Weight-loss tips experts wish you knew

Joanne Turner, accredited practising nutritionist and exercise physiologist:

• Don't overestimate how many kilojoules you’ll burn off with exercise. It takes 27 hours of exercise to burn off 1kg of fat.
• Set health standards for yourself. You wouldn't leave the house wearing dirty clothes, so why not set some standards for your health, such as only eating cake for birthdays.

Professor Garry Egger, author of Planet Obesity (Allen & Unwin), director of the Centre for Health Promotion and Research

• Missing out on breakfast can make you fat. Breakfast is usually low-fat (toast, unsweetened breakfast cereals, fruit) and therefore low in kilojoules. It can kick-start your metabolism, but without it you tend to eat more for the rest of the day.
• Keep a check on social eating. People eat more when they eat with others. Social eating leads to less inhibition, and a US study found a correlation between obesity levels and the number of meals eaten at restaurants, irrespective of the food.

Melanie McGrice, dietitian, specialising in weight management and metabolic diseases

• Meet your calcium requirements. Calcium has been found to spur fat loss. Eating enough appears to stifle the desire to eat more, while not eating enough seems to spur food intake. Include three serves of low-fat dairy products (or fortified soy milk) in your diet every day.
• Don't ignore hunger pangs. They’re caused by ghrelin, the hormone that makes us feel hungry approximately four to five hours after our last meal. Ignoring them can cause you to binge later.

For more weight loss tips and much more, pick up the April issue of Good Health magazine or subscribe at magshop.co.nz.