11 March - Watch my top 5 tips for hunger management on Sunrise

Popped into Channel 7's Sunrise program to share 5 tips to manage hunger.

Watch the video

Here are the tips

1. Leave your fat-loss fuel light on
(ie. Don't eat as soon as you feel the first appetite trigger as you may not really be hungry)

2. Don't forget your banana
(ie. Keep a healthy snack with you at all times to create a hurdle in front of high-calorie treats)

3. Stay within the feed limits
(ie. Slow your eating down to feel full before you eat too much)

4. Put it in the waste rather go around your waist
(ie. This new mantra means you don't have to clean your plate)

5. Go for 5-star food satisfaction
(ie. Choose food experiences that give 5 stars for taste and 5 stars for how you feel afterwards)

10 March - Slabs to Abs wraps up on Triple M

Take a look at these superheros. Triple M radio jocks Wil Anderson and Anthony Lehman are on the home straight for their final weigh-in this Friday. They've been on the Slabs to Abs 6-Week Challenge instigated by Men's Health magazine editor Bruce Ritchie. And they'be both lost around 5 kg.

As the Men's Health weight loss coach, I provided the guys with a dietary program and weekly coaching each Monday on air.

You can listen to all my radio interviews (see bottom of page) and read my top 5 food tips for the boys below.

Top 5 tips for Wil and Lehmo

1. Plan like a general
Get yourself sorted and know what you will eat, when and why. Also plan what you need to do to make it happen. For example, shop for healthy food and seek out healthier takeaway joints.

2. Three colour target
Aim for at least 3 coloured veggies in your sandwich or salad at lunch and on your dinner plate. Add sweet chilli sauce until you enjoy your veggies.

3. Never leave home without a banana
Pack your own snack to combat those vending machine cravings. When you get hungry reach for your trusty banana. Also works with apples, oranges and tubs of yoghurt.

4. Don't break the feed limit
Eat slow otherwise you'll end up in the fast lane to 'Gorgeville'. Eat until satisfied and then stop, even if there's still food on your plate. Your new mantra is 'Better to go in the waste than around my waist'.

5. Get your fix not your fill
When you crave chocolate do you need a family block or just a small fix to do the job? Get a fix with a hot chocolate drink or a skim mocha coffee.

Add low-fat vanilla custard to your banana with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar to get a treat fix. This is nowhere near as bad as a block of chocolate but it's still a party in your mouth.

Well done guys! It has been a pleasure popping in each Monday top laugh and learn. Thanks for letting me guide you.

9 March - Wil Anderson goes bananas?

"I've also been trying to eat more fruit as a substitute for all the chocolate I normally eat. A mate suggested I try a treat of banana, low-fat vanilla custard and cinnamon sugar. Normally, when someone says a low-fat snack is as good as chocolate, they're a dirty liar and deserve a punch on their skinny, smug face. But this one actually tastes great and over the last couple of weeks, I've eaten a truckload of bananas."

Comedian and tops bloke Wil Anderson in his Sunday Telegraph Magazine column, taking my advice on the banana-custard-experience (BCE).

Note that Wil and I are not really mates. He just couldn't plug the Slabs to Abs Challenge we've been working on. In any case, top job on making the party-in-your-mouth switch from chocolate.

9 March - Nutrition course goes nuts

Here are the handsome bunch of people who joined my in Adelaide this weekend for my Nutrition for Fat Loss Course. Thanks for a great time learning and laughing!

You can't see it, but they are holding 30g portion packs of mixed nuts, which are an ideal afternoon snack to avoid "three-thirty-itis".

You can learn more about why nuts are nature's vitamin pills at Nuts for Life, who I have to thank for their kind support for my 2008 tour.

9 March - Anyone else climbing aboard the diet shake bandwagon?

On December 10, 2007, I listed the pros and cons of diet shakes and predicted a glut of shake products to hit the market. So, now I'm not surprised to see two more players buy into the meal replacement game.

Dr Sandra Gabot now has full-page Sunday paper advertisements for her new diet shake range and Chemplus pharmacies have an AlphaSlim diet shake product in their Autumn catalogue.

Anyone else want to join in the drinking frenzy, which is clearly becoming the latest trend in dieting. Sure, calorie-controlled shakes limit portions and can get quick results... but in studies on how these work you'll see a substantual weight rebound between 6 - 12 months on shakes.

My main concern is that someone on a low-energy shake diet without exercise is likely to lose muscle mass. Without the protective impact of physical activity, especially strength training, muscle mass will reduce over time.

When you come off the shakes at some stage, you're left with a lowered metabolic rate and an increased propensity to regain lost weight and more.

I can see the headline now, "I tried shakes for 6 months and ended up fatter." Not good publicity. This, and the fact that I'm a real foodie means I'm in the anti-shake camp.

If you or someone you know has tried shakes and disagree, please let me know.

6 March - What's a Weight Watcher's point worth?

I picked up the flyer on the right from a local Muffin Break and discovered Weight Watcher's muffins are worth 3 to 3 1/2 points.

But how much is a point?

A point is around 300 kJ, so the 3 1/2 point muffin should have around 1150 kJ. One of these had 1010 kJ, so pretty close.

Point-wise, a Weight Watcher's plan is quite commonly 18 - 20 points or around 5400 - 6000 kJ.

You should get your points from healthy foods and Weight Watcher's certainly help teach you how to do this.

But as one woman said to me recently, "My points are perfectly balanced. I have half of them from food and half from alcohol."

Please spend your points wisely!