7 Diet Sins

Personal trainer Brian Keane on how to nail your weight loss goals.

Brian Keane

Do you think you’re doing everything right on your weight loss journey, yet don’t see the results you want? In 99 per cent of cases, I normally find one or several of the issues below are the culprit. I call them the Seven Deadly Diet Sins.

These are the areas of nutrition you need to keep a close eye on – your blind spots – things you may not even be aware you are doing, which are consciously or subconsciously hindering your weight loss goal.

Time and time again, I have worked with women who are convinced they are doing all the right things when it comes to lowering body fat; however, once we go through the list below, there is always at least that one thing that is obstructing their progress. The extreme examples of why you cannot lose weight are often self-evident: if you eat several Chinese takeaways every week or drink two litres of full-sugar soda every day, it is pretty obvious where the change needs to occur.

But what if you don’t do these things?

The Seven Deadly Diet Sins are things that people forget to do or are unaware they are doing (either consciously or subconsciously), which leads to them consuming extra calories throughout the day.

1>> Thou shalt not fool thyself with treats

Do you sit down every night with a biscuit and a cup of tea? You have eaten well all day, hit your daily step count or went to the gym, and this is your treat time. One biscuit would not set you back, right? About 40–100kcal, depending on the biscuit, is factored into your plan and still keeps you in the calorie deficit plan for the day. Great. Enjoy. But is it really only one biscuit that you are eating, or did you have two or three? Perhaps you allowed yourself two or three but have actually had five or six instead. Again, I am not asking you not to enjoy your favourite foods, far from it, but too many calories is too many calories. Also, biscuits, chocolates and savoury or sweet foods are very easy to overeat. If you’re planning on having two biscuits every evening, then eat two biscuits and put the packet away; or, you can eat the entire packet if you want to, just make sure you realign expectations. If you have eaten half a packet or a full packet of biscuits, then it is unlikely that your body fat is going to reduce in the coming days. As long as you are not fooling yourself, I am okay with whatever choice you make.

2>> Thou shalt not pick food off­ thy kid’s plate (or thy partner’s plate or anyone else’s plate)

I cannot really talk in this matter as I am terrible for picking oven-baked chips off my daughter’s plate. My solution to this is to make sure I have my own food in front of me when she is eating.

Again, do not be fooled by ‘the calories on my plate are the only calories that count’ – your body does not care if they are from your plate, your child’s plate or from the moon. Too many calories are too many calories.

3>> Thou shalt not forget to count alcoholic or liquid calories

Counting alcoholic or liquid calories is obvious to most of us. However, the amount normally surprises people. An average can of full-sugar soda has about 140kcals and three glasses of wine is about 250kcals.

Also, liquid calories are very easy to overconsume so be mindful of the quantity in your drinks.

4>> Thou shalt not disregard that portion size matters (extra food = extra calories, regardless of how healthy or ‘clean’ it is)

Too many calories are too many calories, whether it is from takeaway and chocolate or chicken and broccoli. So, your portion size matters. Being aware of this is normally enough for most people; however, you can try this simple food swap alternative.

Instead of loading up on complex carbs such as rice and potatoes at lunch or dinner time, keep those portion sizes to the palm of your hand and then load up on veggies to keep the calorie count lower. The fibre keep you feeling fuller for longer and the micronutrient profi le of vegetables are great for overall health and energy levels.

5>> Thou shalt not over-restrict then binge (the ‘but I’ve eaten well all week’ fallacy)

You can have calorie deficit meals Monday to Friday and then binge with too many calories at the weekend. ‑ is will still lead to fat gain if it equates to an overall calorie surplus at the end of the week.

Not only does this damage and strain your relationship with food but it is also a terrible strategy for long-term weight loss.

6>> Thou shalt not have unhealthy snacks alongside healthy meals

Another problem I encounter a lot is a person who eats a high- quality breakfast, lunch and dinner, but then snacks on rubbish throughout the day. Again, this one is relatively easy to recognise, but it’s normally wrapped up in the story of “I eat well most of the time” – usually followed by “... but I eat a lot of rubbish as well”. Again, I am not asking you to avoid these foods. But if you are snacking on chocolates, packets of crisps and biscuits in between meals, you either need to reduce your calorie intake elsewhere or switch up some of your snacks. Generally, switching out sweets for fruit or savoury food for nuts can be a nice transition point for most.

7>> Thou shalt not forget why thou are doing it in the first place

The Keane Edge by Brian Keane is published by Gill Books and is out now, €16.99

The other six sins feed into this one. Picking chips off your partner’s plate or grabbing a chocolate bar at lunchtime is going to be tempting if you have no reason not to do it. Make sure you are clear on your reason for wanting to reduce body fat, lose weight or look better. ‑ at is your anchor for avoiding the other six sins.

Potato Milk?

Yup, it’s a thing now. It’s “the diluted starches from potato”, explains Sophie Medlin, dietitian and founder of City Dietitians (citydietitians.co.uk).

“It looks like milk because of the starchy nature of the potatoes, but it is actually just starchy water with some stabilisers.”

On its own, Medlin says “there are no benefits to drinking potato milk” – what you need to find is a product that’s been “fortified with calcium, vitamin D, B vitamins and iron”.

Plant-based nutritionist Rohini Bajekal (plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com) also says fortified milks are beneficial in being “low in saturated fat and allergen-friendly”.

So how does it compare to other milks?

While Medlin calls cow’s milk a “power player” in the nutrition stakes, Bajekal suggests it’s “unnecessary within a healthy balanced diet” – but potatoes might not come out on top in the plant-based world. When Medlin is talking to clients about plant milks, she says: “I generally favour fortified soya milk for its amino acid profile or a nut-based milk, as they contain more protein compared to milks made from starches like rice, oats and potatoes.”

Bajekal is a big fan of soya alternatives, saying: “Unlike potato milk, soya milk is also far higher in protein.”

The environmental benefits

Swedish brand DUG (dugdrinks.com) is bringing potato milk to the masses, and it says there are a whole lot of environmental benefits to the drink.

DUG suggests its potato milk has a 75 per cent lower climate footprint than dairy milk – and it’s not just coming for cow’s milk, but other dairy-free alternatives as well. It says growing potatoes is “twice as efficient as growing oats in terms of land use”, while also using 56 times less water to grow compared to almonds.

It’s ultimately pretty easy to make your own potato milk if you want to try it. All you have to do is boil potatoes until so and then blend with water until you have the right consistency. At this point you can add flavourings or a sweetener as desired.

To create a milky texture, simply strain through a muslin cloth.

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