0:00:03 > 0:00:05Wales's biggest slimmer is getting smaller.
0:00:05 > 0:00:07Since his stomach operation in India,
0:00:07 > 0:00:10we've been following Zac Smith's ups...
0:00:10 > 0:00:14Down around 118 kilos, which is massive!
0:00:14 > 0:00:16..and his downs.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20You know, I look in the mirror sometimes, and I see THIS guy.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23As obesity levels continue to rise,
0:00:23 > 0:00:27are we all doing the right thing to keep our weight down?
0:00:27 > 0:00:28We cannot exercise away
0:00:28 > 0:00:31the junk that we are currently putting into the human body.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35We need somebody to tell us what we should be putting in our mouths.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37We ask whether there should be a radical change
0:00:37 > 0:00:39in the dietary advice we get.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42- 58? Get lost!- 58, look!
0:00:42 > 0:00:45And will Zac at last get into the clothes he wants to?
0:00:49 > 0:00:52I'm on my journey, and nothing's stopping me.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04It's a personal thing. You know, it's one year since my surgery.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08I want to mark it, so I know exactly where I'm at
0:01:08 > 0:01:11and, you know, go from there.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15Zac Smith's off to his monthly weigh-in at Barry Hospital.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17But today's a special day -
0:01:17 > 0:01:20one year since his life-changing stomach operation.
0:01:20 > 0:01:25I feel like a new man, I feel like I was a catalyst and I've been reborn.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30It's an opportunity to reinvent yourself.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37When we first met Zac more than a year ago,
0:01:37 > 0:01:42he was just under 50 stone after a lifetime of overeating.
0:01:42 > 0:01:43Food was nice. It was...
0:01:43 > 0:01:49My association with love and values was round the table at home
0:01:49 > 0:01:52and special occasions when you're with your family.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55You know, when you're family's not around and you're feeling low,
0:01:55 > 0:01:59you want that. That warmth, that feeling.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02And I suppose, on some levels, I got it from food.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10My hope for the future, first of all, is to have a future.
0:02:10 > 0:02:16Second is to get healthy, you know, fit and lose this weight.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21Third is to one day get out there and get a job.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27The opportunities are now in my dreams.
0:02:34 > 0:02:35And this is him now.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40It's been a monumental year for me.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44It's like, when I look back, it's like looking at a different person.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49You know, I sometimes find it hard to...
0:02:49 > 0:02:53imagine that I got to that point which I had done.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56'Back at Barry Hospital,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59'37-year-old Zac's just found out how much he's lost.'
0:02:59 > 0:03:01How'd it go, Zac?
0:03:01 > 0:03:02Yeah, all right.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05'It's exactly a year after his op.'
0:03:05 > 0:03:08I'm down to 199kg,
0:03:08 > 0:03:13which is just over 31, well, 31.1.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17So, that's... You know, that's 19 stone.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19How does that represent as a loss, then?
0:03:19 > 0:03:22- It's massive. It's like losing a whole person, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34Where on your body would you say the weight's coming off?
0:03:34 > 0:03:36From the top.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39You can see, it's quite evident round here.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43So here is where I want it to go, but, of course, it's gravity,
0:03:43 > 0:03:44and everything drops.
0:03:44 > 0:03:50So, this is where is going to be the last place for it to go,
0:03:50 > 0:03:55but my legs - they're all fat-free, practically.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58My arms have got the chicken wings! HE LAUGHS
0:03:58 > 0:04:00But they're going.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06It is such a long journey
0:04:06 > 0:04:10and, yes, I knew in my mind that it would be a long journey,
0:04:10 > 0:04:15but you don't always, you know, realise that as you're going.
0:04:16 > 0:04:21Some days, I wake up and my head goes down and that's hard.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23That is a hard thing to get through,
0:04:23 > 0:04:26especially as I do a lot of this on my own.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39Zac had to pay and go to India for a stomach operation.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42The NHS had refused him because of rationing.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45- Very good.- I'm still here!
0:04:45 > 0:04:49But bariatric procedures like these don't guarantee weight loss.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52Zac knew it would be down to him,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55and sometimes, he's been unsure he can keep it all up.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58He's been keeping a diary.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02I haven't come this far for it to fail.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06It's not going to fail - this is what I want, this is my life.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10This is the way I'm going to get to have my life.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12But I've got to face reality, you know,
0:05:12 > 0:05:16I suffered with depression for a long time and, you know,
0:05:16 > 0:05:20there was links between depression and my emotional eating
0:05:20 > 0:05:25and these are things that slowly I've got to work through.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30Wales's top obesity surgeon says you need a lot of support
0:05:30 > 0:05:33for bariatric procedures to work long-term.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37When you look at every study that's ever been done,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39when you look at their weight over time,
0:05:39 > 0:05:41initial good weight loss,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44but over time, there's a gradual creep up.
0:05:44 > 0:05:51And that's largely because the patient learns little ruses for cheating.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56The patient fails to adhere to their diet, or doesn't exercise.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59But particularly the dietary thing,
0:05:59 > 0:06:03because you haven't altered the primary problem in the brain.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06- And our relationship with food. - Yeah, exactly.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08And maybe the need for a psychologist
0:06:08 > 0:06:11to explore their relationship with food -
0:06:11 > 0:06:17why they like eating so much - can also be helpful.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20It's tough, but Zac is determined.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24Erm, onwards and upwards.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28Next year, I'd love nothing more than to lose, say,
0:06:28 > 0:06:32another ten stone, if I can.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34That would be brilliant.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38You know, let's keep it real, though.
0:06:38 > 0:06:43It does take a lot of focus, dedication and hard work.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48Although Zac can't afford specialist aftercare,
0:06:48 > 0:06:53he has been referred to a free 16-week exercise programme on the NHS.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56He's been using it to the full.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00It's one of my main sources of exercise.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05It's good cardiovascular, and you burn a lot of calories.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11Over a period of weeks, he's...
0:07:11 > 0:07:16We had to set goals and reset goals, because he was achieving so quickly.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18ZAC PUFFS
0:07:18 > 0:07:22Since he came in, I've seen his confidence grow.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26I've seen the smile on his face grow.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28I've seen the man shrink.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34You've shown me that it can be done. I can do it, and I am doing it.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38You know, I do... When we've hit goals, I can see.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42I sit down and I think, "Right, how to go forward?"
0:07:42 > 0:07:46- I'll not set myself ridiculous goals - that's how you fail.- Yeah.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50It was like re-entering society, if you like, for me.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Cos I've segregated myself for so long
0:07:53 > 0:07:55and resigned myself to, you know,
0:07:55 > 0:07:58"This is it, I'm going to die this way."
0:07:58 > 0:08:01So if I have to miss a session for various reasons,
0:08:01 > 0:08:04I get frustrated, I get...
0:08:04 > 0:08:07You know, I feel guilty, I get annoyed.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09And it's like I have to go and do SOMETHING.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14Telling people to eat less and exercise more
0:08:14 > 0:08:18is the standard government advice to maintain a healthy weight.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Some argue it's clearly not working -
0:08:21 > 0:08:24the percentage of obese Welsh adults
0:08:24 > 0:08:27has gone up from 18% to 21% in recent years -
0:08:27 > 0:08:29that's one in five of us.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31HEART MONITOR BEEPS
0:08:31 > 0:08:34It's why bariatric surgeons here at Morriston Hospital
0:08:34 > 0:08:36are busier than ever.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38They operate on 80 people a year.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41The unit's leader says they'll never meet the demand.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45It's now at epidemic proportions.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49Right at this instant, there's 5,000 people in Wales
0:08:49 > 0:08:54who satisfy the criteria for obesity surgery.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58Of which, we're funded to do around about 80 a year.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03And more disturbingly, they're coming on at 400 a year.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07So you can see, as far as the numbers game goes,
0:09:07 > 0:09:11we're never, ever going to reach a steady state.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15He operates on the morbidly obese - people who could die soon
0:09:15 > 0:09:18if they don't lose a large amount of weight fast.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23This procedure, to reduce stomach size,
0:09:23 > 0:09:28is what Zac had, but didn't qualify for, due to strict rationing.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33You have to have a body mass index of at least 50
0:09:33 > 0:09:37and have three associated life-threatening diseases, like diabetes.
0:09:39 > 0:09:44Zac's BMI was a massive 73, but he just wasn't sick enough yet.
0:09:44 > 0:09:49All we're doing is denying surgery to the less sick patients,
0:09:49 > 0:09:51but, of course, three or four years later,
0:09:51 > 0:09:56they then cross the line and then are eligible for surgery.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58It's bizarre, I know.
0:10:00 > 0:10:01The Welsh Government is looking at
0:10:01 > 0:10:05whether we're rationing bariatric surgery too strictly.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10Yes, we do need to review it in the light of recent evidence.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13'Dr Tony Jewell is the Welsh Government's
0:10:13 > 0:10:15'principal medical advisor.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18'More money was put into bariatric surgery last year,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21'but he recognises things may have changed.'
0:10:21 > 0:10:24Sounds like you accept that it saves lives
0:10:24 > 0:10:25and it will save the NHS money,
0:10:25 > 0:10:27so we should probably be doing more of it.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31Yes, and if we need to find the resources to support that,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34we need to identify where they'll come from,
0:10:34 > 0:10:38because as you know we're in a very tight financial situation,
0:10:38 > 0:10:42so these decisions are easy to say,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45quite difficult to deliver
0:10:45 > 0:10:49if you've got a tight financial regime.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53So the question to all of us is, what are we going to stop?
0:10:58 > 0:11:02Any loosening of rationing has come too late for Zac
0:11:02 > 0:11:06and he's still bitter about having to go private.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09But for now, he's enjoying being slimmer.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Look see, I'm sat in a lovely cafe here,
0:11:12 > 0:11:18which is something then I wouldn't even have dreamt of doing, for years.
0:11:18 > 0:11:24Unless I could have found a spot right outside the door,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27getting out the car and parking, it wouldn't happen.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32- You were embarrassed, scared, or what?- Yeah, a bit of both.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35You know, the fact that I could hardly walk, you know,
0:11:35 > 0:11:41and taking a tumble, I'm stuck on the floor. Nobody can help me up.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44You're talking the fire brigade and things like that.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47You know, it got to a point where I was that big
0:11:47 > 0:11:49that it does become embarrassing.
0:11:49 > 0:11:54You know, people looking, pointing, sniggering, all of these things.
0:11:54 > 0:12:00I would have rather just sat in my house and...rotted away, if you like.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05But Christmas is coming up fast. Zac is very nervous about it,
0:12:05 > 0:12:09especially with his liking for sweet treats and processed food.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13For someone who's on a weight-loss journey, like myself,
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Christmas is not the greatest time to be going visiting everyone,
0:12:16 > 0:12:19because everyone's got a big spread on everywhere.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21So, you know...I'm still learning.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24I'm still learning the mental elements
0:12:24 > 0:12:27of eating what I need, what the body needs,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30and not just because it's there and it's nice.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35The smaller stomach's not going to let you eat too much, is it?
0:12:35 > 0:12:40No, the stomach won't let me eat too much, but the mind can.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42You know, if you're eating chocolate,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45it melts in your stomach, you can pile loads of that in.
0:12:45 > 0:12:50So it is all about, you know, keeping my mindset focused.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Last Xmas, Zac had a difficult time with his new smaller stomach.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55Will it be different this year?
0:12:55 > 0:12:58Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!
0:12:58 > 0:13:00I'm here just about to have my dinner.
0:13:00 > 0:13:06Already got my plan straight in my head, and I'll keep you up to date.
0:13:06 > 0:13:07Have a good one.
0:13:07 > 0:13:12MUSIC: "Jingle Bells"
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Hi. Well, Christmas is been and gone,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18and I really enjoyed it, to be honest.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23No problems like last year with my stomach or anything.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27Had a good time, ate sensibly, ate well, enjoyed it,
0:13:27 > 0:13:29lots of treats and trimmings.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31Bring in the New Year.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34It's now just after eight o'clock in the morning,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37and I am off down the gym.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40Get back on my plan, back on track, keep it going,
0:13:40 > 0:13:44because this year is going to be the year.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47I'm going to smash it. This weight is gone.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50So it was an upbeat start to the New Year,
0:13:50 > 0:13:54but just a few days later, Zac had his first weigh-in since Christmas,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57and it was a big shock.
0:13:57 > 0:14:02Just not losing any weight at all... You know, it crushed me.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05Used to losing seven pounds every month,
0:14:05 > 0:14:09this was now a dangerous time. It actually kept him up at night.
0:14:09 > 0:14:14I've noticed on one or two occasions...
0:14:14 > 0:14:19feeling overwhelmed by my emotions.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23I've, er, reached for food, which is...
0:14:23 > 0:14:25You know, which I haven't done,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28this is the first time I've experienced it.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30And I'm a little bit scared.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36Without much back-up, Zac's been turning to the internet
0:14:36 > 0:14:38to get him through his bad patches.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42This is my favourite group which I'm a member of.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46After Christmas, I know I must have put on at least half a pound,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49a pound, and I was feeling very depressed,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52and I went on here and I was saying, "I can't believe it,"
0:14:52 > 0:14:58you know, "Christmas has been, I've lost no weight at my weigh-in."
0:14:58 > 0:15:02You have lots of "Come on, chin up, it's not that bad."
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Coming from people that are going through it
0:15:05 > 0:15:09or have been through it, it... It registers.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13On here, they're saying, "Look, it's Christmas.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15"You're allowed to let your hair down.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18"The fact that you've recognised that you did overindulge,
0:15:18 > 0:15:22"a sign that you are aware of what you're doing
0:15:22 > 0:15:23"and the journey you're on.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27"The whole point of doing this is for you to be able to have a life,
0:15:27 > 0:15:29"and go out and enjoy things."
0:15:32 > 0:15:37The man who's gone from this... to this...in a year,
0:15:37 > 0:15:40sometimes just can't see the huge progress he's made.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42That's the weird thing.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46Some days I walk in here and I have a little panic,
0:15:46 > 0:15:49because I think I'm bigger.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53It's a weird, horrible feeling, you know.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57You know...and it's a genuine thing.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01I look in that mirror sometimes and I see this guy.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09Do you see what I'm...?
0:16:09 > 0:16:11It's like, looking at these pictures,
0:16:11 > 0:16:13you have a picture to compare one to the other.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18But when I'm stood in that mirror, I'm just looking at myself,
0:16:18 > 0:16:23and I still think I look as big as I ever did.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33What d'you reckon, boy? Daddy losing weight?
0:16:36 > 0:16:39Zac's dilemma is that he needs to get his social life back
0:16:39 > 0:16:42without his old habits,
0:16:42 > 0:16:44avoiding alcohol and processed or sugary snacks
0:16:44 > 0:16:46that'll wreck his regime.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49Since the start of the year...
0:16:49 > 0:16:52it's nice that they welcomed me back in.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55There's no question about it, really, I'm still one of the boys,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58and...you know, we have a good laugh.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00No-one had seen him for ten years, literally.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03You know, I'm seeing him more and more often.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06He's coming up to the snooker club, a match on Wednesday,
0:17:06 > 0:17:08he's up for practice on a Monday.
0:17:08 > 0:17:09I think...
0:17:09 > 0:17:12But since you've got out and about...
0:17:12 > 0:17:16I mean, even walking round the snooker table is like exercise for you, innit?
0:17:17 > 0:17:20It is a social activity, and I love it.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24Doing what society says, let your hair down, go out and have a drink.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28My old lifestyle and my old way of thinking,
0:17:28 > 0:17:31once I've had a drink, tries to take over.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34If you like, it's the old me,
0:17:34 > 0:17:37saying, "Come on, you can do all this. You can drink all this."
0:17:37 > 0:17:42"Oh, yeah, it won't matter if you have had a few or a packet of crisps,
0:17:42 > 0:17:46"or have a little snack here and a little snack there."
0:17:46 > 0:17:47I really didn't like that.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55Oooh! Thanks for that.
0:17:55 > 0:17:56LAUGHTER
0:17:59 > 0:18:02'It's a mark of the determination of the man,
0:18:02 > 0:18:05'that as soon as he heard his weight was flat-lining,
0:18:05 > 0:18:06'Zac hit the gym even harder.'
0:18:08 > 0:18:11- What's driving him?- He is.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13We're just a support network.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16He's obviously an example to others,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19because I know that I'm inspired by him.
0:18:19 > 0:18:24I think by seeing me it just encouraged him to get in more
0:18:24 > 0:18:27and feel comfortable about doing it. Like we can come in, have a chat
0:18:27 > 0:18:31and without that thinking everyone's looking
0:18:31 > 0:18:33and doing that stupid stuff that people do, yeah.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37- Just meeting Zac helped. You know, meeting Zac.- I'm just me, innit?
0:18:37 > 0:18:40- Yeah.- And it's like, yeah, I encourage anyone.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44Someone to work out with, and, you know...
0:18:44 > 0:18:49And now he's, you know, he's on his way. On his way.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57Look, there. You see there?
0:18:57 > 0:19:02Total calorie expenditure, 79,792.
0:19:02 > 0:19:08That's accumulative since I've been using the gym.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11Er, today on the bike I've done 5.1K.
0:19:11 > 0:19:16Another 2,200 calories gone. And they're not coming back.
0:19:16 > 0:19:21- So you've used up more than 2,000 calories now.- Yeah.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24You've got to make sure that you don't put in 2,000 bad calories.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28- Well, I know. That's...not going to happen.- No. Why not?
0:19:28 > 0:19:30By the choices I make
0:19:30 > 0:19:34and the sheer fact that my stomach wouldn't allow me to anyway.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39'The reason I asked about bad calories was that I'd noticed
0:19:39 > 0:19:43'Zac having energy drinks and other sugary liquids.'
0:19:43 > 0:19:47Sometimes I feel really low and just drained.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49I don't do it all the time, you know,
0:19:49 > 0:19:55but after training, I will have a can of something or bottle of Lucozade,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58you know, and that seems to work.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07Biscuits, chocolate, confectionary, ice cream, pastries, pies, savoury snacks.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09Demonise all of those, please.
0:20:09 > 0:20:14In Wales, there's a woman who has no time for sugar or any other carbohydrates in the diet.
0:20:14 > 0:20:19Zoe Harcombe's one of a group of researchers and academics here
0:20:19 > 0:20:24and in the US who have controversial views about current government thinking.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28Our entire dietary advice is completely, 180 degrees wrong.
0:20:28 > 0:20:35'We have made 1.5 billion people across the developed world overweight or obese
0:20:35 > 0:20:38in about a 30-40 year period.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40And we will not admit that we were wrong.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44We used to believe floury and vegetable foods,
0:20:44 > 0:20:48starchy foods are fattening and sugary foods even more so.
0:20:48 > 0:20:54What do we tell people now? We tell them to base their meals on starchy foods -
0:20:54 > 0:20:56the things we had always known made people fat.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00She's particularly critical of the government's so-called
0:21:00 > 0:21:05Eatwell Plate, a common sight in doctors' surgeries and clinics.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08I'd tear down the Eatwell Plate from every school,
0:21:08 > 0:21:09hospital and surgery across Wales.
0:21:09 > 0:21:14If you look at it in detail - you can find it on the internet -
0:21:14 > 0:21:18you'll see Corn Flakes, Weetabix, white bagels, white bread.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22You won't believe this, but you'll see biscuits and sweets and Coca-Cola
0:21:22 > 0:21:25and sugared baked beans and sugared yoghurt
0:21:25 > 0:21:29and fruit juices that are just too sugary for the average human being.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31If that's a role model of healthy eating,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34to me that's an explanation of why we've got an obesity epidemic.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40Confused? Zoe Harcombe says don't be.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44Just avoid processed food if you want to stay slim, she says.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48Is that possible on £25 - the amount Zac spends every week?
0:21:48 > 0:21:52We sent her and Zac out shopping to compare purchases.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00Now and then, I do like to have a treat.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08I'll have one of them.
0:22:15 > 0:22:16It's a lot of temptation.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18I'm still learning.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20- Hiya.- Hiya.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25Zoe Harcombe's a fan of single ingredients,
0:22:25 > 0:22:28rather than processed food.
0:22:28 > 0:22:33- They're kidney beans in chilli... - And they've got sugar and maize starch.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36The drinks. I mean, the ready-meal. This...
0:22:36 > 0:22:40See the number of ingredients? Malt extract.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43Sometimes, in the evening,
0:22:43 > 0:22:47after I've been training, I crave something sweet.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50You need about a teaspoon of sugar in your blood at any time.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52When you've done your training session,
0:22:52 > 0:22:54let's say your blood glucose level
0:22:54 > 0:22:56is on the bottom of the normal range.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00Let's say that's the top of the normal range.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03That one teaspoon of sugar will get you from the bottom to the top.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Something like that - how many teaspoons do you think you've put in?
0:23:06 > 0:23:09- That's about 15? - The minute that happens,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12you shoot out of the top of the normal range.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15Then your body has to release insulin to get you back down,
0:23:15 > 0:23:19and you'll then be on this blood-glucose roller-coaster.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22Just have a cappuccino or something in the gym afterwards,
0:23:22 > 0:23:26with one teaspoon of sugar, that'll get you right back to the top of the normal range.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29Not ten teaspoons or whatever's in there.
0:23:29 > 0:23:36Zoe Harcombe has views which challenge the very foundations of current government advice.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38She says the Eatwell Plate is NOT balanced - there's too much
0:23:38 > 0:23:42carbohydrate or starchy food - more than 60%
0:23:42 > 0:23:44if you include fruit and veg.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47We put all this to the Chief Medical Officer.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51Well, it's a balanced plate, so at a glance, you'll see
0:23:51 > 0:23:54the green area is pretty big, and that's full of vegetables and fruit.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56Which are carbohydrates.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00Well, the vegetables and fruit are what we want to encourage.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04- There's the starch foods.- Also carbohydrates.- That's carbohydrates.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07Then we've got milk and cheese products in it.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09Which can have sugar in them.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12- Yoghurts and things like that are often sugary.- Indeed. Yeah.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15The Eatwell Plate is based on UK-wide advice.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Some have questioned how good it is.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22Food policy is complicated, because there are a variety
0:24:22 > 0:24:26of stakeholders and interest groups that have to be taken account of.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29- But government policy... - Do they? Really? I mean, sugar?
0:24:29 > 0:24:32The sugar industry - should we take account of the sugar industry
0:24:32 > 0:24:35in our advice for healthy eating?
0:24:35 > 0:24:37No, I mean, I think that...
0:24:37 > 0:24:40I mean, sugar - naturally originating sugar -
0:24:40 > 0:24:44is part of a diet, so...
0:24:44 > 0:24:47- Empty calories, some would say.- Ah, yes, indeed. White sugar. I know.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49I know about...
0:24:49 > 0:24:52Sugar in fizzy drinks is a problem for us,
0:24:52 > 0:24:56and the UK has a very high consumption of those, so...
0:24:56 > 0:24:58But they don't appear in that Eatwell Plate.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03Well, if you look hard enough, a lot of those are processed foods
0:25:03 > 0:25:08- and you can find sugar in them.- Yes, I mean... Yeah, we would need to look at that and... But I think...
0:25:08 > 0:25:12Would you? Would you tear up the Eatwell Plate, or change it?
0:25:12 > 0:25:16It's not for me to do, and it's not for the Welsh Government to do,
0:25:16 > 0:25:21because we participate in the advisory structures across the UK.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24Could we not declare an independent line here?
0:25:24 > 0:25:28Wales could go it alone and say, "Just eat real food, not processed."?
0:25:28 > 0:25:30Yeah, we could, and we DO say that, in fact.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33One way the Welsh Government is trying to do that
0:25:33 > 0:25:35is with schemes like this.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39We took Zac along to see the cooking bus.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43It's what I call a one-pot wonder.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47It visits schools, teaching children and their parents.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51Cookery's dropped out of the curriculum over the years -
0:25:51 > 0:25:55this is attempting to put some back, and tell people, if you cook,
0:25:55 > 0:25:57real food needn't be expensive.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01Fast food is full of calories. You don't know what's going in it.
0:26:01 > 0:26:06When you're preparing your own food, you understand
0:26:06 > 0:26:08what is going into it - the goodness -
0:26:08 > 0:26:10and what not to put in.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15In Wales, 21% of boys
0:26:15 > 0:26:19and 18% of girls aged 15 are overweight or obese -
0:26:19 > 0:26:23one of the highest percentages in the Western world.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27Critics say we just aren't doing enough on food to tackle the crisis.
0:26:27 > 0:26:32Nutrition is badly taught in medical schools.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36It's not taught in a lot of post-graduate areas.
0:26:36 > 0:26:42I think the average doctor in the NHS knows very little about nutrition.
0:26:42 > 0:26:49In order to slow down the inexorable rise of patients coming our way,
0:26:49 > 0:26:54I think a much greater emphasis should be put on good nutritional advice.
0:26:54 > 0:26:59There's not much good advice coming out from the medical profession about it,
0:26:59 > 0:27:04because they don't seem to be investing enough effort, in my view,
0:27:04 > 0:27:09about public education, about what IS a good diet,
0:27:09 > 0:27:12what people SHOULD be doing, and then once they give you advice,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15five minutes later they change their mind about it.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18But we do need almost like a nutrition tsar.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22We need somebody to tell us what we should be putting in our mouths.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27The Welsh government says a food tsar isn't needed.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29Its so-called obesity pathway, it says,
0:27:29 > 0:27:31is a comprehensive and joined-up approach.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38Whatever the experts are saying, Zac has to get to grips
0:27:38 > 0:27:42with his dietary demons on his own, and in the coming year.
0:27:45 > 0:27:50But to show him how far he's come already, I took him back to this shop, where,
0:27:50 > 0:27:54a year ago, he couldn't get into any of their button-up shirts.
0:27:58 > 0:28:04- 58.- 58? Get lost!- Look.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06- Last time, it was 70, 75?- Yep.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09You've lost a good 15, 16 inches.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18- That's an enormous improvement, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23Yeah. Feels good.
0:28:25 > 0:28:26Three Xs next.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30- That's the next programme, next year.- Yeah!
0:28:30 > 0:28:34- There you go, Zac.- Brilliant. Thank you.- Some outfits for you.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40Right now...
0:28:40 > 0:28:42my life is turned around.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46It can only get better, God willing.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48Speak to you soon.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd