, the number of underfed people in the world has been equalled by those overweight.

And on and on we go, most still worrying about our weight as the wealth of society increases; it seems there will always be self-made problems for humanity to deal with. Bountiful advances on some fields are inevitably the harbingers of coming trouble elsewhere.

As a last word for now on this topic, that well-loved bear Winnie the Pooh, once asked how long it took to get thin. The answer, it appears, is still not fully available.

About the author

Matt Jacks is a successful freelance copywriter who provides valuable tips and advice for consumers on a range of topics including weight loss. His numerous articles offer moneysaving tips and valuable insight on typically confusing topics.

This edited version of ‘The history of dieting' is reprinted with permission.

© 2004 - Freelancers-wanted.com.

Glossary of dieting terms

So, you need to diet. Maybe you think this yourself, or maybe friends and family have been dropping a few non-too subtle hints about your current weight. Whatever the case, you are not alone. Many people diet regularly to control their weight, but even so, the question of just what to eat or drink can be confusing and worrisome at times. For some help, here's a glossary of many terms on this topic.

Please Note: the food label terms in this glossary apply to the United States and while Australia and other countries may use the same wording, the numerical values of calories or fat may differ.

• Adipose
  This word means fatty; consisting of or containing fat.
• Amino Acids
  Nine of these essential ‘building blocks of proteins' cannot be manufactured by the body alone and so have to be provided through food intake. People following a Vegan diet should be aware that it is not possible to receive all necessary amino acids through consumption of vegetables alone. (See Proteins and Vegan Diet).
• Anorectic Drugs
  These are drugs used to make people eat less food by suppressing a person's appetite, and therefore lessen the intake of calories. (See Calorie).
• Artificial Sweeteners
  These variously named chemicals have lower calories than the sugar they replace.
• BIA (Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis)
  This is a method for the estimation of how much body fat is present in a person, by passing a safe electric current through their body. The flow of the electricity is made more difficult by higher amounts of fat, and conversely, the current's flow is easier if less fat is present. So the flow of current is then measured to provide the body fat percent reading. (See Body Fat).
• Blood Sugar Levels
  The level or amount of glucose in the bloodstream. (See Glucose).
• BMI (Body Mass Index)
  This is a very common method of evaluating individual people to see if they are under or overweight. It involves comparing their weight to their height by dividing the weight measurement (expressed in kilograms) by the square of the height (expressed in meters). A BMI of below 18.5 is underweight, between 18.5 and 25 is an indication of healthy weight, 25 to 30 is overweight, a BMI of over 30 is referred to as obese, over 35 is known as morbidly obesity, and over 40 indicates extreme obesity.
• Body Fat
  This is the percentage of a person's body mass that is not made up of either bones, muscles, organs, or water.
• Caffeine
  A plant-derived stimulant often found in many foods and drinks.
• Calorie
  A calorie is a unit of heat energy used in determining nutritional values. When foodstuffs, the `fuel' for the body are metabolised, they liberate varying amounts of energy as heat. This energy is expressed in calories, hence the term; `burning calories'. Fat produces 9 calories per gram; alcohol produces 7 calories per gram, whilst carbohydrates and proteins each provide 4 calories per gram. Technically speaking, 1 calorie is the measure of heat needed to warm 1kg (kilogram) of water by 1 degree Centigrade. (Also See Carbohydrates; Fats, and Proteins).
• Calorie-Free
  Food must have less than 5 calories per given serving for this to be on the label.
• Calorie Goal
  A target number of calories that will allow a person to lose weight whilst still having the energy needs of the body provided for.
• Calorific or Caloric Value
  This is the number of calories in any given food or drink.
• Carbohydrates
  These are compounds of Carbon, Oxygen, and Hydrogen. The word is commonly encountered as a group name for a type of foodstuffs that includes all sugars; which are known as simple carbohydrates, and starches and fibre, which are referred to as complex carbohydrates. They are a major source of energy for the body. (See Complex Carbohydrates, Fibre and Simple Carbohydrates).
• Cholesterol
  This is a fatty substance that plays an important part in cellular health; it is produced in our livers and obtained from foodstuffs such as organ meat, eggs, cheese, milk and butter. Too much cholesterol, however, is a problem. Because it is carried around the bloodstream, any excess levels are deposited on the walls of veins and arteries. This can cause the blood vessels to narrow; therefore decreasing the blood flow and causing heart problems.
• HDL and LDL cholesterol                                                                                                      There are different forms of cholesterol, sometimes termed `good' and ‘bad'. This distinction has to do with how it is carried around the blood. Chemicals called lipoproteins, which are combined fatty proteins, are used for transporting the cholesterol in the bloodstream. High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is known as `good' because any excess can be sent to the liver and dealt with; whereas Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol cannot be and remains to potentially clog arteries.
• Complex Carbohydrates
  These are starches and fibre, like breads, pasta, rice, cereals and vegetables. Their molecules are linked in complex chains, hence their name, and are converted into sugars for energy release by the body during digestion. Because these starches must be broken down, they offer longer-term energy than simple carbohydrates. (See Carbohydrates, Fibre, and Simple Carbohydrates).
• DV (Daily Value)
  In the United States, this food label term is aimed at assisting consumers in their planning of a nutritious diet. They are developed by the FDA. (See FDA).
• Diet
  This is an allowed plan of food and drink set down for the loss of weight, or a prescribed plan for medical reasons. The word can also be used to mean the habitual food intake of people or animals.
• Dietary
  Anything pertaining to a diet is dietary.
• Diuretic
  Diuretic drugs or substances increase the amount of urine produced in the body, and thereby can give a false impression of weight loss by reducing the water content of the body. Although no fat is lost due when using diuretics, too much potassium can be, as well as other vital minerals and vitamins. (See Electrolytes).
• Electrolytes
  These are mineral salts such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium. They are necessary in any diet for healthy nerves and muscle movement. Many people on diets use sports drinks (electrolyte solutions) to top them up, but these can also contain added sugars.
• Energy Expenditure
  This is the energy, expressed as calories, used or ‘burned' in exercise. Exercise is often recommended as a companion to dieting for the purpose of losing weight.
• Enriched, or enrichment
  These are processed foods that have nutrients added to them, either to enhance the original nutrient content or to replace any nutrients that were lost during processing.
• Essential Fatty Acids
  These are fats that must be present in a diet for good health. They are principally gained from vegetable oils. (See Fat).
• Exchange Diet/Plan
  This is a weight-loss plan where foods with equal calorific values are divided up into separate groupings. The person on the diet can then interchange foods from within each list at mealtimes to allow for more choice and variety within the dietary regime. (See Exchange Lists).
• Exchange Lists
  These are the lists of swappable foodstuffs that have been divided up according to their energy and nutritional qualities for the purpose of an exchange diet.
• Extra Lean
  Food labelling terminology that means there is less than 2g of saturated fat, less than 5g of overall fat and no more than 95mg of cholesterol for a 100g portion of meat, poultry, game meat, or seafood.
• Fad Diets
  These are fashionable diets that come and go on the health scene. Often highly controversial, they are heavily hyped with spectacular claims but contain dubious nutritional and weight-loss advice. Competent medical opinion should always be sought before starting on any diet.
• Fat
  Fat is necessary for human health and together with carbohydrates and proteins, provides us with the energy to live. Fat also helps us by allowing the `fat soluble' vitamins A, D, E and K to be transported around the body and utilised where needed. However, having too much fat is responsible for many health concerns, and in most cultures (though not all) is considered to be unattractive. As a result, millions of people around the world are dieting to reduce the fat content of their bodies.
  
  There are different types of fat and those found in food are a combination of types of fatty acids. Though each holds the same 9 calories per gram, they differ in other ways. Saturated fats (solid at room temperature) are mainly found in foodstuffs of animal origin, such as butter, cheese, cream, red meats and milk, but also in plant products such as cocoa butter and coconut oil. They may cause cholesterol in the blood to increase when too much is consumed, risking heart disease. Unsaturated fats (liquid at room temperature) do not raise cholesterol levels, and may help to decrease them. They are divided into monounsaturated fats, which are found in sea foods and vegetable oils, such as peanut or olive oil, and highly unsaturated polyunsaturated fats, in vegetable fats like sunflower oil, to give one example. (See also Essential Fatty Acids and Hydrogenated Fat).
• Fat-free
  A food label term that means there is less than 0.5g of fat in a given size serving.
• Fat Replacers
  There are many of these substances, either based on proteins, carbohydrates, fibre, or different forms of fatty acids, that are used as ingredients in various foods to mimic the applications of fat, but with much less calories.
• FDA (Food & Drug Administration)
  In the United States, this is the federal government agency concerned with monitoring and regulating food and drugs.
• Fibre
  This is a generic term referring to plant structures such as cellulose. These forms of complex carbohydrates cannot be digested by humans; however as roughage, fibre aids bodily health.
• Food Journal
  This is a written record of all foods and drinks consumed by a person over a given time. It can assist in personalising dietary planning.
• Food Pyramid
  A graphic aid to a healthy diet. The foodstuffs at the bottom of the pyramid are encouraged as being low calorie and high volume; whereas those foods at the top; should not be consumed often, as they are high calorie foods.
• Fortified
  Fortified foods or drinks are those that have had extra vitamins and minerals added to them.
• Glucose
  A very important sugar that most carbohydrates are made up of. Glucose provides energy for our body cells after it has been carried to them in the bloodstream; it can either be used immediately or stored for later. (See Hyperglyceamia and Hypoglyceamia).
• Gram
  A metric unit for weight and mass present on food labels. One gram (1g) is one thousandth of one kilogram (1kg).
• High-calorie  Low-volume Foods
  These are foods that do not often satisfy our appetite-so encouraging us to consume more of them-even though they are high in calories. Subsequently more of this food is eaten than necessary, leading to weight gain. (See Layered Eating, and Low Calorie - High Volume).
• Hydrogenated Fat
  This is a fat that has been chemically altered from a liquid (oil) to a solid fat. Margarines, for example, are hydrogenated fats, and contain trans-fatty acids. Over consumption of these products can raise cholesterol in the blood even though the original fats were vegetable oils, which as unsaturated fats, do not raise cholesterol. (See Fat).
• Hyperglyceamia
  This is a condition caused by there being too much glucose in the bloodstream, also known as high blood sugar. (See Hypoglyceamia and Glucose).
• Hypoglyceamia
  A condition where there is too little glucose in the blood for good health, also know as low blood sugar. (See Hyperglyceamia and Glucose).
• Lactose
  This is the predominant carbohydrate in milk. It is more often known as milk sugar.
• Lacto-vegetarian Diet
  This is a diet in which vegetables and dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.) are permitted, but eggs and all meats are not.
• Layered Eating
  This is a common sense approach to weight loss whereby low-calorie high-volume foods are eaten in meals before high-calorie  low-volume foods are touched. This way, an appetite might be satisfied without any unnecessary extra calorific intake. (See High-calorie  Low-volume and Low-calorie  High-volume).
• Lean
  On meat, game meats, poultry and seafood, this label indicates there should be no more than 10g of fat, of which saturated fat can be no more than 4.5g, and less than 95mg of cholesterol per 100g serving.
• Lean Body Mass
  All of the body with the exception of adipose tissue (fat).
• Lifestyle Change
  A step up from a diet, which can be short lasting, a lifestyle change means a long-term commitment to healthier food intake and/or exercise over the coming years.
• Light
  On food labels, this product has a third of the calories, or half of the fat of the regular alternative.
• Lipids
  This is a food group that includes cholesterol, fat and oils.
• Low Calorie
  A food label term that means the food or drink must have 40 calories or less per given serving.
• Low-calorie  High-volume Foods
  These are foods that fill can fill a hungry stomach without giving many calories to the body. Vegetable soups are an example of this.
• Low Fat
  This food labelling term denotes the product has less than 3g of fat in a given size of serving.
• Macrobiotic Diet
  This is a diet that originates from Eastern philosophies. Encouraging food choices to match the seasons of the year, it is mostly vegetarian, but also includes sea foods. (See Vegetarian).
• Metabolism
  This is the collective name for all the life-maintaining biochemical processes that take place within our bodies concerned with the breaking down of food, and the subsequent release and utilisation of the then available energy.
• Minerals
  Inorganic (non-carbon containing) elements that are vital for health.
• Monounsaturated Fat
  See Fat.
• Morbid Obesity
  See BMI.
• Mormon Tea
  Known also as Desert Tea, this contains a stimulant called ephedrine which increases the body's metabolic rate for the increased `burning' of calories. (See Calories and Metabolism).
• Nutrients
  All substances from food and drink that the body uses for energy, growth, upkeep and repair.
• Nutritionist
  A professional who advises on diet planning for weight loss, medical reasons, or as an anti-allergic precaution.
• Obese
  See BMI.
• Oils
  Related to fats, oils are tryglycerides that are liquid at room temperature, whereas fats are tryglycerides that are solid at room temperature. (See Triglycerides).
• Overweight
  See BMI.
• Ovo-vegetarian Diet
  This is a vegetarian (plant-based) diet that also includes eggs, for the prevention of amino acid deficiency. (See Amino Acids).
• Plateau
  A word borrowed from geography. Here, in dieting, it means a stable level having been attained, where enough fat has been lost to match calorie intake with a lower metabolism.
• Polyunsaturated Fat
  See Fat.
• Proteins
  These are organic (carbon containing) substances that are vital for a healthy diet. Built up from amino acids, they are used for building much of the body, including bones, muscles and skin. The amino acids they contain are needed for the construction of all living cells. Each gram of a protein provides 4 calories. (See Amino Acids).
• Raw Food Diet
  This is a variant of the vegan diet that encourages the non-cooking of vegetables, grains, pulses, etc. It can lead to protein deficiency. (See Vegan Diet and Proteins).
• Reduced Fat
  On food labels, this food must have 25 per cent or less the fat content than the regular product. Also known as `less fat'.
• Reasonable Goal
  A simple target that can be met to encourage further good observance of a dietary plan.
• Reduced Calories
  This food product must have 25 per cent or less of the calories of the same size regular alternative to qualify for this labelling term. Can also be termed as `fewer calories'.
• Registered Dietician (RD)
  An expert on food health. In the United States, anyone who wishes to become a registered dietician must study an ADA (American Dietetic Association). approved college study course and pass the exam.
• Saturated Fat
  See Fat.
• Serving Size
  This is the given portion or amount of food used for reference purposes on a product's food label.
• Spirulina
  This nutrient-rich blue-green algae is often hailed as a wonder food for many aspects of health and diet.
• Starch
  See Complex Carbohydrates.
• Sucrose
  This is the scientific name for table sugar. It is a mix of fructose and glucose and can be found in many plants.
• Simple Carbohydrates
  These are sugars like glucose, fructose etc. that provide instantly accessible energy boosts for the body. Unlike starches, their chemical make-up contains only one or two sugar molecules. (See Carbohydrates, Complex Carbohydrates, and Fibre).
• Unsaturated Fat
  See Fat.
• Vegan Diet
  This is a an extreme form of vegetarian diet, where not only red meat, poultry and fish are avoided, but also anything of animal origin such as eggs, dairy and even honey. (See Amino Acids).
• Vegetarian
  A plant-based diet that also permits eggs and dairy. (See also Lacto-vegetarian Diet, Macrobiotic Diet, and Ovo-vegetarian Diet).
• Vitamins
  These organic nutrients are essential to health and no healthy diet should disregard them.
• Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD)
  These diets involve the consumption (usually to the total exclusion, sometimes to the semi-exclusion of all other foods) of commercially prepared formulaic drinks that provide all necessary nutrients. They can allow for the rapid loss of weight, but should not be continued in the long term.
• Whole Grain
  These healthy products contain grain that has kept its outer covering, which is rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals.
• Waist-to-hip Ratio (WHR)
  This is the ratio of a person's waist circumference, measured around the belly button, to their hip circumference, measured at the widest point of the hips.
• Yo-Yo Dieting
  This is a practice where a person will lose weight, then gain weight, lose it, then gain it, and so on, in a repeating cycle.

So are you still going to go on that diet then? You know you'll only feel guilty if you don't. It's better for your health in the long run, even though it may not be that much fun to stick with it at times. Healthy alternatives are certainly a lot better tasting than they used to be, you may even find you don't miss junk food that much after a while, once you've broken the habit.

And to help you there is a wide range of planned-out diets to help you lose weight, if you don't like the idea of having to bother working out all the calories each day for yourself. Some are long-standing favourites of the health conscious, whilst others such as the controversial Atkins low-carbohydrate diet have been set upon the public relatively recently.

So whether you just want to cut out some fat here and there, or turn dieting into a quasi religion and convert the faithless, don't let it drive you mad. Remember, you're supposed to doing it for your good health!

About the author

Matt Jacks is a successful freelance copywriter who provides valuable tips and advice for consumers on a range of topics including weight loss. His numerous articles offer moneysaving tips and valuable insight on typically confusing topics.

This edited version of ‘Glossary of Dieting Terms' is reprinted with permission, From: www.freelancers-wanted.com

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