If you look back wistfully on those days pre-children when your body was toned, you barely had to think about losing weight and when you did, you had the time and freedom to carefully plan a well-balanced diet or do some exercise, then you are like many mothers across the country, who after they have finished the breast feeding stage of nurturing their children, find it near impossible to lose their desired weight. Whether it’s picking at your children’s leftover dinner or finding yourself and your diet at the bottom of your list of priorities, there are countless reasons why mums are struggling with weight loss.

Every year millions of mums embark on countless quick-fix weight loss regimes, usually touted as the answer to all their prayers by celebrities and ‘weightloss gurus’ alike.

Ultimately though, these fad diets don’t work and in fact, can actually lead to weight gain when we start eating normally again.

So what’s the answer to long term and healthy weight loss as a mother? How can we manage to balance bringing up children with effectively losing weight while maintaining the energy needed to look after our family?

Is there really a secret to success, or is permanent weight loss actually simple and straightforward once you have the right support and attitude?

Log on to our web TV show where we will hear from Tony Ferguson, a qualified pharmacist,now renowned for his own successful weight loss plan in Australia after watching women struggle for years. Also on the couch will be a health professional.

Tony Ferguson and a health professional join us live online to discuss yo-yo dieting.

H: Lis Speight, host

A: Sue Baic, nutritionist

B: Michelle Kidd, working mum

C: Tony Ferguson, Tony Ferguson Weight Loss programme

H: Welcome to another edition of the Parenting Show, I’m Lis Speight. Every year millions of mums embark on countless quick fix weight loss regimes, after they’ve finished the breastfeeding stage of nurturing their children, in an attempt to get back to their desired weight. Whether it’s picking at your children’s leftover dinner of finding yourself and your diet at the bottom of your list of priorities, there are countless reasons why mums are struggling with weight loss. Coming up in our show today: we talk about the healthier approach to weight loss, we hear from someone who knows just how successful this programme is and we’ll be answering all of your questions live. Well our guests in the studio today are Sue Baic from the British Dieticians Association, Michelle Kidd, a mother who successfully dealt with her own weight issues, and Tony Ferguson, a qualified pharmacist who created the most successful weight loss programme in his native Australia. Welcome to you all, really nice to see you. Looking so healthy and slim and well. Now remember this is a live show so if you have any questions or comments for any of our guests please use the box on our screen, click send and it’ll come through to us here in the studio and we’ll try to get through as many as we can. And if you’re Tweeting whilst watching the show please use the #StudiotalkkTV and we’ll try and give you a mention. Right well let’s get cracking Sue by asking you a little bit first about why it’s so difficult to get back to our desired weight after childbirth – we pile it on don’t we when we’re pregnant, and then there’s just so much else to do isn’t there, weight loss is at the bottom of our list

A: Well yes part of the problem, you hit the nail on the head, was that piling it on because actually if you’re already slightly overweight at the start of the pregnancy, the ideal weight gain for your pregnancy is probably less than the two stone we would recommend for somebody who’s normal weight to start with

H: Right

A: So it might be worth talking to your midwife if you are overweight at the start of your pregnancy about what would be a sensible maximum weight to reach, because it’s very interesting research shows that we only need 200 calories a day, which isn’t very much, extra when we’re pregnant

H: Wow

A: And only for the last trimester, so the last 3 months of the pregnancy. So this idea of eating for two is a complete myth, we really don’t need to be doing that. So it’s actually quite small increases in food that we need to lay down some of the fat stores and to build up the milk for breastfeeding. So it’s a bit of a myth about the eating for two

H: But after you’ve had the baby it’s very difficult to lose that weight. I was told oh breastfeed it will just fall off – no, it didn’t at all. I was starving all the time!

B: Yes well obviously the important thing to do if you’re going to give the baby the best s tart in life is to make sure you’re fit and well when you’re breastfeeding. Once the breastfeeding has finished, then is a good time to really start thinking about how you’re going to tackle it. And again the weight hasn’t gone on overnight in pregnancy so don’t expect it to come off overnight. A realistic rate of weight loss is very important. I think it’s very difficult as well if you’ve got a new baby to actually do some of the things like you know maybe cook from scratch. So look at a range of approaches that might suit you. Is it that a programme that uses meal replacements might be convenient for you short term or would joining a group help? I think it’s about looking at what there are – what the options there are out there for you, and not be too hard on yourself because obviously it’s a major life change having the baby, and that’s the priority

H: Now Michelle you know that, you are looking fabulous, I have to say, you really are

B: Thank you

H: Tell us a little bit about your story then – where did it all start?

B: I guess I started if you go back to me being a teenager and early 20s, I didn’t ever have any problems with my weight, but then I had some – a couple of children in my mid 20s and after that I really struggled to get rid of the weight that I’d gained during my pregnancy. I did try a lot of other diets, a lot of different options that were out there, and I did have quite a lot of success with those, so I got back to where I wanted to be, but unfortunately I then thought I was there, came off the programme and gained the weight again, so it wasn’t really until I found Tony’s programme that I really started to learn that I needed to change the way I ate, and that’s the thing that’s keeping the weight off for me.

H: So what were the main stumbling blocks that you found then when you were trying to lose weight?

B: I think the difficulties with having two small children were that I was constantly cooking for them and making food and they were asking for things during the day, and particularly sweet things and that type of thing, I would buy those things and have them in the house, and then I would snack on them, so that old adage of finishing plates off and that kind of thing – I was sucked in to that and you know ate a lot of things that maybe I shouldn’t have eaten

H: Yes

B: so that’s probably the biggest challenge, whereas now because the children are a little bit older, you know I’m getting them to eat the types of food that I eat, which are much more healthy so hopefully they don’t get into the same boat as me later on

H: Yes, so it’s life habits really isn’t it? So Tony tell us a little bit about your weight loss programme. It’s been very successful in Australia hasn’t it? Tell us a little bit about it

C: Well it’s based on eating low glycaemic index food, I mean we also use meal replacements but they’re only a trigger to open a window for you and the rest of it’s up to education, and that’s what our programme is all about, it’s advice, and we try and get people to come in on a weekly basis, wear the same clothes, wear the same shoes, and we’ll weigh you every week and we’ll give you a pat on the wrist if you’ve been naughty, and we’ll give you a pat on the back if you’ve been good. And that’s what it’s all about, advice

H: So talking about low glycaemic foods then, what sort of things are we talking about?

C: We’re talking green leafy vegetables, like I love cauliflower; I should be the cauliflower captain

H: Cauliflower king

C: I can only recommend the green leafy vegetables because I know that they will fast forward your weight loss, they put your body into overdrive and you actually have to increase your metabolism to digest green leaf, so it’s good for you. And we also recommend good quality fruit and we also recommend steak or fish or chicken, good quality protein. In other words keep everything low GI and stay away from processed flour products like donuts, pizza, cakes, mud cake, cheese cake – all those foods are going to bring you undone, and that’s called yo-yo dieting, going back to the shopping set of food again

H: Ok so you’ve obviously had a lot of success in Australia, we tend to think of Australians as being slim, trim, running through the surf in their bikinis but obviously it’s not like that is it?

C: It is not like that

H: Australia’s got its weight problems as well

C: We’re actually the donut capital of the world. They launched the big donuts in Australia

H: Well there you are, so we’re all a bit guilty of it aren’t we. Well if you’re having problems losing weight and keeping it off then stay with us because we’ll have lots more tips for you on how to keep slim and trim and healthy.

Break

H: Well if you’ve just joined us we are live and interactive today so if you have any questions for our guests on how to get back to your desired weight after childbirth then send them in now, and we’ll be answering your questions later in the programme. Tony talking a little bit more about busy mums then, they’ve got a lot on their plate haven’t they ,busy mums? How does your programme fit into working women’s lives, to sort of new mums lives? Is it an easy thing to follow?

C: Well it’s not rocket science Lis. What it espouses, as I said the low GI of food and kids really do love green leafy vegetables once you introduce them to the green leaf. But most kids that we came across when we first started, they didn’t know what a green leaf vegetable looked like. They just lived on fast food most of the time, and as recently as just about a month ago, I came across a guy who’d never eaten a green leaf vegetable and he was an adult, believe me, I couldn’t understand it at all

H: So it’s re-education then isn’t it, a lot of it?

C: Yes

H: And what about treats then, are we still allowed treats? Are we allowed a glass of wine now and again?

C: I especially recommend South Australian Shiraz! I should be the ambassador for South Australian Shiraz because it’s actually good for you. It’s got an anti-oxidant in it which prevents cancer and it tastes great

H: So we are allowed the odd treat now and again, just as long as we don’t have 3 bottles in one sitting! So Michelle coming back to you, how did you find it as a busy mum, sticking to this programme? How did it work for you?

B: I found it quite easy really because the programme’s based on meal replacements so a couple of the meals a day I was having a shake or a meal bar, and then only having to cook in the evening, so actually it was a lot easier than some of the other diets that I’ve tried, so I’d been into Boots and the advisor there kind of talked me through what I needed to do, so I felt really well-equipped when I got home to just kind of start it. The biggest thing for me was that I wasn’t cooking 3 different meals in the evening, so like my children were able to eat the same as I was making

H: Oh excellent

B: Because it was healthy, it was protein, it was vegetables, so they actually got to have a really well balanced meal, but it was a healthy meal that they enjoyed and was really interesting as well so you know it made life a bit easier for me in the long run

H: And what about snacking?

B: Well snacking was – obviously Tony talked then about cauliflower. One of the big things that I snacked on was – out of the recipe book there was some cauliflower popcorn

H: Wow

B: So that was something I could eat in the evening

H: That sounds revolting

B: It tastes a lot better than it sounds! And I think the other thing was being prepared, so I had a lot of fruit and vegetables that I could pick at when I was at home, you know have those prepared in the fridge so it didn’t have to be boring and dull, it was more about changing the way I shopped more than anything else

H: Yes. Well it’s obviously worked because you look fantastic

B: Thank you

H: Coming back to Sue, what are the important things to avoid when you’re dieting then? We hear sort of worrying stories of women eating grapefruit for a week or turning to diet pills. That’s not going to be good for you is it?

A: No I think there are some key pitfalls to avoid, so any diet that says you have to cut out a whole food group or that you have to base your entire diet on one food, like cabbage soup is a good example, basically our bodies are designed to need a wide range of nutrients so if you aren’t eating a wide range of foods, you’re not likely to be getting a balanced diet. So any diet needs to be based on sound, healthy eating principles that are going to support your health in other ways. So as I say try and avoid anything that sounds too good to be true, because it probably is, or promises a quick fix. Or doesn’t appear to be based on healthy eating principles. Those are the keys

H: Right. And exercise I suppose as well we’ve got to have our exercise as well haven’t we?

A: Yes, yes. I mean it’s a really important – it’s not – it’s not going to be the end of the world if you can’t exercise, you’ll still be able to lose weight, but it’s very useful for lots of people to help speed up the weight loss a little bit. And also actually the evidence shows that keeping off the weight loss is when exercise is particularly important.

H: Ok. Well perhaps the biggest issue for most of us is once we get to that weight how do we actually sustain it, which is what Michelle was talking about. How do we stop the pounds creeping back on Tony? How does your programme help in the long term?

C: By staying away from the high glycaemic index foods, if you can stay away from the processed white flour, that’s what my main pet hate is in Australia

H: Right

C: Anyway. The bread, the whiter the bread – we tell kids – the whiter the bread the sooner I’m dead!

H: Love it

C: And we try and encourage the primary kids especially to go home and tell mum to buy the m the grain bread because it’s sustained release, it stays longer in your blood stream, you feel fuller and you don’t need to keep eating white bread all the time, so –

H: Yes. And do you feel better Michelle now you’re on this diet? Have you got more energy?

B: Yes, loads, loads more energy yes. I think before I was very prone to go to bed at 10 o’clock at night, as soon as the kids were in bed I would go to bed. I’m a lot more energetic, I do a lot more things now, and I’m not a big exerciser you know, I don’t have the time to exercise, but I will try and kind of walk that little bit further, walk to you know park the car further away, those kind of – little things that help. And you know I still have some of those naughty things, I just have them in moderation now so I don’t, you know I don’t have a whole cake, I’ll have a slice

H: Yes exactly it’s retraining your brain, retraining your stomach – Sue would you agree with that?

A: Yes I think so. I think it’s important to look at not just what we eat but how we eat, so eating more slowly, making time to have a meal, it sounds like you’re doing all those sorts of things which is brilliant. So actually taking time to enjoy a meal and eat slowly and share it with the family. Your brain and your stomach can the register that you’ve had something to eat rather than just grabbing something on the hoof and then you’re hungry you know half an hour later. So it is, it is looking around the behaviours around what we – how we eat as well as what we eat

H: And how are our kids faring then, because they learn a lot in school and we all know that they should be having 5 a day and what have you, but we still have this obesity problem don’t we? I mean do you think kids know about it, they just – don’t want to do it?

A: I think portion sizes of a lot of food that’s aimed at kids is way too high, and that’s something that we need to readdress is look at what’s a realistic portion and are we encouraging our kids to overeat, especially on the high fat, high sugar foods that Tony was talking about just now

H: Okey doke, well let’s have a look at some of your questions because we’ve had quite a few in, everyone’s dieting in the summer, we need to get into our bikinis don’t we for holidays? Let’s have a look at a question from John in Peterborough. He says “my wife’s always on some diet or another. None of them seem to work” – oh dear – “and the rest of the family has to put up with whatever food fad she’s on at the time. How can we get back to normal meal times and proper food?” I think that might be one for Tony

C: I could answer John simply by saying go to steak, go to fish, go to chicken. So have good quality protein and lots of green leafy vegetables and you will never put weight back on. And that applies to the whole family

H: Yes

C: The whole family can enjoy that sort of food and have good quality fruit as well

H: So you can have fruit in between meals, as much fruit as you like really?

C: Not as much as you like, but within limitations but it’s a good snack, fruit is a good snack

H: Yes better to have a banana than a chocolate bar in your bag

C: Correct

H: And it keeps you full for longer as well doesn’t it?

C: The important thing is Lis not to beat yourself up, so if you want to have a glass of red wine that’s fine. Don’t beat yourself up

H: Not the whole bottle though in one sitting. Another question in from Kate Elliot – “it’s all very well talking about healthier eating, but I’ve got 3 kids at school and I work full time. It’s easier just to cook ready meals from the supermarket sometimes, why is that so wrong?” Who wants to tackle that one? Sue?

A: I will. It’s not wrong and like Tony said don’t beat yourself up about it. If you are basing your diet on ready meals, try and choose the ones that maybe haven’t got such a high level of calories, mainly from fat and saturated fat. So have a look at the front of packaging, it’s really clear now. Often we have traffic lights for guideline daily amounts, but also you could try and take a break now and then and cook something quite quick like a stir fry with noodles, you can make something like that in the time it would take to heat up a ready meal actually

H: Yes

A: So I’m not saying by any means don’t use them at all but is it really what you want your entire diet for your children to be based on, I think just question that

H: Tony, a little bit of forward planning might help mightn’t it?

C: Oh certainly, yes. Food that you can microwave later is very important, so make it up on a Sunday so you’ve got enough to microwave through the week

H: That’s a good idea

C: I always recommend that for people

H: So you could make a big sort of mince sauce and have it several times or a big soup or something

C: Yes. The microwave was invented for that reason

H: Yes. Not for microwave dinners though.

A: And then you know what’s in it don’t you if you’ve made it yourself, you know exactly how much fat and calories is going in

H: It’s just about changing habits really isn’t it, which Michelle you’ve obviously done it and it really works, so if you can do it,

B: Absolutely

H: Why can’t everybody? Ok another question in from Kayleigh, she says “all the new diets say they’re different and they really work but none of them seem to. Why should this one be any different?” Tony what’s different about your diet, why is it going to work for people? Why does it work for people?

C: Because – because we don’t believe in anything other than low GI food, that’s the key to our programme and advice. You can’t do it on your own, it’s impossible. You do need help. It’s like coming off cigarettes, that’s hard too, so always seek advice, right advice and stay away from the highly processed foods

H: Yes. Michelle you found it quite supportive didn’t you, the programme?

B: Absolutely, I don’t think I could have done it without my advisor at Boots, she was fantastic, and just being there every week and weighing me and giving me the kind of next step information, say ok you’ve lost this much now, what are you finding difficult? And being able to talk me through it, really helped me. It was kind of a little lesson each week of you know how to go on and how to continue down that journey, so it was – yes I found it really useful.

H: And you’ve lost a stone-and-a-half, is that right?

B: A stone-and-a-half yes

H: Well done, that’s fantastic, and you look great and you just feel so much better don’t you when you’re at the weight that you want to be

B: Absolutely, it’s really nice getting compliments from people and great

H: Well Sue, Michelle and Tony thanks very much for coming in and talking to us, it’s been really interesting stuff, but sadly we have run out of time so thanks to my guests for a fascinating discussion, I hope you’ve all found it as interesting as we have. You can get more information about Tony’s weight loss programme on the website which is www.tonyferguson.com and there’s loads of advice and information about there, there’s a forum, jokes, there’s recipes – the lot, so go and have a look. Well thanks very much to our guests, thanks to you for watching, and good luck with your weight loss programme, you can do it! Stay healthy, see you next time, bye bye