A few weeks ago I wrote about Anne Diamond who has been involved in “the weight loss industry” for many years.  She had surgery to lose weight and although I don’t think there is anything wrong with that, I did question her ability to be able to speak for the fatties of the world.  Surgery is not the preferred option of most; I sometimes wished I had had surgery because I have had to restrict my food intake with the power of my mind (and crucially still do).  This is not always easy to do and I have had good days and bad.  Fern Britton, who recently lost 3 stones in weight also, had a gastric band operation.  She said in the press recently “I did this purely for myself and I would not wish to influence others to do the same. But for me it has worked and I am very pleased with the results.” Gastric banding is the placement of an adjustable silicone band around the top part of the stomach, creating a feeling of fullness. Not only will the band help in shedding the pounds it will also help to keep the weight off.  Compared to other forms of weight loss surgeries, lap band surgery is the least invasive form of weight loss surgery with the less time required in hospital and a faster recovery time.  Adjustments can be made to the band and it can also be removed if needed.  Lap band surgery should not be confused with stomach stapling or by-pass operations which are completely different and carry with them all sorts of different risks. There has also been much evidence to support the view that gastric banding is the most successful way to lose weight and keep it off.  It is something I would even consider in the future if I thought it would stop me from feeling like I do about food but I am not sure it would stop me FEELING but simply stop me DOING and that would probably drive me insane, l remember having a really sore throat once and not being able to eat and it was horrible. In terms of Fern, I know Fern and she is a kind warm and wonderful women, I know she would not want to influence others to do as she did and I know she has never been one of these “celebs” that has tried to make money by peddling a diet or a concept. You must know the ones I mean, the professional yo-yo dieters that put on a stone and lose it again in order to tell us how they have done it and just to test our gullibility they do the same again two months later, Fern knows as we all do, including Ms Diamond, that she has lost her weight because she simply can’t eat the same anymore as her stomach wont allow it.  She can now eat anything she wants in moderation, which of course we all can.  Some can control it in the mind through will power whilst others need help, while for many people food is not a big issue.  The weight loss debate also gets clouded by people that believe a fat gene exists, we have discussed this before, and whilst it is true that some people are more prone to weight gain than others, this simply means that some can get away with overeating whilst others can’t, it does not mean that anyone is predisposed to be overweight.  As a larger women Fern Britton was a sexy role model to thousands, I am guessing she was just not happy in herself and that’s why she has done this, maybe she felt under pressure in the image obsessed “thin is best” industry she works in.  She could have made millions selling diet books after her success in losing so much weight but she has been brave and told us her weight loss “secret”.  The real secret however is that the key to losing weight is eating less and doing more exercise which is preciously what Fern has done all be it with a little help from a silicone band.

Many years ago a mate said to me he was feeling depressed and my gut instinct was to say “what have you got to be depressed about, just pull yourself together”.  It is something that maybe crosses our minds every time we read in the papers or see on the TV that some celebrity is depressed.   But depression is very real and affects a lot of people.  It is something that we avoid talking about, there is still a stigma attached to being treated for depression.  A few years ago a doctor prescribed ant-depressant tablets for me and my initial thought was I must be such a failure.  I explained how I felt about this when I first met Dr Chris and he was honest enough to tell me that he had suffered too, I know this is something that has had a major impact upon his life but despite this It is something he has shared with the nation and I know by doing that he will have helped thousands of people, like me, who think that having depression is something to be embarrassed and ashamed of.  What is depression?  What foods can we eat to make us happier?  Can exercise cure depression?  Depression is a mental health disorder that can affect the way you eat and sleep, the way you feel about yourself, and the way you think about things. A depressive disorder is more than a passing mood. It is more than just feeling fed up.  It cannot be willed or wished away and without treatment can get much worse.  Depression is a mental state in which you experience sad feelings of gloom and downturn in mood.  The common behaviour includes feelings of sadness, despair, low self-esteem, low self-reproach and discouragement.  According to the World Health Organisation more than 450 million people worldwide have a mental health problem.   1 in 4 British adults experience at least one diagnosable mental health problem in any one year. Women are more likely to have been treated for a mental health problem than men (29% compared to 17%).Women are more likely to report symptoms of depression, this is backed by evidence that men are three time more likely to die of suicide than women (in 2004 there were 5,500 suicides in the UK) and suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 35 in the UK.   It is a sad fact that the cases of depression are on the increase; I could easily have been one of those statistics.  In my case I have often wondered if the weight caused the depression or the depression caused the weight, I feel I may have always suffered from some form of depression even as a child as I remember displaying many of the symptoms at an early age.  Dr Gregg Jantz in his book beyond depression recommends the following foods to improve mood. 

-Fresh fruits and vegetables
-whole grains (wheat, rye, oats)
-dairy products (eggs, milk, butter, cream, cheese)
-beans
-meat
-nuts
-oils (flaxseed, olive)
-chicken

We also know that serotonin rich foods such as banana’s, pasta and starchy vegetables can improve mood.  (Prozac used to treat depression is a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI)).

Running and exercise is also said to improve mood by releasing endorphins chemicals in the brain which make us feel good.  I am sure we have all experienced after a good work out the feel shattered but food good factor!  Dr Henning Boecker, lead researcher of a new study, carried out by the University of Bonn in the Rhine Valley, compared the runners’ brain before and after they went for a long run using PET scans. The scans showed that endorphins were being produced and attaching themselves to the areas of the brain related to mood, this was proof runners really had experienced a “high” after intensive training.  Falling in love can also produce the same results.  That’s it for this week but if you think you are suffering from any kind of depression then please do seek out that help and remember you are not alone.  For those needing more urgent help and advice phone the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90.

You can’t beat a plate of good old bangers and mash can you? People always tell me that they put all the scraps of meat in sausages and they are very fattening. But are they? What is the history of the sausage? And is it possible to lose weight and still enjoy the odd sausage?

Sausages were nicknamed bangers during the Second World War because they contained so much water that they exploded when fried. The word sausage is derived from the Latin word salsus which means something salted. 5 million of us consumed a sausage this morning .30% of the sausage market is classified as premium, 58% as standard, 8% as low fat and 4% as economy. The largest brand is Richmond Irish Sausages who sell a staggering £40 million per year. Did you know that a Saturday is the most popular day for eating sausages?

Here are six tips if you are trying to cut down but still want to have the odd sausage.

1. Try and go for high end of the market sausages, and have a smaller portion of something great, as I have already said I love Cumberland sausage.

2. Make your own from scratch using low fat ingredients.

3. Try turkey or chicken sausages, or switch to the lower fat sausages.

4. Grill or cook sausage in the oven (only 24% of us fry sausages).

5. Use sausage in healthy and tasty casseroles, my Aunty Doreen used to make a lovely liver, bacon and sausage casserole.

6. If you fancy something really different try the Fish Sausage which comes from Japan and has been produced for many years.

A survey from the food standard agency (FSA) found in 2003 that the fat content of Sausages overall, since the last survey in 1991, had decreased by 25%, however it did note that this was due to the increase of lower fat sausages onto the market, it further found that the average fat content in high quality sausages had increased from 15% fat per portion to 20% fat per portion. Earlier this year there was also evidence to suggest there was a greater risk of cancer by over consumption of processed meats such as bacon and sausage (any meats that were salted, smoked or used certain preservatives). It prompted frightening headlines which once again clouded the whole issue of what to eat and what to avoid. I always go by the principle of ‘all things in moderation’.

Here is a simple recipe for fish sausage.

Ingredients

200g cooked white fish
60g peeled prawns
60g mushrooms
60g of low fat breadcrumbs
2 lightly beaten eggs
125g of fine oatmeal
2 teaspoons dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Remove any skin and bones from the fish. Chop up the prawns finely. Chop and cook mushrooms in a small frying pan using a very small quantity of oil or butter. Using a large bowl, break up and mix together the white fish, chopped prawns, cooked mushrooms, breadcrumbs, parsley and seasoning, binding with half the beaten egg.

With floured hands, form the mixture into a number of sausage shaped portions (or balls if you prefer). Dip into the remaining beaten egg and roll in the oatmeal. Bake in a medium oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Charlie’s Choice: The best sausages I have ever tasted have to be the locally produced Waberthwaite Cumberland sausage which has been made by the Woodall family for generations. The sausage contains 95% meat and to me is the best sausage I have ever had.

I am still out here in Australia, the weather is lovely and I am off to a barbie later and just hope that the snags live up to the good old British banger, seeya!

Hi I am going to be running the Great North Run this year for Oldham Cancer Support Centre and I would like as many sponsors as is possible.  Oldham Cancer Support Centre offers support, advice, help and treatment to those that have been touched by cancer.  Please dig deep and help, if you can.

Many Thanks

Charlie

When I was at my biggest I often had problems with sleep, I would be tired all day and would fall to sleep when people were speaking to me (even if it was interesting); at night my sleep was very much interrupted and I would get up and manage to get a better nights sleep in the chair downstairs. When I lost a lot of weight I discovered that my sleep improved and I was not as tired during the day. I asked Dr Chris Steele about it at the time and he explained that many overweight people suffered from sleep apnea. What is sleep apnea? The disorder gets its name from the Greek word apnea meaning without breath. The common disorder, often undiagnosed, causes you to stop breathing during the night and wake up many hundreds of times. When you stop breathing oxygen levels in the blood drop and carbon dioxide levels rise. This causes your heart to pump harder and sometimes to beat irregularly, or even to stop for several seconds. Your diaphragm and chest muscles work harder and your blood pressure rises. Finally, your brain senses that your body is in trouble and wakes you sufficiently for you to breathe and, as you do so, your breathing will often be accompanied by loud snoring. The condition is often caused by a blockage in the airway and if you are overweight and have a fat neck, this pressing against the airway can cause this and that’s why it is common in overweight people. Losing weight can help to eradicate the problem and in the short term your GP can provide you with some help, I know a friend of mine has a breathing devise that he wears to bed at night, it has ruined his love life. If left untreated sleep apnea can lead to all sorts of problems especially if you drive or use equipment in your job, some people say sleep apnea can lead to weight gain – the reason for this is that you are less active because you are always tired. However if you are overweight and have sleep apnea, if you have it you will probably be falling to sleep whilst reading this, it can be cured by losing weight. Sleep is very important for our overall well being, here are some more tips for getting a good nights sleep.

1. Get up and do something you don’t like doing, i.e. the ironing; however don’t hoover in the middle of the night the neighbours might get upset

4. Lavender can help you sleep, dab a bit of oil on your pillow or burn a candle before bed.

This week we ask and try and answer the question can drinking diet coke cause weight gain?
Yes, according to the findings from eight years of data collected by Sharon P Fowler, MPH, and colleagues at the University of Texas Health Science Centre, San Antonio.
Fowler reported the data at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association in San Diego.
She said: “What was surprising was when we looked at people only drinking diet soft drinks, their risk of obesity was even higher.
“There was a 41 per cent increase in risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day.”
The data shows the artificial sweeteners attempt to trick the body into thinking it has sugar when it has not.
One explanantion is that drinking diet soft drinks simply makes a person crave sugar more, and therefore eat more to compensate.
It is therefore the extra eating that causes the weight gain and not the drinking of the diet soft drink.
There maybe another explanation too.
Sharon, who headed the research, says “One possible part of the explanation is that people who see they are beginning to gain weight may be more likely to switch from regular to diet drinks.
“Some of these people will think simply switching drinks is enough, and not worry about what is on the plate.”
I have to agree. How many people do you know that have sweeteners in a cup of tea and then scoff down a whole packet of biscuits?
In my opinion diet drinks are OK and will not cause you to gain weight, unless you have the mind set that says “oh I’ve had diet coke all night so I can have a kebab now”.
In fact I had diet drinks right though my weight loss and they helped to fill me up and reduced my desire to eat.

I am very interested in your views about this one so head over to the forum’s or leave your comments here.  I know Tim disagree’s with me about this, But what do you think?  Let me know.

A COUPLE of weeks ago I got an invite, right out of the blue, to return to Australia and again pay a visit to the Mudgee weight loss and lifestyle service and tell my story and help and encourage a whole new intake of weight loss wannabes.
For the previous couple of months I hid the fact from everyone, apart from my close friends and family, that I was feeling down. I felt as if my life had little or no direction, I was drifting along.
Despite still writing this column and doing some charity work and presenting hospital and community radio for many months I had no paid work.
Then after a six months period of unemployment I found a job as an administration assistant at the Department of Works and Pensions in Salford Quays.
It was a total change for me – all I had ever done prior to that was call bingo. It did show me that I was at least capable of doing something different.
When the chance to return to Australia came I had to weigh up my options and on balance I decided to go back and see if it was the right thing for me.
I guess only time will tell.
I’m in Australia now and intend staying for the next six months. I hope to do some media work as well as helping out with the clients here in Mudgee.
I am also going to use the time to complete writing my book and working on my new look website, which is online now at slimmercharlie.com.
I will also be competing in some charity runs whilst I am over here.

I see the Liberal Democrats are urging the government to impose tax cuts on smoothie drinks.  The Liberal Democrats are proposing cutting VAT on smoothies to 5% from 17.5%.  I often warn people about smoothies because I know of many people that will have 3 or 4 a day on top of eating normal meals and then wonder why there weight loss progress is slow, if you read the labels you will find the answer having a few smoothes a day, whilst low in fat and great nutrition, will soon use up your daily calorie allowance.   A better way to get your 5 fruits and vegetables a day is to actually eat 5 fruits or vegetables a day and pay 0% VAT on buying fresh fruit and vegetables.  Is this simply another example of gesture politics or is it another example of politicians trying to tell us how to live our lives?  It says some of the money these tax cuts costs can be recaptured with extra taxation on strong beers.  This whole debate is rather interesting, taxing things so that they cost the consumer more surely simply encourages them to switch to cheaper alternatives rather than change there lifestyle.  If I wanted to get drunk on a Saturday night I would, despite the cost. The same way that if you fancy a kebab on a Friday night you will whatever the cost. You are never going to say on a Saturday night “oh I see the price of WKD has gone up.. I’ll have a beetroot smoothie instead”.   This is all about tackling the problems of drunken yobs on our street corners at night.  These problems can be dealt with by parents taking more responsibility and local councils ensuring that youths have something to do.  We live in a world now where everything apart from shops and pubs seems to close down at 7pm.  This ties in also with the obesity problem you can’t say that kids should be doing more exercise and then shut all the parks down, close down leisure facilities early in the evening and not utilise schools to their full potential. Councils need to make sure that parks, leisure facilities, schools and community centres are open and available at all hours and to all parts of the community. Governments and local councils need to encourage and subsidies the scout movement, cadets and youth theatre etc. That way the youngsters that have nothing to do in the evenings can maybe find hobbies and interests other than hanging around street corners or outside shops and supermarkets. I know a lot of these things maybe already happen but we need to make sure that more kids and young adults between the ages of 13 and 20 have things to do; they need to know that they have a future. I remember when I was 13 it always said on my school report “tries hard but Charlie is not very bright”.  Those teachers should have took the time to find out what I was good at and we could have  worked on that, I am not saying that I turned to food because I felt excluded but it certainly did not help.  It is very demoralising when you are written off at an early age and, rightly or wrongly it is no wonder that some turn to food, binge drinking, drugs or a life of crime.  Most kids have something they are good at and good teachers should be able to bring the best out of them, if they can’t they are in the wrong job.    Let’s also get young people involved with the local decision making, and let’s build facilities that kids want, not things us adults think kids want. Whether that is skateboarding facilities, ice rinks or youth clubs.  This is important for the health and well being of all our children of today because these are the parents of tomorrow and in my opinion many of society’s problems stem from a lack of parental responsibility and guidance.  That includes the problems with obesity too.   It is our duty to ensure that the youth of today believe that they have a real future something to live for, a reason to get up in the morning.  By ensuring that tomorrow is bright for us all we might solve some of the problems of today.  The government may find that the obesity and binge drinking problem are linked and an integrated campaign may kill two birds with one stone.

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