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Week 2

Welcome to week 2 of the BTF weight loss and wellbeing programme.

You can read our experts’ advice, tips and suggestions by following the links to this week’s articles below. You can also find the following to support you:

  • Expert advice - learn more about thyroid disease and weight management from our medical and other experts
  • Patient stories – find out how other thyroid patients have managed to successfully lose weight and improve their wellbeing
  • Webinars – if you would like to take part in our information webinars in week 3 and week 8 you can register free of charge now by clicking here
  • Community - share your weight loss journey with others taking part in our programme by joining our closed Facebook group

Dieting and how to choose a diet

We have previously looked at expectations, motivation and setting goals. So this week we will be discussing ways in which you can lose weight.

Using a food diary or an app will help you track your current dietary intake and physical activity levels. This is a good way to measure where you are at now. It will help you identify your goals and the areas of your life you would like to change, as well as to acknowledge things you are doing well already.

You have probably eavesdropped on conversations, or had ones yourself, about losing weight which often go something like ’I need to go on a diet!’ Even though the word ‘diet’ literally means ‘what we eat yet’, we usually associate it with ‘weight loss’ and the wealth of different diets that are out there.

So, which diet do we choose?

  • Low carbohydrate
  • Ketogenic
  • Liquid/meal replacement
  • A low calorie or very low calorie diet
  • Fasting
  • Low fat/sugar diet
  • Commercial slimming clubs

Each of these types of diet has a range of approaches that are generally aimed at promoting weight loss via some form of restriction either through reduced calorie intake or by cutting out certain foods or food groups. But whatever the diet, the principle behind weight loss remains the same;

Less energy in (from food) and more energy out (from exercise).

But as we progress through this programme, we’ll see it’s not that simple.

Most of the diets you will come across will all have their pros and cons. There are too many diets to go through them all here, however, we can make some generalisations. One benefit is that they tell us what to do, i.e. they have rules to follow, and the majority of them are likely to work for most people aiming to lose weight. Not all of us, but some people like being told what to do. With our busy lives, having a regime to follow takes the stress out of weight loss. Another advantage of these diets is that they can promote an initial rapid weight loss, due to an often-restrictive nature, which for some of us will help with motivation.

One criticism of these diets, however, is whether they are realistic to continue long-term. Cost is one factor as they can be expensive. Another is that they can be difficult to follow when we are out for social occasions.

Evidence shows that most of us who follow a low carbohydrate diet will, on the whole, revert back to previous dietary habits after a year. There are always exceptions, however, and some people do manage to follow for example, a low carbohydrate diet, and successfully maintain it long term.

Long term lifestyle changes

So some good advice would be, if you embark on this type of diet, before you begin, think about what you will do once you finish the diet. If you go back to what you were doing before, it is likely you will regain the weight you’ve lost. If you relied on ready meals and takeaway foods prior to starting a liquid replacement diet, what will you do when you finish? Do you need to improve your cooking skills to move away from takeaways/ready meals? Perhaps you need to plan more around shopping and mealtimes to cook healthier meals? Or do you need to allow more time for cooking in the evenings or take lunch into work with you? It will really help you to think about the answers to these questions before you start to lose weight.

It is also important to remember that if you are considering following a new diet and have any concerns about your own health, you should check with your doctor that it will be safe for you.

So the question on everyone’s lips: ‘When do I start?’ That’s up to you. Typically people will start on a Monday. Alternatively you could start now. Is there anything stopping you from starting to make the changes you want to make now?

What is goal setting and how can it change our behaviour?

Setting goals can help us become more active, more effectively. In fact, over recent years it has become more evident that setting yourself the right goals can often be a more effective way to increase activity levels than setting very prescriptive targets. SMART goals offer a tried and tested method of goal setting. These are purposeful and systematic in the way they help us improve our health. At the same time, they help us to keep our new-found healthy behaviours under our own control.

SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. Setting ourselves goals in this way can help us change our behaviour over time. A typical SMART goal would be to walk briskly for 30 minutes, five times per week for the next month. This has a specific activity, it is measurable through minutes per week, the goal is achievable as it starts with a walk and allows room for progression into jogging or running. The goal is also realistic as walking can be achieved by most people and ultimately it is timely as it’s for 150 minutes per week.

Setting goals like these is a useful step to improving our health in a way that is personalised to what we want to achieve and what’s realistic for us. Why not start setting your own goals from today as we seek to improve our health?

Why does the type of physical activity we do matter?

The type of physical activity we do does matter, but not in the way that we might think. It is not necessarily because some exercises or activities are better than others.

Whether we have been active previously at the gym, have pursued a sport in the past or want to try out something new, it is these activities we need to focus on. Enjoyment is so important: we are far more likely to stick at a sport, physical activity, or new exercise regime if we enjoy it. Enjoyment comes in many forms, for example you may enjoy the movements in a dance activity like tap or ballet, or you may enjoy the social aspect of your local hockey or boxercise club. When we enjoy something and are interested in it, we are far more likely to perform that activity long-term and in this case improve our health as we pursue it over time.

What is the relationship between being physically active and weight loss?

This is a common question and an effective answer to it must come from the correct perspective. Ultimately, we should never become more active or exercise with the sole aim of losing weight, as this can lead to an unhealthy relationship with exercise or physical activity. And this can cause more problems than it solves. Being active is always a good thing to do and is certain to bring vital health benefits. These benefits will occur before we see any tangible weight loss and it is so important that we are mindful of this as we become more active.

If we are overweight or obese, aiming to lose weight toward a healthier BMI (Body Mass Index) is a noble aim and one that will improve our health, but this needs to be done sustainably and under the guidance of evidence-based advice. Ultimately, positive weight management will always be achieved more effectively when we are combining a good exercise or physical activity plan with sound, evidence-based and sustainable changes to the way we eat. For information and guidance about eating a healthy and balanced diet please see the NHS Eat Well website.

What if I am too fatigued to exercise?

Fatigue can be a very debilitating symptom of thyroid disorders. Indeed it can be hard enough just to complete daily activities, let alone perform exercise or physical activity. However, all physical activity counts and is never bad for us, only good. In fact it is even more vital that we spend time being active as we live with thyroid disorders.

If we feel able to, we should take small steps to increase our daily activity levels, and this could be in 15, 10 or even 5-minute chunks. Our chosen activity might be a brisk walk, a walk around the garden or doing a comfortable pace on a home exercise bike; these all count and accumulate towards the 150-minute per week recommendation. It is about taking our time and finding ways to be active that work for us and these will vary for everyone. Ultimately we are all individuals and we need to find what works best for us.

Watch

Chartered psychologist, Dr Sue Jackson talks about some of the biggest challenges for weight loss and the importance of planning. Sue also discusses:

  • How to manage when things get a bit difficult
  • Make some additional plans to help you through the challenging times
  • Have a plan for when the weather is bad
  • Seasonal food and meal planning
  • Eating healthily and moving more doesn’t need to cost much
Week 1 info Week 3 info