Choice magazine has found that online weight plans are set up to fail

People who sign up to an online weight loss program may find the only thing that gets lighter is their wallet, a Choice survey says.

Choice put five of Australia's most popular online diets to the test but found many were not only expensive but unrealistic.

The Ashy Bines Bikini Body Challenge, SureSlim, Weight Watchers and The Biggest Loser Club - which demand fees of up to $83 a week - were all put to the test.

But many eating plans were not based on scientific evidence, were overcomplicated and did not fit with a healthy, balanced diet.

In the Ashy Bines program, the listed nutritionist isn't even a registered dietician, Choice says.

"For the amount of money you're spending, you'd be better off seeing your GP or an accredited dietician," Choice spokeswoman Kate Browne said.

Many online diets champion "crash weightloss" instead of long-term health, she said.

The Michelle Bridges program, costing $199 for 12 weeks, fared best, but the survey noted customers might not be able to keep up with the prescribed exercise regime without a personal trainer of their own.

Source: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/2013/10/10/09/56/online-weight-plans-set-up-to-fail-choice

What to do?

If you need help losing weight, you should consider the individualised advice of a dietitian who can recommend things specific to you and your needs.

For more information or to book your appointment with Rachel Haddow, our Registered Dietitian please contact us today.

Clayfield Ph 3862 4544

Sandgate 3269 1122

What is GI? What has it and What is Best for You?

What is the Glycaemic Index?

The glycaemic index (GI) is a ranking based system that helps us understand how quickly dietary carbohydrates are digested and absorbed by the gut. The GI ranks foods from 0-100 according to how high blood glucose levels rise after consumption. Foods which are HIGH GI are rapidly digested and absorbed. This results in large fluctuations in blood glucose levels. LOW GI foods are digested and absorbed much slower and hence have lesser impact on blood glucose fluctuations.

Do ALL foods have a GI?

The GI measures how carbohydrates in a food affect blood glucose levels. Therefore some foods do not have a GI. These include beef, chicken, tofu, eggs, cheese, nuts, seeds, avocados, many vegetables and some fruit.

Why Eat Low GI?

Studies have shown LOW GI foods help to increase energy levels, control appetite, as well as reduce cholesterol absorption, insulin levels and insulin resistance.

Are ALL LOW GI foods good for you?

The answer is NO. Similarly, not ALL High GI foods are bad for you. Take a look at the following list of foods, there may be a few surprises. Foods that are Low GI may still be low in fibre and high in fat and sugar (eg snickers bar) and High GI foods may be low in fat and sugar and high in fibre! The addition of fat to carbohydrate foods lowers the GI, as the body takes longer to breakdown fat compared to carbohydrates. 

Therefore it is important to use common sense and consider how healthy the food is and make the best decision.

If you need more information about GI and how it can affect your specific general health, please book your appointment with Rachel Haddow today.

More info about: Rachel Haddow Accredited Dietitian and Sports Nutritionist.

Clayfield 3862 4544

Sandgate 3269 1122

Source: http://www.glycemicindex.com/

If You Have One of the Following Conditions a Dietitian Can Help You?

Accredited Practising Dietitians (APD) are university qualified nutrition specialists that understand the science of food and the body.

Dietitians must have a minimum of 4 years study and are trained to understand the latest scientific evidence for food, its nutrients and how they affect your health.

Who Do Dietitians Regularly Help?

Dietitians can help guide people on a group or individual basis, constructing meal plans, give guidance on how food may prevent and improve a number of conditions such as:

• Chronic diseases: heart disease, diabetes (type 1 or type 2)
• Insulin resistance or pre-diabetes
• Cancer
• Healthy and individual weight loss
• Renal disease
• Allergies and food intolerances (eg coeliac disease, lactose intolerance)
• Digestive issues (eg irritable bowel, reflux, hiatus hernia, diverticulitis)
• Elite sports performance
• General health and wellbeing
• Specialised nutrition for the elderly

What is usually involved in a Consultation with a Dietitian?

1. A discussion about your personal situation and goals.

2. Body composition measurements – weight, height, waist, BMI, skinfolds.

3. Dietary assessment of your current nutritional intake.

4. Education about any medical conditions that you have, and how food may relate to it.

5. Detailed and easy to understand nutrition education.

6. Dietary recommendations provided to allow you to achieve your health goals.

7. Lots of written resources provided – education and recommendation summaries, healthy meal, snack and drink ideas, healthy recipes, etc.

8. Answers to any of your nutrition related questions.


What to do?

If you feel that you'd benefit from a consultation with our Dietitian, Rachel Haddow, she's only a phone call away.

Clayfield 3862 4544
Sandgate 3269 1122

More info about Rachel Haddow

How Can You Easily Check How Much Water to Consume Post-Exercise?

Weighing yourself on the scales at home is a very useful tool for you to keep track of important benchmarks such as rehydration.

By simply using a set of scales to weigh yourself,  you can measure and help improve your hydration, post-exercise recovery and overall performance.

Hydration can be directly measured using some bathroom scales. 

Here's an example:

1. On the day of a game or training session, weigh yourself as close as you can to your start time (for example: if your game starts at 8am, weigh yourself just before you leave the house or if you have a set of scales at your club, do it there).
2. Play your game or do your training as you normally would, drinking fluids as per normal.
3. When you finish, weigh yourself again (it’s a good idea to use the same set of scales)
4. As an example if you are 1kg lighter than when you started, this means you need to drink 1L of water to ensure you are properly rehydrated.

By doing this regularly and ensuring you follow through on consuming enough water, you will be taking great care of your individual recovery process.

If we take care of recovery we are more than likely going to improve performance and put ourselves in the best possible position when game day arrives.

If you'd like more sports nutrition advice specific to your needs, book your appointment with our Sports Dietitian Rachel Haddow.

Clayfield 38624544
Sandgate 32691122