Times nutritionist Amanda Ursell answers your questions about diet

I started my diet in January and have successfully lost weight. However, for the past two weeks I seem to stayed at the same weight, even though I am eating sensibly and exercising, too. Help!

Felicity P, Pippa C

This is really common while losing weight, so don't panic. As you lose weight your body is getting smaller and so it gradually needs slightly less fuel (calories) to keep it going; rather like a Mini needing less fuel than a Rolls-Royce. You may need to eat slightly fewer calories or do a little more physical exercise to get the weight moving again. It is also well worth jotting down everything that you are eating and drinking for three days to check that little extras haven't crept back in or that portion sizes have not started to edge their way up. The most important thing is to stay calm and focus on your long-term goal, accepting that the dietary and exercise changes you are making are for life, not just while shedding the pounds.

I am reducing the amount of meat and animal products in my diet but don't want to live on nuts or pulses. How else can I include protein in my diet?

Ruth B

Other good foods for protein include mycoproteins and tofu. Mycoproteins are produced by fungi. The most well known is Quorn, which is made from Fusarium graminosum. It is suitable for vegetarians but not vegans because the harvested Quorn is mixed with a bit of egg white. It is low in fat and relatively high in fibre and is good for zinc. It is, however, low in iron found in meat and egg yolks, dark poultry meat and oily fish. Tofu and tempeh are both made from soya bean (the latter is fermented) and while I understand that you don't want to live on pulses, these foods while made from a pulse, don't look or taste like one given that they are processed. If you are giving up animal foods, be really sure that you are getting sufficient iron. About 40 per cent of women in the UK get too little of this crucial mineral and this triggers low moods, tiredness and irritability plus a lack of concentration. It is worth considering taking a multivitamin and mineral supplement containing 14mg of iron to ensure that intakes do not dip while making your dietary changes.

Does it matter if you eat more carbs than protein and vice versa at certain times of the day if you want to maintain a healthy weight, or if you eat just carbs for the evening meal, are they more likely to be converted to fat?

Carol S

The short answer is “no”, it doesn't matter. It is the total calories that you consume over not just one 24-hour period, but weeks and months that helps you to control your weight. That said, eating slightly more protein at lunchtime is likely to help keep you feeling alert in the afternoon, while eating a bit more carbohydrate at dinnertime can help you to feel more relaxed and sleepy and may give you a better night's sleep. Check out my Q and A on eating at night and weight gain for a bit more information on this subject.

We're always told to eat five fruit and veg a day; why don't potatoes count towards this figure?

Tom W

Although potatoes are pretty good for vitamin C, nutritionally they are classed as a starchy food alongside bread, pasta and rice. I suppose there is some sense to this because it makes way for other vegetables such as dark green leafy ones, tomatoes, aubergines, mushrooms and so on, which are good not just for vitamins and minerals but a variety of supernutrients as well.

The Department of Health arrived at the “5 a day” message, which excluded potatoes, based on research which indicates that increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables can significantly reduce the risk of many chronic diseases. It has been estimated that eating at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day (which amounts to about 400g in total) could reduce the risk of death from chronic conditions such as heart disease, stroke and cancer by up to 20 per cent. Research also links a good intake of fruit and vegetables to delays in the development of cataracts, asthma and diabetes.

When I am doing long-distance running I often feel faint. What's the best food to eat beforehand that won't make me feel sick?

Rebecca W

You need to have something which gives you quickly digested carbohydrate but is low in fibre and bulk as well as being low in fat since high-fat foods are digested slowly and will “sit” in your stomach and could make you feel nauseus. Good suggestions are things such as a banana on toast or as a sandwich, some digestive biscuits, a cereal bar or a handful of dried fruit which you have 5-20 minutes before running.

Research suggests that your performance can be improved when a carbohydrate-rich meal is eaten 3-4 hours before prolonged exercise (such as long-distance running). For example, you could have baked beans on toast or with a baked potato, or a bowl of bran flakes with milk followed by the snacks listed above much closer to your run.

The key is that both your meal and snack should not cause any discomfort or feelings of bloating. Choices vary between people so it is a little bit down to trial and error. Remember that you should always also be well hydrated before you run.

I have lost 15lb in seven weeks but am about to go on holiday. Any suggestions as to how I can enjoy my time off without feeling deprived?

Hannah R

Well done on your weight loss. This is a tricky one. Ultimately a good goal when losing weight is to try to eat foods that you enjoy and which will maintain your weight loss for good so that you don't have a “high days and holidays” approach to eating and you really love your food all year round wherever you are. In reality, however, holidays can throw people off course. Probably the best advice is to try to eat the same kind of breakfasts and lunches as normal and then treat yourself with a little extra in the evenings. If you try to be a bit more active while away, this will help things to balance out and help you to maintain your weight while away rather than piling on half a stone or more. If you do gain a bit, however, just pick up where you left off before going away and the extra pounds will rapidly be lost again.

When on a diet I find it very difficult to shift the fat on my stomach; do you have any suggestions?

Amanda

It has always been the mantra of nutritionists to say that you can't “spot reduce” fat on any part of your body, including your stomach. But I have just read some new research which suggests that eating wholegrain carbohydrates as opposed to refined ones (wholemeal bread not white; brown rice and pasta not white) as part of your weight-reducing diet helps to shift stomach fat. There is also a small amount of evidence suggesting that the type of calcium in milk (use skimmed) has a similar effect but it is not hugely conclusive. It also appears that people who are stressed tend to lay more fat on their stomachs because of the hormonal changes that occur in our bodies when under constant pressure. Trying to de-stress may, therefore, help in any attempt to shift stomach fat, along with a good diet and being physically active.

The vending machine at work stocks only chocolate and crisps. Do you have any suggestions for healthy snacks that will satisfy me when I am famished? I often work very long hours.

Liv S

Eating low-GI carbohydrates with some protein (for example, multigrain toast with eggs or a bowl of porridge and milk for breakfast; a tuna-stuffed pitta or a bowl of bean-filled soup with rye bread at lunch) at every meal will to balance your blood-sugar levels throughout the day and help you to feel less peckish between meals. In turn, this should help to make the snacks in the vending machine seem less appealing. Planning ahead is key to not falling prey to its lure. It's a good strategy to always have healthy snacks to hand to tuck into as an alternative. Fruit and yoghurts are good options.

Psychologists predict that it takes about two months to break old habits, so be aware that you will probably feel the lure of the vending machine for quite a while, which means that you will have to consciously decide not to go near it for eight weeks. Eventually you should be able to pass by the dreaded machine and not feel the need to feed it with coins to retrieve its unhealthy contents.

If I am trying to lose weight, is it better to eat lots of small meals throughout the day or only three times a day?

Emma V

It depends on what you feel most comfortable with. It is the total calories that you consume over an extended period of months and years that determines your weight. Whether you eat five small meals or three meals with a couple of snacks in between or, indeed, just three straight meals will not make a big difference to your overall weight. Eating slowly digested carbohydrates at each meal with some protein and plenty of vegetables and fruits is a good way of ensuring that your blood-sugar levels are steady and stable during the day so that you feel satisfied and stable both physically and mentally whichever pattern of eating you plump for.

I am going skiing next week. As I am going to be exercising all day, can I get away with indulging myself with wine and cheese without putting on masses of weight?

Adam

Well, you will certainly burn up plenty of calories when skiing although the amount depends on what kind of skier you are. If you go hell for leather as a “vigourous downhiller” you can expect to burn at least 544 calories an hour. If you prefer a more moderate approach, you can burn about 400 calories an hour. If you just saunter about on the slopes, your calorie burn drops to about 340 an hour. Obviously you will have time on ski lifts and so on ,but you can certainly expect to burn 1,000 calories a day, which means that a bit of extra wine (90 calories per 125ml glass) and some of your favourite cheese (208 calories per 50g chunk) shouldn't cause huge weight gain. The activity that burns most calories is cross-country skiing. You can easily burn off 600 calories an hour and, of course, you don't stop for chair lifts, so the total burn over a days' activity is sky-high, which means that you could get away with a few cheese fondues.