Hi Amber, thanks for your question. In order to reduce your fat mass I would recommend you reduce carbohydrates, as these are the most readily stored macronutrient and if not used for energy will be stored as fat. I'm not sure how much of your daily diet is carbohydrate but I would look to have about 15-20% carbohydrates in order to lose some weight. When you're doing exercise ensure you're having enough protein to keep your muscle mass stable and ensure you're having healthy fats in your diet such as avocado and oily fish, as these can be used for energy also. You may also find it helpful to work out how many calories you should be having so have a look at a BMR calculator online, input your weight and height etc. and this will tell you how many calories you need before exercise. Then there is an equation underneath the calculator that tells you how to work out how many more calories you need for exercise. If you would like to lose weight you can reduce this total slightly, usually by about 500 calories to lose 1-2 lbs a week. I hope you find this helpful.

Hi Georgie, thanks for your question. If you're looking to lose weight 0.5kg to 1kg a week is considered healthy. Losing large amounts of weight quickly can increase your risk of putting the weight back on again, and more, so losing weight steadily is generally recommended. You can do this by cutting out refined carbohydrates such as white flour products and sugar, ensuring you have protein with every meal, healthy fats such as oily fish, avocado and olive oil and filling half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables such as greens and salad vegetables. Although you don't have much time to exercise try to go for a brisk walk for 20-30 minutes a day, which will help weight loss as well as promote good health. I hope this is helpful.

Hi Shannon

Thanks for your question! The exercise routine will very much depend on what your expectations are.

If your aim is to shed the extra pounds from your stomach and/or upper body, the best is to combine HIIT exercises with weight bearing exercises. It is important to built muscle since they burn more energy at rest. You could use treadmill or cross-trainer for doing high intensity training – you can push yourself out of breath for one minute and then slow down to a walking mode for another minute for 20-30 minutes. This challenges your body to burn more fat. You could also include some jumps to get your heart rate up during your session and tone up your legs. Alternating high intensity exercise with weight bearing exercises can kick start your metabolism so try to combine both during your work out.

If your problematic areas are buttocks and legs, HIIT exercises will suit you too but go light on weight bearing routines for your legs unless you would like them to look bulky. If you are after slim, toned legs, use only light weights for the lower part of your body and exercise them for longer – e.g. do 30 repetitions with very light weights rather than 10 repetitions with heavy weights.

I would recommend discussing your exercising needs with your personal trainer for further guidance and consult a nutritional therapist to design a diet to meet your weight and health goals.
Good luck!