Breakfast like a princess … 44 Research proves we will cheat anyway When I discuss these ideas with my medical colleagues, initially they have a problem because they see me as promoting eating bad foods. They forget that 80 % of people abandon their diets because there are too many sacrifices for people to sustain for the long-term. Most doctors and dietitians focus on what’ s in our mouths – not what’ s in our minds. Once I get them to fully confront the question:‘ What is the point of the perfect low energy diet if no one can stick to it past the first week?’ some( not all) start to get the point. Some research into this really gives me a chuckle. You see, experts in this field love to debate: what is a healthy weight loss diet? Round and round they go developing perfect nutritionally balanced diets that are elegant in their design – but deadly boring. The one ingredient they leave out is … human nature. The world’ s most effective weight-loss plan is useless if people are going to round it off with a cheap chocolate bar or a packet of crisps! Researchers looked at this by calculating exactly how much weight people should lose on a low calorie diet. The mathematics of weight loss are such that with an average prescribed intake of 1300 calories a day, in a group whose average energy needs would roughly be 2500 calories a day, this should produce a 1200-calorie-a-day energy deficit. This translates into losing four to five kilograms( 10 pounds) a month. Most research programs run for around 20 weeks so the average weight loss in the people who complete the program should be over 20 kilograms( over 44 pounds). How much weight do most research studies that run these kinds of programs repeatedly find that people lose? And remember these are people who are being motivated by the research team and who typically take what they do much more seriously than your average dieter. Well, on average they lose less than half the predicted amount of 20 kilograms! Most people are lucky if they lose 10 kilograms( 22 pounds).