Forget the fads and ‘Take 10 in 2010’ – that’s the message from the nutrition experts this Australia’s Healthy Weight Week.

Lauren Smith, Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) at Geraldton Hospital, said the week is a wake-up call for the many dieters who adopt radical and unproven weight loss programs – only to gain more weight. And the call comes on the back of the Federal Government’s Preventative Health Taskforce report which has called for better regulation of the multi-million dollar diet industry.

Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) research reveals that of those Australians trying to lose weight, more than one in five are following a potentially dangerous diet from a book or magazine and only 16 per cent are seeking professional advice from a qualified APD.

‘Making small changes that fit with your lifestyle offers the best chance of losing weight and keeping it off,’ according to Ms Smith. She said that people who lose weight using drastic short-term measures are at a high risk of weight regain, unless they follow through with some permanent lifestyle changes, that they can live with.

‘Seeking professional advice from an APD who has the skills and expertise to take a person’s past weight loss experience, both successes and failures, into account and develop a personalised lifestyle plan that works for the long-term will give people their best chance of success,’ said Ms Smith. 

To get people started this Australia’s Healthy Weight Week, Ms Smith has selected her top 10 tips for weight loss success:

1. Eat breakfast
2. Include vegetables or salad with lunch and dinner
3. Choose fruit as a snack
4. Replace full fat food and drinks with reduced fat alternatives
5. Choose wholegrain foods instead of more refined foods
6. Eat smaller serving sizes by using smaller plates  and cups
7. Eat slowly and stop when you are satisfied not stuffed full
8. Eat when you genuinely feel hungry rather than for emotional or other reasons
9. Swap sweetened beverages such as cordial, soft drink and juice with water
10. Eat your evening meals at a dinner table with the TV turned off.

For more information about Australia’s Healthy Weight Week including more ways to ‘Take 10 in 2010’ visit www.healthyweightweek.com.au

For further information or to organise an interview, contact Lauren Smith (APD) or Rebecca Sparrowhawk at Geraldton Hospital on 9956 2204