Health and Wellbeing: The fat formula

THE basic formula for losing weight is simple: eat less, plus exercise, equals slim body. But it isn't always that simple. People don't just wake up one day and – boom! – they're clinically obese.

They gain weight over months and years. Eating just a bit more than they need, while slowly becoming less active, is what ultimately leads to piling on the pounds.

So what if we were to take these incremental changes and turn them on their head? And instead of making daunting lifestyle alterations, we took small, manageable steps that added up.

According to a study by obesity expert Dr James O Hill of the University of Colorado, the difference between fat and thin might be as little as 100 calories a day. That's a tablespoon of butter or less than a can of fizzy juice – and in exercise terms about 15 minutes of walking or 2,000 steps. Theoretically, cutting 100 calories a day could lead to a loss of ten pounds a year.

Charlotte Church claims her recent three-stone weight loss was down to little things such as quitting sweets. In the same way, the following may not sound like much, but you'll be doing them every day, and that's when they'll start to count.

GET RESTLESS

It has been seen as the non-productive fussing and twiddling of scatty people, but fidgeting has just become the latest weapon in the war against fat.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in the United States have concluded that, while diet and exercise are important in weight control, fidgeting and general restlessness may actually play a bigger role in who's fat and who's thin.

Frequent small movements – such us shifting in your seat, rocking on your heels and tapping your pen – are known as NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) and can add significantly to the number of calories we burn off .

Naturally lean people use an extra 350 calories a day fidgeting, so why not try a little swivel, tap or wiggle here and there to ease off a few pounds in the course of a year?

EAT SLOWLY

Wolfing down your food is not only bad manners, it leaves you in danger of over-eating, according to a study published by the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Your body uses a complex system of signals to control your appetite, and the rate at which you eat can have an effect. The longer you take over your meal, the more appetite-suppressing hormones are released, leading to a feeling of fullness quicker.

Aim to put down your fork between bites, choose crunchy food that takes longer to chew, and savour your meal. Being the last to finish doesn't always have to be a bad thing.

GET UP EVERY TIME THE PHONE RINGS

Kick back and relax for more than half an hour at a time and your metabolic rate starts to drop, according to a new study from the University of Queensland.

Throw a few light activities, such as putting out the rubbish or folding laundry, into the daily mix and you'll have a slimmer waist, a lower BMI (body mass index) and healthier blood fat and sugar levels.

Why is the little stuff so important? The theory is that key fat-burning enzymes responsible for breaking down a type of fat, called triglycerides, simply start switching off if you're inactive for long periods of time.

So, if much of your working day involves sitting down, then how can you fight back?

Aim never to sit for longer than half an hour at a time. The difference between staying at your desk and pacing the room for a few minutes can be as much as 100 calories.

Pick the farthest away parking space. Take the stairs instead of the lift. Re-think how you travel to work and consider cycling or walking. And when the phone rings, get up to answer it, then walk around for a few minutes while you are having your chat.

DON'T FINISH YOUR MEAL

For most of mankind's history, the challenge has been to eat enough to maintain an ideal weight. Today, it is all about restricting our food intake to meet our unnaturally sedentary lifestyles. This disparity has been dubbed the "energy gap" by Dr James O Hill of the University of Colorado, and we must master it if we are to stay slim.

Readjusting your potion size, or even just recognising when you've had enough, can create an energy gap that will push your body into fat-burning mode. So even if your mother would disapprove, aim to always leave something on your plate.

• This article was first published in The Scotland On Sunday on April 04, 2010