Dear Donovan,

I currently weigh 135 pounds, and I am working to get to 125 in time for summer. I have cut soda from my diet, and just started going to the gym once per week, where I focus on exercises to tone my legs and thighs, perk up my butt, and flatten my belly. I am unhappy with how flabby my body is. Is there any way to speed up the weight loss/toning process so I can reach my goal in the next six weeks or so? My regular diet consists of a lot of white products (I won’t give these up because I can’t stand wheat), sweets and sugars. Below is my typical daily intake.

I also do not do much exercise apart from the gym for one hour, and I sit at a desk all day.

Breakfast:

Pancakes without syrup or toast with jam

Tea

Fruit plate

Lunch

Protein (stew peas, curried chicken etc)

Rice

Raw vegetables with dressing

Dinner

Protein

Rice

Veggies when available

Supper

Boost protein shake or hot chocolate

Snacks

Granola bars, apple pie, fruits, cakes, candy (I snack in between all the meals).

Thanks for your letter. I must tell you that I understand quite clearly what you want to achieve.

My suggestion to you is that you do your programme in two parts. First lose the 10 pounds and then tone the body. If you try to do both toning and losing weight at the same time, the results might be too slow or not at all.

That aside, in order for you to lose 10 pounds you will have to start making some changes in your diet and possibly your exercise programme. The aim in doing this is to burn more calories than what you take in. The idea is to create a calorie deficit which forces the body to use up some of the reserved fat. This is usually what happens when we are sick. Usually when we are sick our appetite goes and we eat less. This then forces the body to use up some of its reserved fat. Therefore, usually after being sick for some time we tend to lose weight However, after we recover from sickness, the appetite returns to normal and so does the weight.

In order to jump-start your weight loss programme, I would suggest that you reduce all your meal portions by half the amount that you are having for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, etc. Doing this, rather than making drastic changes in your diet, will help you to lose weight. However, your diet should not just be about losing weight, but should also cater to your health. Therefore, I would suggest that you incorporate more fruits, veggies and vegetable juices into your diet. In addition to your diet you could also try to do more cardio type exercises. This will help to burn the calories without building up too many muscles.

Overall, the change in exercise and diet should reduce your calories and begin the weight loss process. However, as soon as the body sheds enough weight to balance your new food intake and exercise, you will hit a weight loss plateau. At this point, further adjustment to your diet and exercise programmes will be necessary. For this reason, in most cases it is better to get a professional to help you with your weight loss programme.

Once you have lost 10 pounds, it will be time to tone up. At this stage more muscle-building exercises are recommended. You could also incorporate light weight exercises. The aim is to replace the fat that you have lost with muscles.

After losing the weight, it is likely that you are going to be even softer than you are presently. Hence, toning is the thing to do at this stage. However, exercises to tone the stomach could be done when you start your diet programme. Good luck.

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.

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.