Questions & Answers with Dr Ian Campbell

Dr Ian Campbell (advisor for ITV’s UK’s Biggest Loser) and founder of the National Obesity Forum talks about the importance of portion control.

What Do I Do?

I’m a GP and specialist in weight management. My work is about helping my patients with all kinds of common medical problems, but also dealing with the underlying cause of so many chronic diseases: overweight and obesity.

What expertise do I have?

I’ve spent my career trying to treat the whole patient, not just isolated symptoms. I view obesity as a lifestyle induced but serious medical problem. In addition to helping my patients change their lifestyle I work with the psychologically to try and alter their relationship with food, and often themselves. I have lots of experience using medication to aid weight loss, but see lifestyle change, supported by environmental change at a local and national level as the key factor if we are to help people lose weight, and keep it off.

What do people most struggle with?

Consistency. We are all looking for a quick fix, but it doesn’t exist. Crash diets fail, and dieters are soon demoralised. But it’s hard to keep going when the results of your efforts are only one or two pounds of weight loss each week. Many people give-up too easily. One lapse often leads to a relapse, then complete collapse.

What advice do I give?

Think long term, at least a year. Set small reasonable, achievable goals, and reset them if they’re too difficult. Make time to do the things that are most important to you, and that includes time to be more active. It’s almost impossible to maintain weight loss if you haven’t kept up with increased activity

What question do I get asked most?

Most people want to know if there’s an underlying medical reason for their weight. I can do various tests to check, but the reality is that for the vast majority the answer is no. Many of us are genetically more likely to be heavier, but some weight loss is almost always possible by making the right lifestyle changes

Why is it important to be a healthy weight?

Even carrying a few kilogrammes more than we need can increase our risk of raised blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. There’s good evidence that losing just 5% of our body weight, maybe 3-5kg, can dramatically decrease that risk again and make you feel more energetic. Losing weight is never easy though; it’s better if you can prevent gaining weight in the first place

What one thing will I change this year?

One year ago I set out to exercise regularly. It’s been difficult with work and family commitments, but I feel so much better for it. Next year I want to continue to build on that and make it more consistent. While I know it’s improving my health for the future it’s still the immediate effects of fitness, stress relief and losing inches around my waist loss that keep me going!

Dr Ian Campbell’s Role at The Diet Plate ®

Ian joined The Diet Plate® team when he was appointed as Medical Director in 2007.

As an independent obesity expert he was always impressed by the simplicity, and versatility of The Diet Plate® when working with his patients. The opportunity to be involved in making The Diet Plate® a national success story was too good to refuse.

Inspired by recent publications proving the effectiveness of The Diet Plate® in achieving both weight loss and improved health, Ian continues to provide medical advice to the company, is a spokesman for the press, and is involved in developing other key weight loss products.

Background Information

A medical practitioner, Ian has become well known in the media for his specialist knowledge of obesity, and his direct and sensible approach to life.

He is a full time GP and prominent campaigner for the prevention and treatment of obesity. Ian is a specialist at the Overweight Clinic, University Hospital, Nottingham, and founder and the first President of the National Obesity Forum. He is now the Honorary Medical Director of the leading charity “Weight Concern”, winners of the Best New Charity of the Year Award in 2002 – a charity which works to address both the physical and psychological health needs of overweight people.

He is an advisor on nutrition and obesity to numerous UK and international organisations, including the government, and is frequently invited to comment on wide-ranging medical matters for the media, where he provides clear, concise medical advice. He is a tireless campaigner for reforms to the NHS and can be found leading campaigns and lecturing worldwide.

Ian appears regularly on television – he presented “A Matter of Fat” for Carlton, and played an important role as Medical Consultant for the BBC 1 series “Fat Nation” and ITV’s “Fat Chance”. He appeared in “The Indestructibles” on BBC 3, in “Tonight with Trevor McDonald” for ITV and “Bodyshock” on Channel 4 – a startling programme about the world’s biggest boy in Russia.

He is regularly asked for his comments on all the news programmes, is Carlton TV’s resident doctor in the Midlands, and has made guest appearances on many other programmes across all networks. On radio he contributes both nationally and locally.

In addition to producing articles for the medical press, national newspapers frequently seek Ian’s opinion, and he has written for many of them. His first book is “Obesity: Your Questions Answered” and he has contributed and written forewords to many others on the subject of obesity.

Ian was born in Scotland, graduated from Glasgow University and now lives in Nottinghamshire. When not at work he retains a passion for rock music, theatre, has a keen interest in cooking good food (great food can be healthy!), sport, and long walks with his dog in the countryside.

Energy balance is the difference between the energy used and the energy consumed each day. The energy used and consumed does not need to balance exactly each day however a bit too much every day will lead to weight gain over time.

• The same amount of energy in and energy out over time = weight maintenance 
• More energy in than out over time = weight gain
• More out than in over time = weight loss

Energy is used by the body for metabolism, physical activity and a small amount is used to process food. For most people, metabolism makes the largest contribution to energy output (60-70%). Here are some basic facts about metabolism;

• Controlled by the hormonal and nervous system
• Muscle is more metabolically active than fat
• Extremely restrictive diets reduce the rate of metabolism

Energy intake is the total kilojoules consumed from food and drink. The only energy providing nutrients are fat, carbohydrates and protein; alcohol also contains energy but does not provide any nutrients. Each provides a varying amount of energy as described below

The Energy-Providing Nutrients

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates provide the body with glucose which is an important fuel for the body. Foods that contain carbohydrates include bread, breakfast cereals, rice, pasta, legumes, corn, potato, fruit, milk, yoghurt, sugar, biscuits, cakes, lollies and sweet drinks.
Foods containing carbohydrate can be ranked on a scale called the Glycemic Index (GI).  Foods are given a value based on the rate they release their glucose into the blood stream. A carbohydrate food with a high GI is broken down quickly giving a fast and high blood glucose response and low GI foods are broken down more slowly giving a slower, sustained blood glucose response. Choosing mostly low GI foods can help to control blood sugars and appetite. Look for the low GI symbol on food packages.

Fats

Fat have several important roles in the body , they are a very concentrated source of energy and the trick is to include enough to provide health benefits without having too much which may slow down weight loss.  It doesn’t take much to get the fats you need for good health, people trying to lose weight should aim for approximately 30-55g of fat per day.  Foods contain a combination of three major types of fats, saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated
Saturated fat contributes to the risk of heart disease by raising blood cholesterol levels. These fats are commonly found in many animal products and include the fat in meats, full fat dairy products, cheese, cream, butter and many biscuits and pastries.
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated are healthy fats and should make up the majority of dietary fat, they come from foods such as: vegetable oils such as olive, canola and peanut, avocado, nuts, seeds, fish, seafood, vegetable oils

Protein

Protein is an essential nutrient with multiple functions in the body. When carbohydrates and fats are unable to meet the body’s energy needs, proteins can be broken down and used as a source of emergency energy.

Protein requirements are approximately 0.75-1g/kg of weight. So a 70kg person would need 52-70g protein per day. Dietary sources of protein include meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, nuts and seeds, legumes, soy products.

The challenge when choosing protein foods is to avoid those that are also high in fat, particularly saturated fat. For example, a sausage may have almost the same amount of fat as protein and peanut butter has almost twice the amount of fat as protein. Remember to choose low fat dairy products and lean meats to keep a low intake of saturated fats.

Alcohol

Cutting down or eliminating alcohol can significantly reduce your total energy intake. Alcohol contains approximately 27 Kilojoules per gram and offers very few nutrients. A standard drink contains 10g of pure alcohol; the Australian alcohol guidelines recommend 1 standard drink per day for women and 2 standard drinks for men. Serving sizes are commonly larger than one standard drink with 1 glass of wine often equating to 1.5 standard drinks and a stubbie of beer 1.4 standard drinks.  A bottle of wine can contain more than 2000Kj. Check the label to monitor how many standard drinks you are having or measure your wine glasses to make sure you are not having too much.
Alcohol can also increase your hunger, slow down the rate at which you burn fat; and too much acts as a depressant. Alcohol can also leave you feeling hung over and unmotivated to exercise.
To cut down alcohol try the following:

• Reduce the amount of alcohol and top up with mineral water
• Increase your alcohol free days
• Try low alcohol alternatives
• Drink slowly, sip instead of gulping
• Don’t allow your drink to be topped up

If you cannot stop or reduce alcohol intake by yourself, your GP may be able to help with medications or referral to a counseling service.

Energy balance with the diet plate

The Diet Plate allows you to include the correct proportion of each of the above groups allowing you to lose or maintain your weight while providing your body with the vitamins, minerals and energy to function properly. Remember, very restrictive diets that completely eliminate any of the above groups or over restrict energy intake, can slow down your metabolism and be very difficult to sustain, often leading to weight regain. The Diet Plate is an easy way to help you get the nutrition you need to lose weight and stay healthy.

Dr Sue Pedersen is a leading Canadian endocrinologist, best known for her research in obesity management. Her research covers a range of treatment options for diabetes and obesity including medications, surgery and portion control. In 2007 Dr Pederson conducted the world’s first trial using a portion control plate and bowl to see if it could help people lose weight. Dr Pederson chose to use The Diet Plate in her study because of its accuracy, visual appeal and it is easy to use.

The study looked at the effectiveness of The Diet Plate to help obese people with Type 2 diabetes lose weight. Patients were recruited from a diabetes clinic where they were receiving the standards care provided by the clinic. Half of the group a received calibrated dinner plate and cereal bowl and the other half did not receive any treatment outside their usual care. 122 patients completed the six month study.

The group using the plate and bowl was 4 times more likely to lose 5% of their body weight compared to those not using the products. It is widely accepted that an overweight person who loses 5% of their body weight significantly reduces their risk of diabetes and of dying form chronic disease. The study also found people using the plates were more likely to decrease their diabetes medication while those in the control group were more likely to increase their medication. “The tendency of T2DM is to get worse with time, as insulin resistance worsens, and the ability of the pancreas to combat this resistance wears with time. So, we were seeing the typical progress of diabetes in the control group, but the plate system was able to put a halt to the progress of diabetes in many of these people, and even to reverse it and improve it in many! This is a powerful testament to the efficacy of portion control.” Says Dr Pederson

The Diet Plate is currently the only portion control plate that has been found to be effective in a randomised, clinical trial.

The study was funded by the Stewart Diabetes Education Fund, a non–industry based trust fund for diabetes research.

Welcome to The Diet Plate Weight Management System. Not only can you lose weight on The Diet Plate but it can also be used to maintain your goal weight. Kay Illingworth invented the plate over ten years ago, at the time it was for her own personal use. “Counting calories, points or fat grams and denial of carbohydrates was not for me – I like good food! I needed something tangible and simple to use, rather than weighing out everything. This is where the maths behind the portion measurements comes into play. We all eat off a plate and so it made real sense to me to lose weight using one that was just a bit special and pretty ingenious. I wanted something attractive that would not separate me from my family. I wanted to cook my favourite recipes and just incorporate healthy living into my life. This is one of those products that does exactly what it says on the label. Just trust the measurements and discover a slimmer, fitter, healthier you.”
So if you hate to diet, love what you cook and want to eat with your family without being made to feel different. If you want a non-invasive, non-clinical method of controlling your weight and can’t be bothered to count calories and points, deny yourself food groups or get weighed in every week, then delve further into our site to learn about portion control made easier by The Diet Plate!
The Diet Plate Australia have a team of professionals ready to assist you in your weight loss journey. We will continue to provide further information for you from our medical team and dietitian but if you have any other particular questions please contact our experts at info@thedietplate.com.au or by filling out our contact form.
The Diet Plate Australia Team.