Surprising Low-Calorie Filling Foods That Keep You Full
Clinically reviewed by Associate Professor Christopher O’Donnell, Nurse Practitioner, FACN · Founder and Clinical Director · AHPRA NMW0001453715 · Last reviewed 17 October 2026 The foods that fill you up for the fewest kilojoules are usually high in water, fibre or air, so you get a satisfying volume for little energy. Broth-based soups, air-popped popcorn, […]
Top 5 High-Protein Snacks for Weight Loss
Clinically reviewed by Associate Professor Christopher O’Donnell, Nurse Practitioner, FACN · Founder and Clinical Director · AHPRA NMW0001453715 · Last reviewed 17 October 2026 High-protein snacks with a decent serve of protein, roughly 10 to 20 g, tend to keep you fuller than the same kilojoules from biscuits, chips or chocolate, which helps if you’re […]
Stages of Noticing Weight Loss: When You’ll See It, and When Others Will
Clinically reviewed by Associate Professor Christopher O’Donnell, Nurse Practitioner, FACN · Founder and Clinical Director · AHPRA NMW0001453715 · Last reviewed 17 October 2026 Weight loss tends to follow a familiar pattern. The scale usually moves first, mostly from water and stored carbohydrate. Fat loss then continues more slowly, clothes and measurements change, and other […]
Why Am I Gaining Weight So Fast When I Barely Eat?
Clinically reviewed by Associate Professor Christopher O’Donnell, Nurse Practitioner, FACN · Founder and Clinical Director · AHPRA NMW0001453715 · Last reviewed 17 October 2026 Weight that climbs quickly while you are eating very little usually has an explanation other than new fat. Fluid, intake that is larger than it feels, hormonal and life-stage changes, short […]
Neck Fat: Why It Happens and How to Reduce It
Clinically reviewed by Associate Professor Christopher O’Donnell, Nurse Practitioner, FACN · Founder and Clinical Director · AHPRA NMW0001453715 · Last reviewed 17 October 2026 Fat under the chin (submental fat) and around the neck mostly reflects your overall body fat, shaped by your genes, age-related skin changes and posture. You can’t target the neck on […]
Low-Calorie Foods for Weight Loss: A Practical Guide by Food Group
Clinically reviewed by Associate Professor Christopher O’Donnell, Nurse Practitioner, FACN · Founder and Clinical Director · AHPRA NMW0001453715 · Last reviewed 17 October 2026 If you’re trying to lose weight, the lowest-kilojoule foods are those high in water and fibre and low in fat: most vegetables and fruit, broth-based soups, legumes, lean proteins and reduced-fat […]
Do Iron Tablets Cause Weight Gain?
Clinically reviewed by Associate Professor Christopher O’Donnell, Nurse Practitioner, FACN · Founder and Clinical Director · AHPRA NMW0001453715 · Last reviewed 17 October 2026 There is no evidence that iron tablets or pills cause fat gain. Iron is an essential mineral with no kilojoules (Calories), so the tablet itself can’t add body fat. Some people […]
Is Porridge Good for Weight Loss?
Clinically reviewed by Associate Professor Christopher O’Donnell, Nurse Practitioner, FACN · Founder and Clinical Director · AHPRA NMW0001453715 · Last reviewed 17 October 2026 Yes, porridge can be a good, healthy breakfast if you’re trying to lose weight. Oats are a wholegrain and contain a soluble fibre called beta-glucan, which can help you feel full […]
Why Am I Not Losing Weight in a Calorie Deficit?
Clinically reviewed by Associate Professor Christopher O’Donnell, Nurse Practitioner, FACN · Founder and Clinical Director · AHPRA NMW0001453715 · Last reviewed 17 October 2026 If you’re in a calorie deficit but the scale won’t move, the most common reasons are that the deficit is smaller than it looks on paper, that water shifts are hiding […]
How Many Kilojoules Should I Burn a Day?
Clinically reviewed by Associate Professor Christopher O’Donnell, Nurse Practitioner, FACN · Founder and Clinical Director · AHPRA NMW0001453715 · Last reviewed 17 October 2026 Most adults in the healthy weight range burn somewhere between about 7,000 and 13,000 kilojoules (kJ) a day (roughly 1,700 to 3,100 Calories), depending on body size, age, sex and how […]
Medicines That Can Affect Weight: Worth Reviewing
Several widely prescribed medicine categories can contribute to weight gain, including some antidepressants, antipsychotics, corticosteroids, certain diabetes treatments, some blood pressure medicines and hormonal treatments. Never stop a prescribed medicine on your own. Alternatives within the same category sometimes have a different weight profile. Why this is worth reviewing Weight gain attributable to a medicine […]
Keeping Weight Off: What Long Term Maintainers Actually Do
Research following people who have maintained substantial weight loss for years identifies consistent behaviours: regular self monitoring, high physical activity, eating breakfast, consistent patterns across weekdays and weekends, and catching small regains early rather than allowing them to accumulate. Maintenance is a different task Losing weight and keeping it off require different things. Loss is […]
What Does a Medically Supervised Weight Programme Involve?
A medically supervised weight programme differs from a commercial diet by assessing the clinical factors affecting your weight, ordering and interpreting relevant pathology, monitoring markers over time, and adjusting the plan based on results rather than applying a fixed template. What the initial assessment covers The purpose is to understand what is driving weight in […]
How Much Weight Do You Actually Need to Lose?
Most measurable health benefits appear at five to ten percent of body weight, far below what most people set as a goal. At five percent, blood pressure, blood glucose and lipids improve measurably. Setting unrealistic targets predicts abandoning the effort before those benefits are recognised. What each threshold delivers Benefits accrue progressively, and the early […]
Weight Stigma in Healthcare: Why People Avoid Appointments
Weight stigma in healthcare leads many people to delay or avoid appointments, and contributes to missed diagnoses when unrelated symptoms are attributed to weight. Evidence indicates that experiencing stigma is associated with worse health outcomes independently of body weight itself. What the evidence shows Research has consistently found that many people at higher weights report […]
Sleep Apnoea and Weight: A Cycle Worth Breaking
Obstructive sleep apnoea and higher body weight reinforce each other. Excess tissue around the airway raises the risk of collapse during sleep, while the resulting fragmented sleep raises appetite hormones and reduces insulin sensitivity, making weight management harder. What happens during an apnoea In obstructive sleep apnoea the upper airway narrows or closes during sleep, […]
Weight and Joint Pain: More Than Mechanical Load
Each kilogram of body weight produces roughly four kilograms of force through the knee when walking, so modest weight loss meaningfully reduces joint load. Fat tissue also produces inflammatory signals affecting joints throughout the body, including non weight bearing joints such as the hands. The mechanical side Walking on level ground generates joint reaction forces […]
Ultra Processed Food: Does It Really Make a Difference?
In a tightly controlled trial where diets were matched for calories, sugar, fat, fibre and salt, participants ate around 500 more calories per day on the ultra processed diet and gained weight, while losing weight on the unprocessed diet. Processing itself appears to affect intake independently of nutrients. What ultra processed actually means The NOVA […]
Fibre, Gut Health and Weight: The Underrated Connection
Most Australians eat around twenty grams of fibre daily against a recommended 25 to 30 grams. Fibre slows gastric emptying, blunts blood glucose response, feeds gut bacteria that produce appetite regulating compounds, and reduces the energy absorbed from food. How much is actually recommended Australian guidance suggests 25 grams daily for adult women and 30 […]
Is Weight Loss Just Calories In Versus Calories Out?
Energy balance governs weight change, but treating it as a simple equation is misleading. Both sides are variable and interdependent. Calories out falls as you lose weight, appetite rises in response to a deficit, and food type affects absorption, satiety and the energy spent digesting it. The model is true but incomplete Energy cannot be […]
Emotional Eating: Why It Happens and What Helps
Emotional eating is using food to manage feelings rather than physical hunger. It works in the short term, which is why it persists. Distinguishing it from physical hunger, identifying the specific emotions involved, and building alternative coping responses are more effective than restriction. Why it works, in the short term Emotional eating persists because it […]
Why Muscle Matters More Than the Scale
Muscle is metabolically active tissue that burns energy at rest, acts as the body’s largest site of glucose disposal, and protects function with age. Preserving it during weight loss keeps energy expenditure higher, which is a central reason resistance training belongs in any weight management plan. What muscle does beyond movement Skeletal muscle is the […]
Menopause and Weight Change: What Actually Shifts
Menopause causes a marked shift in fat distribution towards the abdomen, driven by falling oestrogen. Total weight gain at midlife is largely explained by ageing and muscle loss rather than menopause itself, but the redistribution to visceral fat is hormonal and carries greater metabolic risk. Separating two different changes Two things happen around the same […]
PCOS and Weight: Why It Is Harder and What Helps
Polycystic ovary syndrome affects up to 13 percent of women of reproductive age. Insulin resistance is present in a majority, including at normal weight, which makes weight management genuinely harder. Modest weight loss of five to ten percent can restore ovulation and improve symptoms substantially. What PCOS involves Diagnosis in Australia follows the Rotterdam criteria, […]
Insulin Resistance and Prediabetes: What the Numbers Mean
Insulin resistance means cells respond poorly to insulin, so the pancreas produces more to keep blood glucose normal. It develops years before blood glucose rises, which is why prediabetes is usually silent. Modest weight loss of five to seven percent substantially reduces progression to type 2 diabetes. What insulin resistance actually is Insulin moves glucose […]
Why Has My Weight Loss Stopped? Understanding Plateaus
A plateau usually reflects three things happening together: a smaller body requires less energy, metabolic adaptation reduces expenditure further, and portion sizes drift upward over time. True plateaus mean no change in weight or measurements over four or more weeks, not a flat fortnight. Is it actually a plateau? Weight fluctuates by one to two […]
Protein and Appetite: Why It Keeps You Fuller for Longer
Protein is the most satiating of the three macronutrients, reducing appetite through effects on gut hormones and a higher thermic effect of digestion. During weight loss, adequate protein also preserves muscle mass, which maintains energy expenditure and supports long term maintenance. Why protein affects appetite more than other nutrients Protein influences appetite through several mechanisms […]
How Sleep Affects Weight: The Link Most Plans Ignore
Sleeping less than seven hours raises ghrelin and lowers leptin, increasing hunger and reducing fullness, while shifting food preference towards energy dense options. In controlled studies, people restricted to five hours of sleep lost significantly less fat on the same diet than those sleeping eight. What happens to appetite after a short night Sleep restriction […]
Is BMI Actually Useful? What the Numbers Do and Do Not Tell You
BMI is a useful population screening tool but a poor individual measure. It cannot distinguish muscle from fat, or say where fat is stored, which is what most affects health risk. Waist circumference and waist to height ratio predict metabolic risk better than BMI alone. Where BMI came from BMI was devised in the nineteenth […]
Why Does Weight Come Back After Dieting?
Weight regain after dieting is driven by biology, not willpower. Losing weight reduces energy expenditure beyond what the smaller body size predicts, while appetite hormones shift to increase hunger and reduce fullness. These changes persist for years and actively defend the higher weight. The body defends weight in both directions Your body treats a sustained […]