As Christmas approaches, it brings with it what seems like an inevitable growth in the waistline. For most people, parties are an added extra. But nannies not only have the seasonal celebrations with friends and family, they also have to attend all the children's festivities, where they are tempted by an array of cakes, puddings, biscuits, savouries, sweets and sugary drinks.
Lisa Osborne has become an expert on the diet pitfalls facing nannies. Lisa gained her NNEB in 1994 and worked as a family nanny for six years before she took up maternity nursing. She says, 'I was quite a plump child and I got teased at school. But I have a very strong personality and I was determined not to let what other people thought about my size spoil my life or stop me having fun. I've always had a great social life and lots of friends.
'As a nanny it's so easy to put on weight. When you start with a newborn baby, as I did in my first two jobs, there is no reason to race around. You spend a lot of time sitting calmly and feeding the baby. When babies start on solid food it's tempting to eat rather than waste the leftovers. There are always biscuits and cakes at children's tea parties. And when you're holding a toddler's hand you can't walk quickly, and if you're transporting more than two children it is a lot more practical to go by car.
'As a maternity nurse it's even easier to put on weight. Working over a 24-hour period, you always fit in at least one extra snack and quite often you will go out to lunch with the mother to somewhere the food is irresistibly delicious.
'After a long stint of maternity nursing I took time out to travel to Australia. In spite of skydiving, white water rafting, parties where I danced through the night and lots of energetic activities, I put on even more weight and I did not like the photos of myself when I came back. I really didn't want my lasting souvenir of Australia to be kangaroo hips. So I decided that once and for all, I had to do something drastic about my weight.
'I had tried many diets as a child and young adult, but I had never stuck to any of them. I needed a very strong force to ensure I didn't lapse back into bad eating habits.
'It so happened that the BBC had advertised for people to join a national diet trial, which involved the participants being filmed continuously over two six-month periods. I sent in my details and was invited to an audition - and then was picked to be one of the contenders on 'Diet Trials'.
'I figured that if I had cameras watching my every mouthful I wouldn't cheat. I was very lucky in the particular diet I was allocated by the programme makers, because it included most of the food I liked - pizza, puddings and even alcohol fell into the treat allowance. I had a daily calorie intake which was worked out according to my age, height and weight, and I had to stick to foods that contained less than four per cent fat.
'In my previous "I am definitely going to lose weight" phases, I had always looked at the "low fat" label and decided that product must be good for me.
But the BBC's diet people taught me how to read the "nutrition information" in the small print on the back of the label. This tells you the percentage of fat or how many grams of fat there are in 100 grams of the food. I was shocked to discover that my favourite brand of "low fat" crisps actually contains 20 per cent fat.
'There are lots of low fat, ready-prepared meals on the market, so before my next maternity nursing job I bought in a supply to put in the family freezer so I was able to regulate my eating. As part of the weight loss plan I had to attend at least one exercise class a week. The BBC arranged that wherever I was, there would be a class for me. Obviously, caring for a newborn does not provide much natural exercise, so I had to improvise. Most London houses have a lot of stairs, so I made a point of running up the stairs at least eight times a day.
'The cameras came into my life on the second of August last year. They weren't there all the time but turned up at random. I was filmed at home with my family, in some of my jobs, when I was out with friends and when I was on holiday. At first it seemed strange and intrusive, but the two camera girls were great and we became friends, so I tended to forget I was being filmed.
'I think the cameras definitely helped me to stay on the straight and narrow in the beginning. When they weren't there I felt that a lot of people I liked had invested time, money and effort in me, so I would really be letting them down if I didn't stick to the diet and fitness regime. But by halfway through the programme I felt so much fitter that I made up my mind to continue losing weight. Keeping the weight off isn't just a question of appearance - I felt so much better and seemed to have so much more energy.
'I was invited to do photo shoots for the TV Times, Best and Now magazines.
These were brilliant confidence boosters. Before the photos I was given a complete makeover and could choose a glamorous outfit to wear. It was also a great experience to appear on the 'Kilroy' TV show when diet was being discussed. Although I'm determined to reach my target weight, I know that with the right clothes, make-up and hair I can still look good, even if my hips are bigger than I'd like.
'By the end of the first six months, when the cameras went away, I had lost one and a half stone. In the next six months I lost another stone. This made me feel incredibly positive, so this summer I made some big changes to my life. I moved back home and gave up maternity nursing in favour of a daily nanny job. Then I took the plunge and bought my own house near my family. This has given me much greater control over my life. Now I can go to two exercise classes a week, and in case my willpower fails, I see a personal trainer twice a week who goads me into being even more active.
'To succeed at losing weight you have to plan your life and know your weaknesses. I shop carefully and only buy low fat foods. If I want to snack at home there are no rich cakes or chocolate bars to tempt me.
'The trouble with sweet foods is that they give you a quick rush of energy and wellbeing, then a strong desire for more. I've never smoked, but I can imagine that when you're hungry and surrounded by sweet foods the craving must be as strong as needing nicotine. On my diet the daily "sweet treat" was a snack-size picnic bar or equivalent. You can imagine how easy it would be to devour a month's worth of treats in one afternoon party. At times like this your brain kicks in with ideas like, "if I get up an hour early and go for a run before breakfast I can have another chocolate mini-roll or two" - but of course when the alarm goes off the next morning, common sense tells you that you don't want to go running on your own in the dark.
'When I was filmed at a children's party the first time, my friends had provided chopped carrots and cucumbers, so with the cameras on me it was easy to walk past all the cakes. Since you can't guarantee there will always be healthy options available at parties, I always bring my own snackbox now, usually with carrot sticks which take ages to eat, and I decide I will not touch anything else. I have discovered a brand of genuinely low fat crisps, and I satisfy my sweet cravings with a low fat cake bar.
'When I go to grown-up parties, as I'm a very sociable person I won't be happy to sit in a corner clutching a diet Coke, so I save up my daily "treats" so I can drink alcohol when I really want to let my hair down.
'Looking back over the past 15 months or so, I know that I'm one of the "Diet Trials" success stories. Lots of other people just gave up. But I have never become a diet-obsessed stick insect. I've had my bad days and my lazy days, and I haven't sacrificed my enjoyment of life. Even though I've been less than perfect, I've changed the food I eat, I take a lot more exercise and I do - mostly - say "no" to sweet treats at children's parties.'
LISA'S TIPS FOR SUCCESS
* Never skip meals.
* No matter how large the 'low fat' label on a product is, always check the actual fat content in the small print before you decide to eat it.
* At certain times you will crave sweet foods, so make sure you buy the low fat healthy options.
* Scrape all leftovers straight into the bin.
* At children's parties, always make sure that fruit and vegetable snacks, such as seedless grapes, cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks or chopped cucumbers are available.
* If you just can't resist sweet foods, do not have your daily treat at a children's party - one cake will only make you crave lots more. Bring your own low fat snacks.
* When you shop, plan your meals in advance, and don't buy bargain-size packs of 'treats'.
* Wherever possible, walk rather than drive with the children.
* Drink mineral water rather than tea or coffee.
* Don't be discouraged if you do occasionally lapse from a diet. Start again the next day.
* Losing weight is not a short-term achievement. To stay slim and fit you need to change your food choices and your lifestyle.
* Give yourself a confidence boost for the party season - with great hair, good make-up, the right clothes and a positive attitude, no one will be looking at your hips!
