Anita, 46, has just published Slim Secrets, which gives a straight-talking and safe diet based on scientific fact from her 18 years of experience.

“Many diets make wild promises but the usual rule of thumb is that the wilder the claim the less likely it is to work. Any diet is going to work in the short term because you are going to eat fewer calories, but often the proposed eating plan is not sustainable,” The Daily Express quoted her, as saying.

Slim Secrets, Anita’s 20th book on nutrition, addresses the psychology and emotions behind dieting which she feels is the main barrier to long term weight loss.

“Before you begin working out whether you are going to have broccoli or a chocolate cookie, the starting point of any diet has to be sorting out your emotions. You have to start taking control, not only of your eating but also your whole lifestyle,” she says.

She admits this “all sounds a bit serious,” but adds “the reason why many women have weight issues is because they haven’t got control over what they are eating.”

“Food becomes tangled up with negative beliefs about yourself and your past. It’s got to be a long-term process. If as a child you were hurt or upset and given sweets you might associate food as a reward or use it to hide emotions. I am not talking about heavy-duty psychology here, it’s about getting people to be honest with themselves and face up to what they are doing,” she added.

Anita offers simple techniques to help you decide which foods to eat and which should be treats. She says there is no need to cut out major food groups such as dairy or carbohydrates if you pay attention to the calorie density of what you eat.

Anita’s simple tips for a slimmer future are:

Keep a food mood diary — Write down everything you eat and drink for a week and how you felt before and after you ate. Soon you’ll see a pattern and identify what makes you eat when you’re not hungry.

De-stress — Emotional eating doesn’t actually reduce stress levels. Although you may experience the initial enjoyment of the food in your mouth, your negative feelings don’t go away. The best way to deal with stress is to exercise. Go for a walk, swim or enjoy a yoga session.

Don’t buy it — One of the best things you can do is not buy the foods you binge on. Don’t bring them into your house. If snacks aren’t available you will automatically discover something else to do to change the way you’re feeling.

Plan ahead — If you know you’ve got a stressful time coming up then plan your food strategy to help you cope better. Plan what healthy meals and snacks you’re going to eat and keep all others out of sight.

Scientists have debunked the biggest health myths that have existed until now, reports The Mirror.
The myths and truths are:

1. Myth: Eating carbs makes you fat

Truth: According to the Food Standards Agency, starchy foods only become fattening when actual fat, such as cream or margarine, is added. Carbs contain less than half the calories of fat and tend to be more filling — making you less likely to overeat.

2. Myth: You need to drink eight glasses of water a day

Truth: Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania found not a single study to back this up. Excessive amounts of water can actually be dangerous, even fatal. Most people only need 750 ml to one litre and can get this from juice, tea, coffee… or beer.

3. Myth: The flu jab can give you flu

Truth: The flu jab isn”t a live vaccine so it can”t infect you with the virus. People make this mistake because the jab is usually given in autumn — peak time for cold viruses. And if they go on to get a minor cold they misinterpret it as flu.

4. Myth: I’m fat because I have slow metabolism

Truth: A recent study by the University of Chicago revealed that fat people have faster metabolisms and burn off more calories as energy than slimmer people.

5. Myth: Pregnant women should eat for two

Truth: Two out of five women admit to believing this myth, according to SMA Nutrition. But they only need an extra 200 calories a day — equal to two slices of bread — and even then, only in the last three months.

6. Myth: Vitamins make you live longer

Truth: Popping ”antioxidant” vitamins such as C, A and E won”t extend your life, concluded one study last year. They may even lead to a premature death

7. Myth: Chocolate gives you spots

Truth: Acne is caused by the effects of hormones on sebaceous oil glands in the skin. This is why it particularly affects teenagers and can also be increased by stress. So chocolate won’t make a difference.

8. Myth: Sugar makes kids hyperactive

Truth: Sugar does not cause hyperactive behaviour. Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis reviewed 12 trials and was unable to detect any effect. Scientists found when parents think their child have had a sugary drink they rate behaviour as hyperactive — so it may be all in the mind.

9. Myth: Sit-ups shift a pot belly

“Even 100 sit-ups a day will do nothing to get rid of the layer of fat on your tummy, only cardiovascular exercise — the type that gets you out of breath — can shift body fat,” said fitness expert Nicola Botton.

10. Myth: When you sneeze, your heart stops

Truth: When you sneeze the pressure in your chest increases as you inhale and drops when you exhale, so your heart rate is affected, but it keeps beating. Yet a survey by esure found two million motorists have had an accident, near miss or lost control as a result of sneezing while at the wheel.

Penny Gordon-Larsen, PhD, an associate professor of nutrition, and Natalie The, a nutrition doctoral student, both with the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, found people face the following risks of becoming obese, compared to people in romantic relationships who are not living together:

Married women and men — both more than twice as likely to become obese.

Women living with a romantic partner — 63 percent increased risk.

Men living with a romantic partner — no increased risk.

The findings will be published next month in the journal Obesity.

“We’re trying to find out some of the reasons why this might be happening,” The said.

“There are a number of health benefits to marriage, including decreased cigarette smoking and lower mortality. But we also see greater weight gain than in others of the same age, and greater risk of obesity,” she added.

“A number of studies have shown that teens tend to put on weight as they become young adults,” Gordon-Larsen said. “This is a time when people are facing significant changes in their lives. Marriage and cohabitation present even bigger changes than single people face. Maybe the cause of weight gain is not just age, but the pressure of shifting behaviours that result in weight gain.”

According to Gordon-Larsen, when people are living together — married or not — they tend to share behaviours and activity patterns. They may chose to eat meals together, possibly cooking bigger meals or eating out more often than they did when they were single, and may watch TV together instead of going to the gym or playing a sport.

Gordon-Larsen said that in subsequent interviews with both romantic partners, they found that couples who lived together for more than two years (especially those who were married) were most likely to display similar weight/ obesity patterns and physical activity behaviours.

“If this is a time of shifting behaviours, and of influencing each other, then maybe it’s a good time to intervene with these young couples and get them to have a more positive effect on each other,” Gordon-Larsen said. “Maybe they can exercise together or cook healthy meals together. People who are married or who are living together tend to share behaviours. Couples can use that phenomenon to their advantage if they’re aware of what’s going on.”

“When people are married, or living together, they can offer each other social support for healthy behaviours and a healthy environment,” Gordon-Larsen said. “They can be good influences on each other. That may be how they can avoid the extra pounds now associated with marriage.”

1. If a label says fat-free, it usually means it has 0 calories.

When a label reads ‘fat-free’, it just means that a fat substitute has been used, not that it is low in calories! Usually, fat-free foods are high in sugar calories and maybe even in sodium. Beware: Fat free = 0 calories is too good to be true.

2. If I skip a meal or two, I will lose weight.

Quite the opposite, in fact. Skipping meals can make you put on weight because:

• It results in a slowing of your metabolism.
• Your body begins to believe that you are going into starvation mode, so that it body converts all the food you eat into fat.
• When you do eat, you begin to overindulge or binge on junk foods instead.

Light meals at frequent intervals are your best option — and never, ever skip breakfast.

3. Say NO to nuts, bananas and milk if you want to lose weight.

The issue is with quantity. If you stick to the correct portions, these foods can easily be included as healthy foods for a weight loss diet.

Yes, nuts, bananas and milk are dense in energy but rich in nutrients (vitamins, minerals, proteins and essential fats necessary for growth and development). If losing weight is the concern, stick to these portions — 6-8 almonds (45 calories), 4 walnut halves (45 calories), 10-16 pistachios (45 calories), 1 extra small (4 oz) banana (60 calories) and 1 glass of low-fat milk (100 calories).

4. The best way to control diabetes is by avoiding all starch and sugar/ carbs.

No. The best way to control diabetes is by keeping blood sugar levels under control.

Most foods have carbs in them, so does that mean a diabetic stops eating everything? The best way to control diabetes is by eating a diet rich in complex carbs such as whole cereals (oats, whole wheat, ragi, bajra, jowar, masoor and rye), whole pulses, legumes, fruit and vegetables in recommended portions and at specific intervals.

5. Avoid oranges and other kinds of citrus fruit when you have a cold, as these are cold foods.

Just because someone you know may be sensitive to citrus fruit when ill, it doesn’t mean you are sensitive too. In fact, citrus fruit is high in Vitamin C and is known to help stave off a cold.

There is no such thing as a cold food or a hot food, just as there is no such thing as good food or bad food. One should heed one’s own body signals and respond to them accordingly. Our immune system reacts to a particular food when we have a cold, cough, fever, the runs or sneezes only if it is sensitive to them.

6. 100 percent fruit juice is a healthy substitute for fruit.

None of the commercially available fruit juices have 100 percent fruit content. The majority of these prepared fruit juices contain not more than 10 percent fruit.

For example, a serving (4oz) of apple juice has approximately 15g carbs (sugar), and 0.5g fiber, whereas a small (about 100g) fresh, crunchy, juicy apple has 15 g carbs, and 2.4g fibre.

7. Pregnancy means eating for two.

You’re putting me on! Eating for two does not mean eating twice the quantity. For your baby to be born healthy, you only need to consume an additional 300 calories at the most, daily (and that too only in the 2nd and 3rd trimester). If you gain unnecessary weight during your pregnancy, you may have a difficult labour and will have to work much harder to drop all those pounds post delivery.

During pregnancy, the need for essential vitamins and minerals is only slightly increased. Make your calories count by choosing nutrient-rich foods and essential fatty acids like DHA (decosahexanoic acid) and arachidonic acid that are vital for the development of your baby’s brain and vision.

8. If you drink enough milk throughout your pregnancy, your child will be born with a fair complexion.

Come on! Do you think if you drink chocolate milk your child will be chocolate-coloured, or if you drink strawberry milk your child will be pink? Adequate milk intake (2-3 cups of milk and milk products) will help meet both the mother and child’s essential calcium and protein requirements.

Skin colouring is genetically driven, not milk driven!

9. Pure ghee or even full fat milk should be given to children for overall health and growth.

All children below the age of 1 year can take full fat milk and ghee, since fat is required for brain development. However, after they are 2 years old, 2 percent milk is safe if the child is eating healthy otherwise. Ghee can be included sparingly as part of a child’s healthy diet if s/he is within the normal weight range. Parents must realise that these foods are rich in saturated fats and can pose the risk of childhood obesity, leading to adult obesity and even future health complications.

10. A plump child is a healthy child, but a skinny yet active child is unhealthy.

A plump child may not necessarily be healthy, and may be at risk of developing chronic illnesses. On the other hand a skinny child that is very active, eats a balanced diet and is not prone to getting ill can be considered ideally healthy.

In this day and age of information technology and the savvy consumer, we must use common sense over myth. We know what’s best for our bodies in terms of nutrition, so go for what your gut says is medically sound and not otherwise.

As with any weight loss plan, you will need to couple this with an exercise routine which is equally easy to follow

Your diet:

A good weight-loss diet is one which helps you drop kilos while improving your overall health. This food plan will make sure you never go hungry or even feel like you are on a diet. Things you need to be particular about are following the plan closely and maintaining regular, fixed meal times every day, because erratic eating causes the body to store fat.

Breakfast:

• A bowl of cereal (of your choice, except sugar-coated varieties) with skimmed milk
• Egg whites (boiled or poached)
• Wholegrain toast with a low-fat spread
• Fruit or fruit juice
• Tea or coffee with skimmed milk and a sugar substitute (optional)

Mid-morning snack:

• Handful of nuts
• Glass of water with lemon OR green tea

Lunch:

• Rotis
• Vegetables lightly cooked in olive oil
• Dal
• Salad OR a wholegrain sandwich with low-fat filling, eg: veggies with chutney or hummus, egg with low-fat mayo etc.

Evening Snack:

• Fruit OR idlis OR khakras
• Tea/ coffee with skimmed milk and a sugar substitute (optional)

Dinner:

• It is extremely important to eat your dinner at least 3 hours before you lie down in bed, in order to prevent fat storage:
  Soup
• Salad with a low fat dressing
• Lightly cooked chicken/ fish/ lentils

Drink plenty of water through the day. Have a glass between every meal and two glasses before, during and after exercise.

If you find yourself craving chocolate, wafers or any such sinful foods, you have two options:
a. Go for a low-fat version of it or,
b. Have just one bite of it to satisfy the urge.
But make sure you don’t do this more than once a week!

Your exercise routine:

Simply put, your body needs to burn more calories than it is consuming in order to lose weight. So while your diet takes care of not adding on unnecessary calories, exercise takes charge of burning the accumulated calories/ fat.

Here’s a very simple exercise to help you burn off the kilos: Walking! You need to walk 5-6 days a week for a duration of 45 minutes. Start off with a 7-minute warm-up of walking at a medium pace. For the next 30 minutes, walk at a fast pace and maintain that pace through the 30 minutes (work hard!). Bring the pace down to medium again for the last 7 minutes and then to slow for the last minute. Make sure you walk on a jogging track or any even surface and wear proper walking shoes. Increase the walking pace each week. You could even start jogging.Constantly pushing yourself will help you see good results.

Be persevering

Every individual’s body reacts differently and some people lose weight faster than others. So if you don’t see the results you’d hoped for un two months, don’t give up. It just means that your body will take a bit longer, but you will get the figure you’ve always wanted, so keep at it!