Eating less and exercising more is the standard approach to weight loss, but these traditional methods actually cause obesity, according to a leading nutritionist.

Eating less and exercising more causes the body to resist weight loss

As outrageous as this may sound, Dr John Briffa promises to back up this statement with cutting-edge techniques based in science during a seminar on Saturday titled ‘Escape The Diet Trap’ at Hotel Juliani, St Julian’s.

“The ‘calorie principle’ that forms the foundation of weight loss advice is very persuasive, but our collective experience and a stack of studies show it rarely brings satisfying and sustained weight loss,” he said, challenging what dieticians have drummed into people’s heads for years.

“The normal explanation has been to blame would-be slimmers for not trying hard enough, but actually science reveals that ‘eating less and exercising more’ causes the body to resist weight loss and ‘defend’ its weight through several mechanisms.

“This can make weight loss slow going, and cause weight to plateau at a level far higher than desired. I’ll be explaining all this, as well as the science that shows how to achieve weight loss without needing to go hungry or resorting to extensive exercise,” he added.

Dr Briffa, whose parents were born in Malta and moved to the UK in 1958, plans to turn conventional wisdom on calorie counting and intensive exercise on its head.

“I go to great pains to base my advice on published science – I’ve discovered that almost all conventional nutritional wisdom has little or no scientific basis to it at all,” he told The Sunday Times from his home in the UK.

Dr Briffa has the benefit of clinical experience, which gives him some insight into what works and what does not.

He believes obesity’s real driver is the individual’s environment and diet, so blaming your wobbly folds on genes is simply a form of delusion.

Dr Briffa points out that rates of obesity spiralled upwards in the past 30 years or so, which meant genes have not changed much over time.

The seminar is named after his latest book, which will be released in the UK in January, and will demonstrate how to escape the cycle of restrictive attempts at weight loss once and for all and establish a healthy, sustainable relationship with food.

Dr Briffa, who is proud of his heritage and returns to the island every two years, chose Malta to launch the findings of his book, and he has teamed up with pilates instructor Bryn Kennard to present his revolutionary techniques. These proven strategies for accelerated weight loss include intermittent fasting – the practice of going for extended periods of time without eating, which is, however, “advanced class stuff” – and high intensity intermittent exercise. This is a form of exercise that, unlike aerobic exercises, such as brisk walking and running, really seems to have the capacity to shift fat.

Malta has one of the highest rates of obesity in Europe. When asked to highlight what action should be taken to reap tangible results, Dr Briffa advised against buying into conventional, calorie-based weight loss advice and to be open-minded.

One major change in thinking that would help was to stop believing dietary fat was the issue. He also pointed to evidence suggesting that many staples in the Maltese diet, from breakfast cereals, to bread and pasta, for instance, were not only fattening, but posed hazards to health, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Asked what the foundations to his own diet were, Dr Briffa said he “genuinely” followed the advice he gave to others.

“My diet is ostensibly made up of natural, unprocessed foods. I don’t count calories or restrict portion sizes at all. I don’t need to because, as with most people, when I focus on getting the quality of the food I eat right, the quantity issue takes care of itself,” he said.

Asked if he believed moderation was key to a healthy diet, Dr Briffa said: “The key, to me, is to ensure the bulk of the diet is made up of truly healthy foods that also allow the body to control its weight quite automatically,” he said.

These foods, generally, can be eaten in unlimited amounts and do not need to be restricted or moderated in any way. And, these do not include foods traditionally advocated on reduced-calorie, low-fat diets, but incorporate those usually forbidden on conventional diets – such as red meat, eggs, butter and full-fat yoghurt.

“My patients typically say they love their new way of eating and don’t see it as a diet at all. That’s music to my ears!”

To book a place at Saturday’s seminar download an application from www.bodyworks.com.mt or e-mail bryn@bodyworks.com.mt.

John Briffa is an expert on health

Dr Briffa is a former columnist for The Daily Mail and The Observer, and former contributing editor for Men’s Health magazine.

He has contributed to over dozens of newspaper and magazine titles internationally, and is a previous recipient of the Health Journalist of the Year award in the UK.

He has been listed by Tatler magazine as one of the UK’s leading doctors and authored seven books on nutrition and self-help health.