No.1 for Interviews - Gillian McKeith
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‘Alex has a cheek to talk about the nation’s health’
Outspoken TV Nutritionist Gillian McKeith explains to Cara Kennedy why she thinks that it is imperative Scotland’s First Minister gets on her weight loss programme – and soon
Best known for her strict, no nonsense attitude to healthy living Gillian McKeith cuts a formidable figure. Reminiscent of an army Sergeant Major (albeit a pint-sized one) it is her mission in life to make all of us healthier – and she is not afraid to use military-style tactics to achieve her objective. A holistic nutritionist with over 15 years of experience in the field, she has brought healthy living to our attention thanks to her prime time television show You Are What You Eat. Now broadcast in more than 34 different countries, the programme has become somewhat of a phenomenon as millions of viewers tune in to see Gillian take on people whose poor diets were affecting far more than just their weight. Lethargy, depression, breathing difficulties, headaches, dizziness, joint pain – all were common complaints and most were brought on by eating the wrong foods. We may have known that eating junk would cause us to put on weight but it came as more than a bit of a shock to learn that it was actually doing far more damage.
Gillian’s approach is simple but effective; eat right, exercise and set your mind to it, and she has spread the word not just through her TV show but through a number of bestselling books. Her latest entitled Boot Camp Diet focuses on making long-term changes for the better – and the results are staggering. It is fair to say that we were a little apprehensive when faced with the thought of meeting Ms McKeith, after all this is a lady who has a reputation for being one tough cookie (a tofu one of course!) However, we needn’t have worried. Contrary to her persona on TV she is open, warm, caring and very, very funny. She shocked us with her revelation that she herself was once overweight and intrigued us with her reasons for wanting to get into politics!
What do you think about the state of the nation’s health?
It’s terrible. I think we are a nation who doesn’t know how to cook for ourselves and as such we have adopted a fast food lifestyle. Sitting down at computers all day long and schools cutting back on physical education doesn’t help. There’s definitely an awareness now that we never had before but obesity and type 2 diabetes is on the rise so we’ve got to make a stand.
Scotland has a particularly bad health record – why do you think that is?
I was once asked about a whole plan of action for health in Scotland and it was taken to the Scottish Parliament and they didn’t get even back to me! I want to meet Alex Salmond and I want to have a good old chat with him. There is a lot to be done but we could turn the state of the nation’s health around and we should start with Alex! I really want to get him on the show. Change comes from the top; those in power really have to set an example. He seems like a lovely guy, really passionate about his job but he really has a cheek. It’s terrible that he is talking about the state of the nation’s health and his belly is hanging over his belt. I really want him to take a stand and I’m here to help.
Tell us a bit about your latest book Boot Camp Diet, what is the thinking behind it?
I want to give people a plan for life – a lifestyle change, so that they can really take responsibility for their own health. It says ‘diet’ but it’s not in the conventional sense where that means cutting out, cutting calories and becoming a mathematician to work out what to eat! I don’t want people to do that. I’m just using the word ‘diet’ to get people to think about what they are putting in their bodies and how they are living their lives.
How does your plan help people become healthier?
I call it a trinity approach as the plan encompasses mind, body and spirit. Firstly you look at food and what you are putting into your body. Secondly you need to look at the psycho-emotional element of what makes you do what you do, which is vital in order to make a lasting change. For example, do you comfort eat? Is it a pattern that you developed in childhood? The third element is really a soulful one and teaches us how to get rid of
self-doubt. What I’ve found is that people come to me saying, ‘I really want to lose weight’ and in the next breath they’re saying, ‘I’m so fat, I’ll never be a size 12.’ As soon as people start that I tell them, ‘You’re right you never will because you’ve decided that it’s not possible.’ If you don’t tackle the emotional issues then you just can’t change.
How exactly does it work?
The book covers the first 14 days of the plan step by step but once you’ve done that I don’t just leave people there. I want them to join the Boot Camp online where they can be with like-minded people who are all doing the programme together. I think that’s really important because often you find that family and friends don’t actually want them to succeed. I’ve had husbands come to me and say, ‘I don’t want her to lose too much weight because she might look too good and I don’t want her to leave me.’ You need people around you who genuinely support you and who you can talk to. There’s also nutritional advice on there, forums and live chats which I take part in so it really is a great little world that you can live in while you take on these new concepts. I’ve also recorded some music workout downloads called Boot Camp Walking Workouts and they are available from iTunes and Tesco Digital. Someone had once said to me, ‘If I had your voice in my head I would exercise.’ So I decided to re-record hits from the 70s, 80s and top 40 and have added my voice motivating you along.
It sounds like you are always trying to find new ways of getting your message across.
I am and I think that’s important to do that to help people stay motivated. What will work with one person won’t necessarily work with another so you need to come up with enough ideas to keep people interested. I really do care. I’m very passionate about what I do and I do care deeply that people get results.
You have over 15 years experience in the field of holistic nutrition – can you explain to us what that is?
Holistic means going beyond just one concept so it’s not just about the food; it’s about the whole body. You look at the psychology of why people do what they do and the emotions involved in it. It’s not handing someone a meal plan and saying, ‘Here you go.’ It’s looking at body, mind and spirit.
Tell us how you became interested in this field.
Many years ago I was really ill and it was holistic care that got me better. For two and a half years no one could work out what was wrong with me and at one point I was even misdiagnosed with a brain tumour. That was really the catalyst that got me on the path of holistic nutrition and that’s why I am so passionate about it. I do understand what it feels like to not be well and to be frustrated – I don’t want anyone to ever be in the position that I was in. I was on injectable painkillers at one point because I was having these migraines that were just horrific.
Are you well now?
I’m great now and it was holistic nutrition that got me here. Looking back, my illness was really a gift because now I can empathise with people. Most of the time my clients don’t even know about my story. They often say to me, ‘You don’t know, you’ve never felt like this.’ Or, ‘You’ve never been overweight’ and I can say, ‘Actually I have.’ I once felt awful and was three stone overweight so when I say, ‘Yes I do know what it’s like’ it all of a sudden changes everything and I feel I have every right to be as bossy as I like! [Laughs]
You have presented the hit television series You Are What You Eat for a number of years now – do you still enjoy doing it?
I absolutely love it because it allows me to reach a wider audience. I love working one-on-one but I want to reach more people because the results that I’m getting are so great that I want as many people as possible to know about it. It’s really rewarding to see people going from rubbish diets to a whole new way of life. There was this girl who was on a show I did called Three Fat Brides One Thin Dress – which was a horrible title by the way, I did not pick that – and she really embraced the programme. After just three or four weeks she called me and told me she need to see me. I thought, ‘Oh here we go, she’s going to complain about my adueki bean stew or something’ but in actual fact she told me that she could no longer marry her fiancé. She said that being on the programme had helped her see clearly for the first time so she had given up her job, had dumped her fiancé and she was moving to America! I got an email from her a couple of months ago saying that she was still in America, had become a children’s book writer and had lost all the weight she had to. Hearing that was so rewarding! I could see that she just had no energy and no brainpower from the way she was eating before. Rubbish food makes you lifeless so you can’t really get out of the rut you are in because you have no energy.
Is it true that you approach people on the street and tell them they should be on your show?
Yes I do. In fact I saw a mother and daughter when I was in Perth recently and I begged them to come on the show. They were walking down a street and they saw me and darted off into a shop but I followed them. They tried to hide from me – can you believe it? [Laughs] They were very reluctant but I eventually managed to get their telephone number. I try not to embarrass people but I want to help them and I know I can. People get into a comfortable sort of groove where they think they’re okay but they’re not, they could have so much more energy.
It is obvious from speaking to you that you really care but on TV you come across as being tough and, if we’re honest, a little scary. Do feel that you are portrayed fairly on the show?
No, definitely not. People think they know me but they really don’t. People are always surprised that I’m much nicer and funnier in real life! Yes I am tough with people because I don’t want to waste my time and I don’t want to waste their’s. I used to be very relaxed and very calm about everything and Miss Nice Nutritionist until a client of mine came in one day and banged a bottle of vodka and a packet of cigarettes down on my desk and said, ‘I’ll do your diet honey but I won’t give up these.’ I realised then and there that I had to tell it how it was or I had to stop working as I was enabling people to stay in their ruts. So all of a sudden I heard a voice shouting, ‘Get out of my office’ – and I realised it was me! She was horrified but she stayed and we binned those cigarettes and poured that vodka down the sink! That was my turning point and I’ve never looked back.
So there’s a whole other side to you then?
The editing on television is brutal. It’s entertainment at the end of the day and that was what I wanted. I knew that the only way to get anything to do with health in a prime time slot was to make it entertaining. I still would have liked to have shown the other side of me but if getting my message out there means that I look like a finger waving mad lunatic that looks at poo then so be it. [Laughs hysterically]
Why do some people find it easier to lose weight than others?
It can be linked to genetics but in most cases it actually has a lot to do with how people lived their lives in the run up to losing weight. If they have been on yo-yo diets they may very well have slowed down their metabolisms. A lot of people who are obese or morbidly obese actually don’t eat that much, you would be very surprised. It is likely to take such people longer to lose weight as they have to get their metabolism to be more efficient. It’s very interesting as overweight people have been looked down upon by some as being pigs when it comes to eating and that’s not necessarily the case.
So even if people have tried all different sorts of diets in the past without success they will see results with your plan?
Absolutely, they will definitely get results. I’ve never had anyone do my plans who haven’t got results.
Do you get annoyed when you see people you have helped and they have slipped back into their old bad habits and put weight back on?
Oh God yeah! I read people the riot act. But it is not about me shouting at them and being angry with them it’s about showing them that they can move on from it. Just because they went off and bought a chocolate bar doesn’t mean that all is lost – you just need to keep going.
Do you practice what you preach and stick to your own dietary advice?
Absolutely. I love it, I love feeling energised and I love the life. I live it and breathe it without a doubt.
Do your children eat healthily?
They have to, there’s nothing else for them to eat!
Do you ever have problems with them and
junk food?
They’ve been brought up to eat the way that I want them to eat because that’s all that they’ve ever known. They’ve also been around a lot of the people who take part in my TV shows so they’ve seen first hand the struggle that these people have and also the damage that a poor diet does. When we eat something I’ll explain why we are eating it so they have a lot of knowledge that maybe the average child wouldn’t have. I’ve never told them that they can’t have anything because I don’t want any little rebels on my hands! They make their own choices – and they are usually good ones!
What would be your advice for those wanting to make sure that they and their families are leading fit and healthy lives?
I think the key to kids eating healthily is for you to eat healthily yourself. You can’t be an example if you are hiding behind the sofa stuffing yourself with chocolate éclairs. Get the kids involved, teach them how to make healthy treats and teach them how to cook. I’ve taught my 14-year-old how to cook a few meals and it not only means that she’s developed a love and understanding for food but it means that every so often I can put my feet up and she can make dinner!
Quick fire
What is your biggest vice?
I eat too many mangos! [Laughs]
What do you never leave the house without?
Food
How do you relax?
I love to dance. At night when I come home I’ll just dance around and go crazy to The Ting Tings – my daughter keeps me up to date with all the latest hits!
What is the last thing you do at night?
I drink a cup of warm water and I do a breathing exercise to calm everything down
Which celeb would you like to work with?
To be honest I would love to get my hands on Enrique Iglesias – not that he needs my help! [Laughs hysterically]
What do you always carry in your handbag?
A bottle of water and packets of nuts or seeds
No.1 contacted the First Minister’s Communications Team and put to them a number of questions.
No.1: Gillian McKeith has concerns that the FM isn’t leading by example in terms of his own eating habits. What are his views on this?
The work that the Scottish Government has been doing for the past year or so to support Scottish food – especially through the personal support that the First Minster showed to Stephen Jardine's fantastic ‘Eat Scottish’ campaign on stv's five thirty show – has really underlined to the First Minister how important it is to not only pursue a balanced and nutritious diet, but has also shown that Scotland can provide the range of healthy, nutritious, high quality yet affordable products to do this locally. The First Minister had a week of eating purely Scottish foods.
No.1: Change has to come from the top so what we want to know is would the First Minister be interested in embarking on a healthy eating plan?
That was what he did as part of his ‘Eat Scottish’ week. He’s done that and he continues to pay close attention to the issue.
No.1: Is following that healthy diet something that he still does now?
On the back of the various initiatives over the past year or so, the First Minister is obviously very committed to these issues, and has also encouraged Cabinet Secretaries to follow his ‘Eat Scottish’ lead.
Gillian’s Top Tips for Healthier Living
• Drink more water. You should drink two litres over the course of the day plus herbal teas such as nettle, fennel and peppermint
• Get moving. A walk or some sort of exercise before you eat is extremely beneficial. Remember, it is very easy to fit in a 15 minute walk at lunchtime
• Develop a positive attitude about yourself. Write down your goals and plot how you’re going to get there – it will give you focus
• Keep a food diary so that you can identify what you are eating and why you are eating it. It is also important to plan out your meals for the week so that they are full of healthy alternatives.
• Eat more greens. That includes leafy green vegetables such as iceberg lettuce and rocket.
• Add more raw foods to your diet. Every time you have something cooked, eat something raw. And don’t forget to eat more greens!
• Have six meals a day: breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and dinner, snack! If you do this you won’t get sugar cravings and you won’t have that blood sugar drop
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