Six steps to weight-loss success

Bestselling author Dr Nick Fuller is here to sort the wheat from the chaff when it comes to fads and diets.

‘Whatever your reason for picking up this book, it is the first step to lifelong change. Scientists have shown that 66 is the magic number of days it takes to ditch a bad habit – so, your first 66 days will be the hardest, but it’s worth it, I promise.’ writes Fuller in the introduction to Interval Weight Loss for Women.

In the passage below he outlines the six key principles of the Interval Weight Loss plan that will help you take back control of your body – and stop the yo-yo dieting for good.

THE SIX PRINCIPLES OF THE INTERVAL WEIGHT-LOSS PLAN
We know that weight loss is not just about the food we eat or the exercise we do. Obesity and weight gain are multifactorial, complex problems, and they are extremely challenging to address. Weight loss is also about how we measure success, how we prevent emotional and comfort eating, as well as how we structure and organise our day-to-day life, and simple but important things like how much sleep we get and how to let go of stressors in life. The IWL plan will equip you with all these skills and see you prioritise your health and put into action a new approach that is sustainable for the rest of your life.

The six principles
You need to carry these with you everywhere (metaphorically) and they need to become engrained in your psychology... Remember, the underlying foundation of the IWL plan is that it ensures that you overcome the biological protections and evolutionary barriers to weight loss. It will also ensure you find a new passion for food, exercise and a lifestyle that you didn’t think you could have.

The first principle: You can’t fight evolution
You will impose weight-loss breaks every second month to allow your body to recalibrate at its new lowered set point along the way. This prevents your body fighting itself and ensures that it welcomes its lowered weight.

The second principle: Reach for nature first
You will learn how to retrain your brain to rely on nature’s treats. These are foods found in their natural state, which release the same pleasure response in the brain as processed and fast food.

The third principle: Full rainbow
You will eat more food than you are used to with the focus on including a variety of foods and filling your plate with vegetables first. No foods are eliminated on the IWL plan.

The fourth principle: Use chopsticks
You will be required to sit down at the dinner table and use chopsticks of an evening because it will force you to eat more slowly. (If you are already proficient with them, this won’t slow you down. Instead, use a teaspoon.) You will also be required to make breakfast your biggest meal of the day and dinner your smallest while also ensuring you eat regularly.

The fifth principle: Choose to move
You will be required to seek opportunistic exercise by incorporating activity into your daily routine. You will also focus on exercise variety and getting your ‘sweat on’ during the weight-loss months.

The sixth principle: No blue light after twilight
You will be required to turn off all technology after dusk and eliminate all forms of technology from the bedroom. The evening time will be used to constructively work on your to-do list or hobbies.