‘Real food’ – then I piled on the pounds

Q I HAVE been on every diet going and recently went on a ‘real food’ plan devised by a well-known nutritionist. I lost 6lb in one week and was thrilled. However, as I have gradually gone back to eating normally, I’ve now put on a stone, so I weigh more than I did before. I don’t eat much during the day – could this be affecting my metabolism? How can I eat healthily AND lose weight?

A ONE phrase really stands out here. You say that after you dieted you went back to ‘eating normally’, and I wonder what you mean by that? If your ‘normal’ diet includes lots of processed food, quick-release carbohydrates such as bread and pasta, fizzy drinks, cakes and biscuits, then it’s no wonder you have a difficult time keeping off the weight.

I’ve checked out the diet you were on. It suggests ditching all of the above in favour of ‘real food’: lean protein, fruit, vegetables and whole grains. Dairy is allowed. There’s no calorie-counting. This is essentially a balanced diet.

But to lose 6lb in a week you must have been eating very little – and I suspect the reason you returned to your old habits was because you were choosing from a very limited palette, and got bored.

There are almost limitless choices within a plan like this, but to make this your new way of eating (notice I don’t use the word ‘diet’) you need to explore them more. It is amazing how quickly your tastebuds and your shopping habits will adapt.

You also say you don’t eat enough during the day – it is good that you’re aware of this problem. If anything is going to lead to making poor food choices, it’s being ravenous. Try starting with a breakfast containing protein – a small tub of unsweetened Greek yogurt will do – and even if you don’t have time to prepare a lot of food during the day, keep drinking water as this will aid digestion.

You also didn’t mention exercise in your letter. Even ten minutes of high-intensity interval training a day (there are masses of workouts posted online) will rev up your engine in no time.

Q I AM 67, I don’t drink often and I don’t smoke. I’m a healthy weight and swim regularly but have just been told I have early signs of osteoporosis – something that my 92-year-old mother suffers from. The doctor says I need to take calcium and Vitamin D supplements but I always have dairy, and I cook from scratch. I have heard that exercise can help. Is this true?

A IT’S great that you swim, but to build and maintain bone density you need to add some weightbearing workouts to your routine.

This doesn’t have to mean joining the bodybuilders in the gym – activities such as hiking, dancing and tennis come under the weight-bearing category. In fact, anything that forces you to work against gravity is included, which is why swimming doesn’t count. How about buying some resistance bands to use at home? You can work with your own body weight too by doing leg squats, the plank and lunges, or even just rising up on your toes from a standing position. Finally, regarding calcium, there are other ways besides dairy to include this in your diet.

Spinach, almonds and rhubarb all contain more calcium per cup than milk, as well as all sorts of other vitamins and nutrients. Broccoli, kale, sprouts, beans, tofu, bok choi, peas, okra and sardines are other high-calcium foods.