CAN I HAVE SUGAR, FAT OR ALCOHOL ON A DIET?

Many well-known facts about how we should behave ourselves on a diet are far from fact. There are many delusions that people believe in but they are not true - sit down while you eat, cut out the carbs, sugar is the enemy - and many other stories.

The main aim of a diet is to eat fewer calories than you need to maintain your current weight. For most of us who want to lose weight permanently, we should go on a diet or eating plan that is nutritionally sound, tasty and not based on a single or limited range of foods.

A realistic diet will not restrict certain foods or ingredients (especially our favourite ones) like fat, sugar and alcohol across the board, as this will only make you feel deprived. For many people, an eating plan that does not allow the occasional treat is a short-lived one. Besides, if you severely restrict your calories while dieting, then once you stop the diet and begin to eat these foods again (and it is inevitable), you will likely gain the weight back. This is because your metabolism slowed during the diet and you won’t be able to efficiently burn the amount of calories you’re now consuming.

Because many people find they can stick to a long-term diet if they are allowed the odd sugary ‘treats’, many successful weight loss programmes, such as Weight Watchers, allow sweets. If you have a sweet tooth or drink alcohol regularly, the most effective way to reduce your intake is to phase out these items gradually. This might mean cutting down on ‘visible sugar,’ such as the pure kind you put in tea or coffee. For alcohol, it might mean alternating alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic ones.