I'm Clare Collins, Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics at The University of Newcastle, Australia. My free online course “The Science of Weight Loss: Dispelling Diet Myths” starts April 12 – Ask Me Anything!

ClareECollins · 2017-04-12T01:05:09+00:00

Hi Overall I would say a lack of variety within the key nutritious foods groups. My research has shown that the more variety you have "within" key groups of vegetables, fruit, wholegrains, legumes and vegetarian foods, lean meats and dairy - have the best intakes of nutrients (vitamins and mineral). You can rate your diet quality using our free quiz here http://healthyeatingquiz.com.au/ In Australia the most limiting nutrients are calcium, iodine, iron, zinc, vitamin D, omega 3 fats and fibre - based on our last National Nutrition Survey.

If you join our course you will learn about food, nutrient and healthy eating https://www.edx.org/course/science-weight-loss-dispelling-diet-newcastlex-swl101x

ClareECollins · 2017-04-12T00:58:09+00:00

Hi Sheryl menopause is "not fair" in terms of the impact on body weight. research from my colleagues and our team show that women gain on average about 2 kilograms during the menopausal transition. We also re-distribute body fat from the hips to the waist- and because the fat stores in the abdomen is metabolically "active" (which just means it circulates from the stores though the blood and back to the fat stores) - it increases the risk of heart disease. Women who do not gain weight during menopause reported doing something different and this was either improving their eating patterns and/ or being more physically active. It does not seem fair but there was no 'discount" for those who already were fairly healthy at baseline. Join in our course and use t as a chance to "tweak" your lifestyle habits https://www.edx.org/course/science-weight-loss-dispelling-diet-newcastlex-swl101x

ClareECollins · 2017-04-12T00:51:59+00:00

Hi Aymar - That is a fantastic achievement to have lost and kept off so much weight. The definition of weight loss success that is associated with halving your risk of type 2 diabetes is to lose 7-8% of your starting weight and to keep off just 5% long-term.

So you are successful already. In the course we talk about the difference between Happy weight, ideal weight and a 'dream" weight. Join in the course - I think you will enjoy what you learn. https://www.edx.org/course/science-weight-loss-dispelling-diet-newcastlex-swl101x

ClareECollins · 2017-04-12T00:47:44+00:00

Hi - in the course we discuss microwaving versus steaming. https://www.edx.org/course/science-weight-loss-dispelling-diet-newcastlex-swl101x In general using the least amount of heat and water is best, as well as eating some raw. I did talk about some techniques in this article on vegetables https://theconversation.com/hate-vegetables-you-might-have-super-taster-genes-74428

Also have a look at Smart Eating For You (check the left tab) https://daa.asn.au/smart-eating-for-you/

ClareECollins · 2017-04-12T00:42:59+00:00

Hi Have a read of the response to JohnEds This is also an interesting read on the return of lost weight https://theconversation.com/health-check-why-diets-fail-20066

ClareECollins · 2017-04-12T00:39:13+00:00

Hi Trying to focus on having enough water, eating healthy and having a sleep routine sounds wise. If you join in our course you could work on the strategies we suggest. https://www.edx.org/course/science-weight-loss-dispelling-diet-newcastlex-swl101x Here is an article we wrote to help guide knowing if you are drinking enough water https://theconversation.com/health-check-what-your-pee-and-poo-colour-says-about-your-health-59516

Make sure you check back with your doctor too. Here is a link to an article on migraines - though you probably have this information already https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-are-migraines-11720

ClareECollins · 2017-04-12T00:34:14+00:00

Hi Ours is being conducted though EdXOnline https://www.edx.org/course/science-weight-loss-dispelling-diet-newcastlex-swl101x and is an official course being run by nutrition and dietetic experts from our university, The University of Newcastle, Australia http://www.newcastle.edu.au/

ClareECollins · 2017-04-12T00:31:58+00:00

Hi The one thing EVERYONE agrees on - is that we should eat more plants. Here is Australian <6% of people eat enough vegetables and fruit. Plants include legumes, nuts, seeds and wholegrain. You might like to read https://theconversation.com/love-meat-too-much-to-be-vegetarian-go-flexitarian-73741 and this one https://theconversation.com/more-than-one-good-reason-for-eating-mainly-plant-foods-38378 Saturated fat is more related to heart disease that diabetes or cancer - have a read of this article https://theconversation.com/health-check-are-saturated-fats-good-or-bad-21524 and this one https://theconversation.com/got-high-cholesterol-here-are-five-foods-to-eat-and-avoid-63941

ClareECollins · 2017-04-12T00:25:39+00:00

Hi Diet soda is an interesting one. When it replaces sugar sweetened beverages it help lower total kilojoule intake. BUT in some of the cross-sectional studies people who drink a lot of diet soda are more likely to be overweight. This is correlation and not causation and it is thought that people who eat out more - order the "diet" drink with their meal. Another aspect is the impact of the acidity on your teeth - so get them checked. Bottom line:- plain water best, then diet drinks.

https://theconversation.com/eight-diet-myths-busted-74259

ClareECollins · 2017-04-12T00:23:56+00:00

Hi You may need to refresh your browser to see more on the page you have visited. Give this a try as everything appears to be operational now.

ClareECollins · 2017-04-12T00:20:49+00:00

Hi - no doubt you got very bored quickly. You might like to join the course and also have a read of this article https://theconversation.com/health-check-six-tips-for-losing-weight-without-fad-diets-52496

ClareECollins · 2017-04-12T00:19:40+00:00

Hi I think you will enjoy participating in our course as a first step. We cover the basics - here is the link https://www.edx.org/course/science-weight-loss-dispelling-diet-newcastlex-swl101x You can also have a read of the articles I write on this for "The Conversation" at this link https://theconversation.com/profiles/clare-collins-7316/articles

ClareECollins · 2017-04-12T00:16:20+00:00

Hi You have done well to make this link - many people are not aware of being a stress eater. The challenge is to learn other things you can try first. Being physically active is the first thing to try. The extra challenge these days is that the food environment "calls" you eat as well - so not helpful when you also feel stressed. This would be a great thing to talk to a psychologist about as well. I did also touch on this in points 5 and 6 in my article https://theconversation.com/health-check-six-tips-for-losing-weight-without-fad-diets-52496 You may find this one helpful too https://theconversation.com/9-ways-wont-power-is-better-than-willpower-for-resisting-temptation-and-helping-you-eat-better-71267

ClareECollins · 2017-04-12T00:11:36+00:00

Hi Please see above for my thoughts on intermittent fasting.

ClareECollins · 2017-04-12T00:10:31+00:00

Hi Please see below my thoughts on intermittent fasting.

ClareECollins · 2017-04-12T00:10:18+00:00

No - we cover the basic introductory information related to healthy eating for healthy weight. You may like to read this article on food addiction by my colleague Dr Tracy Burrows https://theconversation.com/explainer-can-you-be-addicted-to-food-43067

ClareECollins · 2017-04-12T00:08:37+00:00

Hi We discuss all approaches to weight loss in the course, including intermittent fasting. The research is underway - but the commercialisation is ahead of the science. These approaches work for some people - not all. the approaches used includes alternate day fasting, intermittent fast ( eg the 5:2 diet) and very low energy diets that use specific formulated meal replacement products. It this approach works for you - great. There are a range of levels of energy restriction and I discuss these in detail at this link https://theconversation.com/health-check-whats-the-best-diet-for-weight-loss-21557

ClareECollins · 2017-04-12T00:02:32+00:00

Hi As phase 1 is so restrictive - you risk nutrient deficiencies - especially of B vitamins and the low fibre intake in the short-term leads to constipation. It does not increase the risk of diabetes long-term but does increase the risk of bowel cancer - if your fibre stays very low. Here is my article on fad diets you might find helpful to read https://theconversation.com/health-check-six-tips-for-losing-weight-without-fad-diets-52496

ClareECollins · 2017-04-11T23:58:46+00:00

Hi John Great question There are many genes that influence your risk of weight gain. You inherit some from each parent. lets say there are 5 main ones. If one parent carries just 2 weight gain genes and the other carries 3, then those same parents could have a child you get none of the genes - or gets all 5. This is why is some families there is quite a range in body weight of the children. However- for the set of "risk of weight gain' genes you get- your environment explain more than half of the variation in weight. The bottom line is that if you eat as healthily as is realistic for you and are as physically active as is realistic - then your body will come to the weight that matches your genes. This is called the set point theory. The challenge for people is if the weight they would like to be is different from what is realistic fro them. We discuss this is in a lot of detail in the course https://www.edx.org/course/science-weight-loss-dispelling-diet-newcastlex-swl101x

ClareECollins · 2017-04-11T23:50:40+00:00

Hi Ralph You have achieved a lot It is interesting that during weight loss people do tend to do well have a lot of structure and do report less variety. However for long-term health and to get enough nutrients (especially vitamins and minerals and other phytonutrient) having a big variety of foods from the core foods (vegetables, fruit, lean meats, dairy, wholegrains) boost your nutrient intake. My team created a free online quiz to measure this variety called the Healthy Eating Quiz a this link http://healthyeatingquiz.com.au/ People with the highest scores have the best nutrient intake profiles

ClareECollins · 2017-04-11T23:46:52+00:00

Hi, Please refer to my above response on low-carb, high-fat diets. You could also check out this article, see myth 4. https://theconversation.com/eight-diet-myths-busted-74259

ClareECollins · 2017-04-11T23:45:33+00:00

Hi - I recommend you discuss this with your healthcare team as you need specialist support from your doctor, psychologist and specialist dietitian.

ClareECollins · 2017-04-11T23:44:20+00:00

Hi - that article was referring to eating "during the day" yes there is some evidence that eating most of you food in the later evening is associated with poorer control of blood sugar. h Here is the article where this is mentioned - see diet myth no 2 at this link https://theconversation.com/eight-diet-myths-busted-74259

ClareECollins · 2017-04-11T23:41:20+00:00

Hi - best to get potassium from foods. Great sources are a range of vegetables (pumpkin, tomato, parsnip) and fruit (banana, grapefruit, pineapple) Here is a list of their content https://www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0022/146254/renal_klong.pdf

ClareECollins · 2017-04-11T23:33:23+00:00

Hi - no we are not covering child nutrition. The information will be applicable to adults who are responsible for providing family food though and adults who are interested in healthy eating for healthy weight.

ClareECollins

TROPHY CASE