By Jennifer Green, Public Health Practitioner

The fact that we don’t like diets might come as a surprise to our readers. It’s our job in Public Health to raise awareness of the health benefits of maintaining a healthy weight, help people figure out how to do that, and prompt them to make that change and to start doing it.

We recommend that people maintain a healthy body mass index (BMI). We know that on the whole, obesity is associated with increased likelihood type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke and even some cancers. As well as reducing your risk of these illnesses, many people who become a healthy weight also report increased energy levels, less joint pain, less breathlessness and even sleeping better.

But, we would never recommend that you lose weight through dieting. Here’s why:

1. You need to fuel your body

To function at its best and minimise your risk of getting ill, your body needs the nutrients and vitamins that come from a balanced diet. Unless you have a medically diagnosed allergy or intolerance your body needs carbohydrates, proteins and fats. We would never recommend that you cut out any food group.

Despite the attractive claims that some celebrities and journalists make about cutting out carbs, gluten or dairy to lose weight, you can be overweight and unhappy on an all-raw vegan low-carb diet and you can also lose weight healthily still eating all of the foods that you love. Which sounds better?

2. Restriction leads to overeating

Don’t think about pink elephants.

What are you thinking about?

If you spend your time telling yourself not to eat the cake/crisps/chocolate in the cupboard you will struggle to think of anything else. Then, when you eventually ‘allow’ yourself to have some, you are likely to binge and eat the cake/family-size packet of crisps/whole 300g chocolate bar because its been so long since you last had it and who knows when you’ll be ‘allowed’ to eat it again? Better make the most of it, back on the diet tomorrow!

The best way to avoid this cycle of restriction and binge eating is to not restrict yourself in the first place. Eat the cake. Don’t eat it for breakfast every day perhaps, and watch your portion size, but definitely eat it when you really want it.

3. Crash diets are unsustainable

You know the ones we mean. The ones where you drink ‘shakes’ instead of meals, or rehydrated sachets of food; the ones where you eat sausages and eggs by the bucket-load, but never any bread; the ones where you skip meals or eat tiny portions.

These are not sustainable for the vast majority of people. We’re genetically hardwired to not allow ourselves to starve if we can help it. Your crash diet is really hard to stick to because you are restricted, hungry, tired and/or sad all the time, so eventually you give up and go back to whatever ‘normal’ is for you.

Have you ever noticed that the people who follow these fad diets are the same ones doing them time and time again?

4. Emphasis on calories is not helpful for everyone

Some people like to count calories and some people don’t. Do whatever works for you. Notice that the official government diet guidelines, the Eatwell plate, don’t encourage people to count calories. Most people who want to lose weight can use simple principles of small changes, food swaps and portion control without having to count calories.

5. Dieting is associated with wanting to ‘get skinny’ and ‘look better’

Skinny does not equal healthy. Being thinner does not mean you will necessarily look better. Looking better is subjective and doesn’t impact upon your value as a person.

It’s a hard line to tread but one we are always aware of – we want to advise people that there are health benefits associated with maintaining a healthy weight, but we absolutely do not want to body shame anyone.

Healthy comes in all shapes and sizes. One person’s healthy might look like a size 8, someone else’s healthy might look like a size 14. Neither is better than the other.

What do we recommend?

We recommend small, simple changes. We advise looking at portion sizes, eating more fruit and vegetables and aiming for a varied balanced diet. A healthy weight loss diet should feel simple, intuitive, and like a lifestyle change that you can enjoy for a long time.

The NHS Better Health website has a safe and free 12-week healthy weight loss plan, or you can also contact our Healthy Lifestyles Service to find out more about healthy eating and how to get started making these changes by calling 01952 382582 or emailing healthylifestyles@telford.gov.uk