There are multiple rules to maintaining a healthy diet. Trouble is, it's hard to figure out which ones are worth following.

A study published in the International Journal of Obesity, looks at the various diet ideals that we are encouraged to live by and concludes that those who are flexible with regards to what they eat, often succeed in maintaining weight loss, over those who are strict and live by the letter of the law. It makes sense, its hard to keep up an ' all or nothing' approach that some diets require. No carbs? Protein only?? Dinners divided into macro-nutrient ratios???? I can see why some diets are made to be broken. The best diets fit into your lifestyle, and should be possible to maintain whether eating at home, or out at a restaurant or friends house. However, there are some myths that need to be broken, to enable you enjoy the flexibility that allows a diet to succeed.

Myth 1: It's best not to eat after 7 p.m.
It's not when you eat, it's what you eat, and how much. Studies show that those who eat late at night do not gain weight because of the lateness of their calorie consumption, but because eating at that stage usually pushes them well over their daily calorie requirement, given that you probably haven't eaten since lunchtime. If you do find that dinner is most likely to be consumed late at night, make sure to eat a healthy snack mid afternoon to counter the chances of overeating.

Myth 2: Avoid white bread, rice and pasta
While not as healthy or nutritious as their wholegrain counterparts, don't beat yourself up if you find yourself tucking into 'white' carbs. Simply ensure most of your carbohydrate intake comes from whole grains, which should allow you indulge in a serving of refined carbs every now and again.

Myth 3: Eat five small meals a day
Theoretically this makes sense, five small healthful meals ensure that your blood sugar is kept steady, your appetite satisfied, and your metabolism high. However, more meals mean more opportunities to overeat, with some studies showing links between frequent meal consumption and obesity. Additionally, for those with an emotional tie to food, having to constantly think about what to eat five times a day can be stressful, and lead to bad dietary choices.

Myth 4: A low fat or fat free diet is good for you
No matter what size you are, you need fat in your diet. About one third of your calories should come from fat, necessary for energy, tissue repair and to transport fat soluble vitamins A, E, D, and K around the body. Simply make sure this fat intake is from unsaturated fats, such as those found in olive oil and avocados, and not trans or saturated fats.

Myth 5: Low fat foods help you lose weight
This is a very common misconception. Low fat does not mean low calorie. Most of these products are high in sugar, which turns to fat. In addition, people tend to overuse low fat products, often ending up consuming twice as much as they would of the full fat product.

Understanding nutrition and taking a balanced approach to your food, should enable you to make the right choices, without the stress or rigidity of an impossible to follow diet.

As if being in serious debt, or being "over-indebted" (defined as not being able to pay off debts in a reasonable time frame) wasn't bad enough, there is now evidence to show that it also leads to weight gain.

A new study in Germany shows that those who are in the red financially are 2.5 times more likely to be obese than their more solvent counterparts. The findings showed that highly calorific and nutrient-low foods were the food of choice for the indebted, leading to significant weight gain . The study also claims that consumption of such food was for comfort reasons, or because they were less costly than healthier alternatives of fruit and vegetables. However, I feel that once again, this research leads to a focus on the lack of education regarding nutrition and diet for those who are financially troubled. As the person who looks after our household diet, and who buys the groceries, I can't see how fruit and veg (unless organic) are more expensive than junk food. From personal experience, I would think quite the opposite. Yet, this study claims that "energy-dense food such as sweets or fatty snacks are often less expensive compared to food with lower energy density such as fruit or vegetables." It also suggested that those who were obese lessened their chance of finding employment, as companies seemed to favour the more slender when choosing their workforce. This, in turn, of course, makes it harder for heavier people to earn money.

The study concludes that when further investigations are being performed into socioeconomic status and health, they should include indebtedness in their analysis, in addition to the more traditional measures like education and income. Perhaps additionally it shows that further measures by governments and health boards are necessary to educate individuals as to the necessity of includingfruit and vegetables in their diets, and to the potential long-term health and financial benefits of such changes.

Catch sight of yourself in the mirror today, and didn't like what you saw? Yet will you do anything about it? Or will you join millions of people who, despite knowing they are not at their physical best, still continue down a self destructive path of poor diet and laziness? Maybe you simply need motivation. Been there, done that and it didn't work, right? Well, maybe I have found the perfect solution for you.

Weightnags is a new 'motivational' website that berates you over email (and for a fee, via your mobile). Remember the way your mum used to nag you to sit up straight? Well, this is the fat loss equivalent.

In the name of research, I signed up to my daily dose of abuse. Here is the first email I received within a minute of registering.

"Hi Tubbo,

Okay, we know it's tempting to eat at the Hungry Heifer every night of the week. After all, they have everything.

Or at least they did, before you licked every pan in that buffet clean enough to see your reflection in it. Did you bother to look at that reflection, though?

Obviously not - yikes! Waddling from your booth to the soft-serve machine is not exercise. Unless there's, like, two miles in between. In which case, good for you - you can treat yourself to a little reward.

But until you get up and move around, you oughta lay off the buffet. Take care of your own beefy carcass before you eat a few pounds of something else's.

Even if it is marinated in delicious barbecue sauce.
 
Who Loves You?
 
WeightNags Do.  That's who."

Not for sensitive souls!!!! The theory behind the site is to inspire individuals to get up off their already too large backsides and get in shape, all through insults and abuse. It is relentless. From the second their website loads, you are 'encouraged' through name calling to become a member. "Give us your info and we'll nag you once a week until you get off of your fat ass and lose some weight... enter your email address, Chubbles".

It seems this might be the last resort of the hopeless, once the gentle hand holding and encouragement has failed to help them lose the extra pounds. Personally I can't really see it being much more than an entertaining gimmick, but heck, dieting can be a pretty serious business, so its good to have a giggle every now and again!

For more abuse, check out www.weightnags.com

Such is the level of wisdom that is imparted in food author Michael Pollan's interesting (and fun!) dietary do's and don'ts.

Pollan, whose books focus on various forms of food production, agribusiness, nutrition and diet, requested readers to submit their dietary rules, of which he received thousands. His top twenty recently appeared in The New York Times, a somewhat random selection of international advice, but informative none the less.

Here are five of my favourites!!!!!

"It's better to pay the grocer than the doctor"

"No second helpings, no matter how scrumptious"

"Avoid snacks with the "oh" sound in their names - doritos, fritos, cheetos, tostitos, hostess ho hos etc."

"Don't eat egg salad from a vending machine"

"Don't eat anything that took more energy to ship than to grow"

For more pearls of wisdom, see Michael Pollan's Food Rules: Your Dietary Do's and Don'ts.

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