Dear Donovan,

In five weeks I have lost two pounds and my weight is now 136 pounds. I am five feet and half inch tall. But my body fat has increased from 39.1 per cent to 40 per cent even though I have lost two pounds. Where have I gone wrong? I go to the gym, but I haven’t been there for four weeks now. I have reduced my intake of carbs and I eat more sweet potatoes, butternut squash and vegetables, fish and white meat. Please guide me in losing weight and keeping it off.

Congratulations on your two-pound weight loss. However, over a five-week period you could have lost some more weight on a good weight loss programme. I am not sure why your body fat composition changed from 39.1 to 40 per cent. The usual expectation is that since you have lost two pounds your body fat composition should have gone down. However, there are some ideas in my mind why you did not see a reduction in your body fat composition.

For example, if your weight loss has been mainly water weight, then this may not change your fat composition. Also, if you use two different instruments to check your body fat composition, there could be a difference, and if you use different scales to check your weight, you could also get a difference. Further investigation into why your body fat composition has increased would have to be done to get a direct answer. However, that aside, two pounds after five weeks is a little low — you could do more.

It is quite possible that you lost these two pounds in the first week of your programme and nothing since. However, changes will have to be done in your programme to continue to get weight loss and not hit a weight plateau. In most cases, for your weight loss to be continuous and successful, you need a nutritionist to work with you. But I will help you to jump-start your weight loss programme.

The first thing I would suggest you do is to restart your exercise programme. Try and get in at least half an hour to 45 minutes each day. Exercise will help to keep you healthy and also reduce some calories, which would help you in your weight loss. Try and stick more to cardio exercises — you don’t want to build muscles. You are eating healthy but you will have to reduce your portions and calorie intake in order to push your weight loss programme. This you can do by reducing your portion size at each meal.

You could also help yourself by eating from a smaller plate. You could also try not to eat unhealthy snacks between meals. Overall, in order to get further weight loss, you will have to reduce your calories and /or food intake. Try this and you should get some results. In order to reduce your weight, your programme has to become a lifestyle.

Good luck!

We will answer your weight- related questions

Are you struggling to lose weight or just need some advice on living a healthier life? Tell us about your health issues and we’ll have nutritionist and wellness coach Donovan Grant answer them for you. Grant has over 12 years experience in the fitness industry and is the owner of DG’s Nutrition and Wellness Centre, Suite 16, 39 Lady Musgrave Road, Kingston 5. Send your questions to clarkep@jamaicaobserver.com.