Have you put weight on since moving to Dubai? Many women do – too much eating out, not enough exercise, the change in lifestyle. But since moving to Dubai Julia has not only lost 19kg, but has kept it off for 2 ½ years. So what’s her secret? “Losing weight is side effect of eating well,” she says.

Julia remembers she first went on a diet when she was just 16 years old. It comprised mainly coffee and Ryvita! For the next 40 years she yo-yo dieted; whatever weight she lost, she would always put back on, and then some. Finally in her mid-fifties she found herself suffering with low self-esteem, a hiatus hernia and a warning from her doctor that osteoporosis or even diabetes could be on the horizon. Not wanting to be on medication for the rest of her life, Julia attended a wellbeing event at a Dubai hotel and found herself talking to a nutritionist. On her advice she bought a book about a low GL (Glycaemic Load) diet which was simply written and easy to follow.

Julia followed the instructions to the letter, much to the amusement of her friends who teased her about her morning snack of 2 oatcakes and 5 almonds. However eating well, together with walking on the treadmill in her gym for 30 minutes each day, soon had the fat melting away. After 9 months she had lost 19 kg and reached her target weight. She gradually increased her food intake until her weight stabilized and remarkably has been
able to maintain this ever since.
 

A low GL diet focuses on keeping the body’s blood sugar stable. Glycaemic load is a measure of carbohydrate content in food and its effect on blood sugar. High GL foods, like sugar and white flour cause blood sugar levels to rise quickly, but then fall equally fast, whereas low GL foods help avoid these dangerous spikes. 
 

But what did this mean in practical terms to Julia? Using xylitol instead of sugar, switching to whole grains, adding nuts, seeds, beans and legumes to her diet, moderate amounts of fruit and as many salads and vegetables as she wanted. In other words, healthy eating. To her surprise it also meant eating more frequently and she now has 2 snacks, one mid-morning and one mid-afternoon, as well as 3 full meals. The snacks made all the difference, she says, as she never felt really hungry so could avoid the food cravings which had always sabotaged her previous diet attempts.

What other tips can she offer? It’s simply a trick of the eye, but eating your food on a smaller plate really helps, as does always sitting down to eat and not watching TV or reading while eating. Check if you are truly hungry before putting food in your mouth, maybe you’re just thirsty or bored and always eat your last meal of the day at least 3 hours before going to bed. But her most important tip is “don’t let yourself be a human dustbin”. By this she means don’t sample food when you’re cooking and don’t eat the leftovers when you’re serving the family. In the past she would sometimes have eaten so much while preparing dinner that she’d already be full before sitting down to eat. Now she quickly runs water over spoons and leftover food, so she can’t be tempted.

Of course it wasn’t always easy and there have been times when she’s struggled. To motivate herself, she wrote a list of all the reasons she wanted to lose weight and still carries it with her in her bag together with photos of how she used to look and how she looks now. 

Her husband was extremely supportive and insisted he eat the same as her, only larger portions. Although he wasn’t really overweight, he also lost about 5 kilos and feels fitter and healthier on their new eating regime. 

Now that she feels in control of her weight, eating out with friends or a celebration dinners are no longer threats to Julia’s resolve. She’ll eat a moderate amount and make healthier choices such as asking for the bread basket to be removed and substituted with a dish of olives, if possible. She knows that a sumptuous dessert once in a while won’t hurt, nor will an occasional gin and bitter lemon ;-) Her family and friends are proud of her and most importantly Julia feels good about herself and knows there’s no going back.