Watching my waistline
DEAR DONOVAN,
I have lost 47 lbs but I am still maintaining a large waistline. Although it has decreased, it is still at 36 inches — it was at 42 before. I typically walk four miles a day, brisk pace, barring the rain, and I do sit ups and planks three times a week. My diet has changed considerably.
What else can I do? I don’t really expect six pack abs but I would like to at least feel comfortable wearing a belt again.
Congratulations on your 47-pound weight loss, as well as the change in inches in your stomach area. However, I see where you would like to lose some more inches in the stomach region.
The general point to note is that your waist has change from 42 inches to 36 inches This is therefore showing you that your programme is moving in the right direction. In addition, what is important to note is that as you lose weight you are also losing weight from all over your body, including your waist. It therefore means that as you lose more weight you will also lose more weight from your stomach region as well.
Overall, in order to lose more weight you will have to make further adjustments in your diet as well as your exercise programmes. The aim is to further reduce your calories so that the body is forced to use up some more of the reserved fat. This can be done by increasing exercise as well as reducing calorie intake from your meals.
It is important to get a rough idea of how many calories you are currently consuming and reduce these calories. This might mean cutting your meal portions in half or changing what you are presently eating. This could take the form of doing one or two days of a liquid diet per week. Along with your exercise, this new programme should help you to lose some more weight.
Depending on how much weight you want to lose, this programme again could need further adjustments over time.
In addition to changing your diet and exercise programmes, you could also do a three to four days detox programme. This you could use to clean out the colon. Over time, in many cases, due mainly to poor diet, faeces get trapped on the wall of the large intestine. This can also make the abdominal region look larger. Therefore, doing a detox programme can make the abdominal region go down further.
Before doing your detox programme, you might want to speak with a professional to find the right detox programme for you. Again, you are on the right path to getting your stomach flat. Keep going at it.
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, 39 Lady Musgrave Road. Call him at 876-286-1363. E-mail questions to allwoman@jamaicaobserver.com
