Do you have a healthy and balanced diet?
Keeping track of the calories we eat is a hard task and scientists have discovered that 75 per cent us underestimate just how many we are actually consuming and that our weight is influenced by 100 factors.
They also found that as few as 5 per cent of British adults seem to meet physical activity guidelines.
Independent research commissioned by the government shows there are more than 100 internal and external influencing factors that can be involved in weight gain or weight loss.
Based on this research scientists at the British Nutrition Foundation have published a new guide - ‘Small Changes: Big Gains’. The guide gives examples of small changes you can make in eating and exercise behaviour to counteract the negative influencing factors and take advantage of the positive motivating factors.
Findings from this report, as well as findings of scientific studies from behaviour change experts, are being discussed in London as health professionals and academics gather for the British Nutrition Foundation’s 45th anniversary conference.
The conference will see experts discuss and debate how to encourage positive behaviour change in eating and lifestyle habits, with obesity statistics showing almost two thirds of British adults are either overweight or obese.
The BNF has categorised key factors identified by research into seven broad groups: social, psychological, food and drink intake, physical activity, our environment, physiology and the media.
The factors include everything from how fast we eat, to social isolation, the temperature of our homes, the jobs we do, access to green space and a positive or negative self image.
Researchers have also looked at the national survey of our diets and found that about 75% of us underestimate how many calories we consume, on average, actual calorie intake is likely to be 25% higher than estimated.
This figure is higher in overweight and obese people than in lean people increasing to over 30% higher in the obese.
Self-reported activity figures suggest that 39% of men and 29% of women met physical activity guidelines, however if measured independently this fell to 6% of men and 4% of women.
Losing weight and keeping it off is not easy, but the BNF suggest that by making positive changes to a number of the different factors they identified, people can increase their chances of success. Those who successfully lose weight form a cluster of new habits over time and settle into a new “lifestyle groove” that helps them to stay on track, maintain their weight loss and prevent weight regain.
