Diet & Fitness 

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Rosemary Conley answers your questions

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How can I lose my pregnancy weight?
How can I improve my diet and exercise gently to lose those extra pounds I gained during pregnancy. I eat healthily but find that Help! - Tracey -

Rosemary says: During pregnancy and then when you have your baby and spend more time at home in the kitchen, the temptation is to snack.
Make a rule not to eat between meals but to eat three proper meals each day so you feel satisfied. Also try to increase your activity levels and avoid temptation by not buying those high-fat, high sugar snacks so they're not in the house. Buy more fruit, not just for you but for all the family.
Try to do 30 minutes of physical activity every day - walking, cleaning/vacuuming, gardening, sport, swimming or working out to a fitness video/DVD - try my new Slim & Salsacise workout DVD for a really fun workout that will help the weight drop off and get your figure back! Of course, you must wait until you have had your post-natal check-up before exercising.

I need some exercise motivation
How can I get motivated to exercise? I'm more interested in spending my (all too little) spare time doing my hobbies in front of the TV. I can't even motivate myself to walk the dog, although I do manage some gardening sometimes.
Are some people just naturally lazy, and if so what can I do about it? - Mina -

Rosemary says: At least you're honest! The key is to find something that you enjoy doing. Was there a sport or past-time at school that you did enjoy? Could you join a club to take it up again? Activity and exercise is much more fun if you are with someone else so try to find a fitness buddy and arrange to go for a walk together, say, twice a week initially.
Take you dog out just for five minutes every day and even that will add up over a week. You have basically got into the habit of not moving.
You need to flick a switch in your brain to start doing even just a little and realising the enormous benefits to your health. Very soon you will feel more awake, alive, will sleep more soundly and look loads better too!

What do you think of the GI and Atkins diets?
What do you think of the the new breed of diets - GI, South Beach, Atkins? - Charlotte -

Rosemary says: I'm not a fan of them. My view is that there is no point in following a very strict, not-normal-lifestyle eating plan for a few weeks to lose weight then find it is impossible to stick to the diet because you feel deprived of certain food groups and then resort to your old unhealthy eating pattern which made you overweight in the first place! I believe it is much better to learn to eat generally more healthily by eating low-fat foods (with less than five per cent fat) within a calorie allowance which is practical, (not starvation), and incorporate increased physical activity, until you reach your goal weight. Then just keep following the same basic principles of low-fat eating with increased activity but without the need to calorie count and you will stay slim!

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