Q: Dear Donovan,

I really need to lose some weight but I don’t have the driving force and company to do regular exercise. I would like to try something else like a diet, but I don’t know where to start. I’m about 165 pounds, 21 years old and 5 feet 3 inches tall. Most of the fat is in my abdominal area and I want to lose it so badly. Please help me get rid of this weight by any means necessary.

A: My first suggestion is to get yourself mentally ready. This is a very important part of the weight loss process. Write down at least 10 reasons why you need to lose this weight. These reasons must be very important to you in order for you to want to make a change in your lifestyle. Only a change in your lifestyle and maintaining this change will allow you to lose the weight and keep it off.

A good reason for you to lose this weight is that a large portion of it is concentrated in the stomach region. This large belly is usually a good indicator for predicting many lifestyle diseases/disorders, for example, diabetes and hypertension. I hope diabetes does not run in your family. But the large belly will definitely have to go, at least for the sake of your health.

Simply put, in order to lose weight you will have to cut your food/calories and increase your calorie burning by exercise/activity. In order for the body to lose weight you will have to create a calorie deficit. This means that the intake calories must be less than the output calories. When the body is in that state it will then be forced to use up some of the reserved fat.

In a nutshell, what I want you to do before starting week one of your weight loss programme is to make an assessment. This should include how much you are eating as well as the types of food you consume. This you could do for at least one week. Then, for another week, I would like you to cut your meal portions in half from breakfast through to dinner. By cutting the portions you will cut calories, which will help with the process. However, after about a week this diet programme will need further adjustment for you to continue losing weight. At this point you would have reached a plateau.

In addition, during week one of your diet programme, I would suggest you do a detox programme. This will help the stomach to go down. However, you may need supervision for this detox programme. Although you are not motivated to do your exercise, you can get faster results by incorporating exercise with your diet programme. Try finding some activities that you enjoy doing, for example, dancing. Also, you could just go to the park and walk with the other people who are doing the circuit. But you should definitely find some way to increase your activity level.

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.