Susie Burrell is one of Australia’s leading dietitians; she’s well known for her writing in popular Australian magazines and as the resident nutritionist on Channel 7’s Sunrise, also making regular appearances on Today Tonight. Susie has just published her third weight loss book, titled The Monday To Friday Diet, and we were lucky enough to ask her some questions about the new book.
Welcome to Beauty and Lace Susie, it’s a pleasure to have you with us.
What directed your career to the point where you’re now writing about your weight loss programs?
My interest in nutrition has always stemmed from a belief that the way we feel and perform on a daily basis comes back to how well we feel in our body and how well we look after it. So many people struggle with their weight; taking control via sound, sustainable dietary practices means they are in a position to function and perform at their best on a daily basis. I found a niche in being able to develop user friendly food plans that help people control their weight and my work has built on this ever since.
Can you tell us a little about your background?
I studied nutrition and psychology at Wollongong University and loved the behavioural change aspect of working with people. I started my career working with elite athletes which taught me a lot about motivation and goal orientated people as well as a lot about fat loss. Over time I developed a media profile and now split my time between seeking out news stories for my role on Sunrise, writing, seeing clients for weight control and consulting to key industry groups including BSc and Go Natural to help them develop and formulate the best products they can nutritionally.
Your new book is The Monday To Friday Diet, can you tell us a little about it?
The Monday To Friday Diet is all about taking control of each of the weekdays so that you have a strong food and lifestyle ritual for every day to help build strong daily habits that make eating well and training regularly programmed behaviours. As so many of us have frantic schedules during the week, the book really tries to give busy people structures, guidelines and ideas on how to strike a balance between enjoying life and also controlling calorie intake to support long term weight control.
What sets your program apart from others?
There is a major focus on key behavioural strategies to help balance shift work, commuting, long working days, family demands and a social life.
There is so much conflicting information in the market about weight loss. What is the single most important piece of advice you would give all your clients and readers?
Planning is the key to dietary success – if you do not start the week with the foods on hand you need to eat well, you will struggle nutritionally for the week.
Who can use and benefit from The Monday To Friday Diet?
Any busy person out there who is trying to juggle life, family, work and fun!
What are “food enemies”?
Food enemies are those people or situations in which we find ourselves encouraged to eat more – the colleagues at work who try and get us to eat cake, family members who give us massive serves, waiters who keep refilling our drinks – we need to be aware of potential food enemies out there and be prepared to manage them.
How do you suggest readers get back on track after what could well have been a holiday season of over-indulgence?
Don’t think about it, just do something that will help you to move forward – immediately, go for a walk, cook something healthy, make a soup, shop for some vegetables, stop ruminating and just do.
What does being a woman mean to you?
To me being a woman means having options – options to have a family, to work at a high level, to be hard, to be soft, to be driven, to be light, to be heavy, whatever you want to be all while having an emotive intuition and inner strength that can surpass all other energies when it needs to.
Thanks for taking the time to talk to us Susie and I will be sure to keep all of this in mind as I try to reverse my Christmas indulgences.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!