Shape Up Challenge nutritionist Dr Wynnie Chan answers your questions about diet, weight loss and exercise
The best time to exercise
We all know that exercise is essential for weight loss but what is the best time to workout to get the maximum effect?
Dr Wynnie Chan: It depends on what your goals are. If you're aiming to lose fat, then the best time to exercise (aerobic) is first thing in the morning, before you have breakfast. That's when your insulin levels are at their lowest and the hormone glucagon is at its highest.
This signals the body to start moving fat from the fat cells to our working muscles, although you won't burn more calories this way, the calories you burn will come from fat. If you're training to improve your performance then it is better to eat something 3-4 hours before you exercise.
In reality, the best time to exercise is the time that will best fit into your schedule so you can do it consistently.
Weight training
I am starting a new fitness plan and will incorporate three weekly weight training sessions alongside daily cardio. I understand that muscle weighs more than fat and I do have a concern that weight training will make me look like a body builder, which I don't want. I want to be strong and I'm prepared to work for that. What are your thoughts?
Dr Wynnie Chan: I love your attitude towards your quest for a healthier, fitter you and I agree wholeheartedly that it's important to focus on being physically active and keeping within the healthy BMI (Body Mass Index) range.
It is important to focus on cardio and aerobic exercises and weight training for weight loss as increasing lean body mass means increasing our metabolic rate and therefore increasing fat loss. I think incorporating weight training three times a week into your exercise regime isn't excessive and will help build definition to your muscles, but not to the extent of a body builder's.
So carry on with the good work and don't forget to look at the Shape Up Challenge diet pages for more tips.
Breaking through a plateau
Last year, I lost about a stone between January and May and got down to 9st 6 lb. This gave me a BMI of about 24. I found I just couldn't get below that mark and spent the rest of the year hovering between 9st 6lb and 9st 9lb.
I am now determined to lose another half stone or so to get down to around 9st. Any hints and tips on how best to break through the 9st 6 mark? It feels like I'm trapped in a pinball machine because every time I hit it I bounce up a couple of pounds again!
Dr Wynnie Chan: You've done really well over the past year and are already well within the normal weight for height range, so don't be disheartened. You've just hit a weight-loss plateau, your body is telling you to shake things up a bit, so perhaps varying your exercise regime might help.
For example, if you always run steadily on a treadmill, introduce some cardio bursts into your regime. So if you run at around 8mph (or whatever your speed) without an incline and it's not easy then that's cardio. If you then add some incline and run on the same speed, for 30 seconds and you feel breathless and that it's really hard work, then you've introduced a cardio burst.
Introducing cardio bursts can help boost your heart rate, so maybe do this for a couple of workouts a week and see if that helps. In terms of diet, try small, regular meals and if you're skipping breakfast, don't! Skipping meals or waiting too long between meals makes your blood sugar levels fall, therefore increasing your appetite and sugar cravings.
So eat breakfast to rev up your metabolism and keep it revved up during the day by eating small meals every 3-4 hours. This will prevent muscle loss and promoting fat to be mobilised for fuel.
Whatever you do, don't opt for a quick-fix diet. Restricting calories or starving yourself to lose weight makes your body think it's in starvation mode and it starts breaking down muscle for fuel and storing fat as a defence mechanism.
Take the Shape Up Challenge