Little progress on my vegan diet
Dear Donovan,
I seem to only lose weight on my bottom half. How can I burn fat from my mid region? Strangely I started a vegan diet two months ago but have seen little progress. I exercise for 30 minutes each day and I moved from 185 to 180 pounds. What could I be doing wrong?
During the process of a weight loss programme it is usually hard to predict which area of the body will lose the most weight. However, a general rule of thumb is that you tend to lose weight in the way that you gain weight. Meaning that if you had gained more weight in the lower part of the body during weight gain, it is expected that you will lose more weight in the lower body during weight loss.
The areas of the body where most weight gain and weight loss occurs is usually controlled by genetic factors.
You have mentioned that you have started a vegetarian diet and an exercise programme in the last two months. I would have expected that you would have lost more weight than five pounds However, in order to properly assess your situation, I would need to know specifically what you are eating in your vegan diet and what your exercise programme entails.
If your vegan diet is high in carbohydrates, for example, rice, flour, ground provision, and so on, then the amount of calories you can get from it might be close to a regular meat diet. Therefore, I am suggesting that you have the calories of your vegan diet assessed by a professional. In addition, if your exercise programme consists mainly of muscle-building-type exercises, you could be building muscle more than burning fat. In this case a significant amount of weight loss is usually not seen.
It is therefore suggested that on a weight loss programme, more emphasis is placed on doing cardio exercises versus muscle-building type exercises. If you build muscle, this is more compact than fat and weighs more.
In order for your mid region to go down further, I would suggest that you do a detox programme to clean the intestine of leftover food substances. I would also suggest that you speak with a professional to find a detox programme which is right for you.
Once you have completed your detox programme, I expect the mid region to go down and the tummy to get softer, with added skin. At this point you could do some exercises to tighten the abdominal muscles. This will prevent the midregion from looking rounded when you sit.
In addition, you should make sure that your diet has as much fruits, vegetables and vegetable juices as possible. Also, try to avoid eating late at night. This is helpful to keep the stomach down.
Since the mid region is the problem area, you should check your family history for diabetes. It should be noted that a weight-loss programme is not always about absolute weight, but also how you are looking and feeling. You could also work with a exercise trainer to do exercises that will build and sculpt your lower half.
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.
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.
