Ask The Experts - Lynn Clay
Q: I'm getting confused with how much to eat and when - what should I be eating and when should I be eating it?
Breakfast is very important and you should also be feeling hungry again 2 to 3 hours after this. Ideally your calories should be spread across the day into small regular meals. This may work out to 5 meals/snacks each containing approximately 300 calories for instance. This would allow porridge and fruit for breakfast, a mid-morning shake with fruit, a lunchtime salad or sandwich (wholegrain bread and lean protein ideally) , a mid afternoon snack (could be a Definity bar and fruit or fruit and a small handful of nuts, carrots and houmous etc). This would energise you for your evening workout and then a small 300 calorie meal after your workout would be ideal. It is complete nonsense that eating close to bedtime leads to weight gain.
It will depend entirely on how many total calories you have consumed, how you have spread these across the day and what your portion sizes are like. Eating a low fat protein source close to bedtime and again first thing in the morning will help with muscle retention which will ultimately speed up fat loss. I would recommend you have a look at some of the meal plans. They will give you an idea of what foods to eat and when and you will certainly find that you don’t need to go hungry or negatively impact energy to lose weight. I hope this helps and I wish you success with your goals.
Q: I exercise regularly - cardio and swimming - and yet still have a flabby tummy - what can I do to get a flat tum?
I would recommend that you continue your mix of cardio and swimming and add in two sessions of high repetition whole body weights each week. Have a look at this training plan and try something like the weights shown on the Monday (do this twice per week with at least one recovery day between)
I would recommend that you combine this with a diet organised into small regular meals. Ensure you have a serving of protein as well as low GI carbs in each meal or snack as shown in our meal plans. This will supply enough carbs for energy but not so much that you are holding onto fat stores. The protein will fill you up for longer and support recovery from training, accelerating fat loss. I would recommend Definity Shakes and would advise that you use these to add protein to meals where required. This is most often mid-morning and mid-afternoon to bridge the gap between main meals.
Have a look at our meal plans too.
Q: I've been exercising but I can't see a difference on the scales and my body doesn't seem anymore toned?
I would recommend that you try increasing the protein content of your diet as it sounds as if this may be lacking, hence the muscle loss. You can do this by focusing on protein being present in each meal or snack choosing healthy options such as beans, lean meats, low fat dairy, oily fish, nuts etc.
Definity would be a good product selection for you, helping you to increase the protein content of your diet and supporting regular eating which will drive the metabolism. Protein also has a filling effect, helping us to feel full on fewer calories, so it's a great food to include in each meal to assist with appetite control. Have a look at our meal plans and you will see how the Definity shakes and bars are included in the diet. I personally like to use Definity natural to increase the protein content of my breakfast (low fat yoghurt, Definity and berries), I then use it mid-morning or mid-afternoon with fruit eating a healthy lunch and dinner. This would be a great way to get your results coming again and would support muscle retention and fat loss. Make sure you are drinking enough fluid too, aiming for 2 litres per day plus an extra 500ml - 750ml for each hour of exercise.
Q: I want to get fit and look better without dieting - is this possible?
To improve fitness and improve your body it is necessary to exercise regularly and eat a healthy balanced diet. Eating small regular meals as illustrated in our meal plans on maxitone.com and incorporating the products to help you achieve this supports good energy, so unlike typical low calorie diets it doesn't leave you lethargic and unmotivated to exercise. Eating in this manner will also reduce cravings for foods rich in simple sugars such as crisps, cakes and chocolate, so that you avoid the normal pitfalls of low calorie eating.
Have a look at our exercise and diet plans on to get started
Q: I have an hourglass figure but want to lose a little fat and tone up - any suggestions?
I would recommend that you select Definity and combine with Definity CLA capsules. This will help you to keep the protein level of your diet right to support feelings of fullness and assist with you eating in a small regular meal pattern. The Definity capsules contain CLA which has been shown to assist with muscle retention and fat loss - the key to long term weight loss. I would recommend you have a look at our meal plans to ensure you are putting Definity and CLA in the correct place in the diet. If you are eating enough fish then essential fatty acids (EFAs) are not necessary but if you feel you are falling short then you could also benefit from taking Finesse Omega capsules to support your well being. Definity can be used mid-morning or mid-afternoon with a piece of fruit tooto complete a snack sitting, and can be used after exercise to assist recovery and support your shaping and toning goals. You can even add Definity to foods such as smoothies and yoghurts so check out our recipes online too.
Q: I've very recently had a baby and am exercising gently already. Can you suggest any meal and exercise tips to help me get back in shape?
Congratulations on the birth of your baby and well done for getting back into exercise so quickly. I would recommend you continue with your exercise combining weight and cardio exercises and complement with a diet providing small regular meals across the day. Please have a look at the meal plans on the site for guidance on this. This will help with any additional fat loss but unfortunately will not help with any skin issues you've faced since giving birth. Eating a good diet will however help the tissue to recover, ensuring you meet your protein needs which are likely to be in the region of 1.2g per kilogram you weight to support your explained exercise. It may also help to ensure you are eating enough essential fats aiming for 2 - 3 servings of oily fish per week or using an essential fatty acid supplement like Finesse Omega Other than this patience is required. The skin will shrink back but often takes some time. Your regular exercise and healthy lifestyle will of course help so keep up the good work.
Q: I want to lose weight from my tummy - I've tried everything!
I would recommend that you aim to increase the protein content of your diet and reduce carbohydrates so that you are eating small regular meals with afist sized portion of protein, a fist sized portion of carbohydrates and complement with salad, vegetables or fruit. This lower than traditional carbohydratediet tends to encourage fat loss from the stomach, however, we all lose fat according to our own genetics so you may find there is some loss from your hips and thighs too. Cardiovascular exercise mixed with resistance work will help to retain muscle and shape and burn fat so the combination is ideal. Sculptress capsules will also complement this process,increasing fat loss, but I would also recommend
Q: I can't afford a gym - are there exercises I can do at home to help me stay healthy?
If you are at home there is plenty of exercise you can do without financial outlay. Have a read of our get fit at home article for tips on how to exercise without going to the gym:
I would recommend that you visit the homepage and enter your goal and current weight.You will see a flashing cursor in a box at the top of the screen where you can enter your goal (lose weight), enter more specific details from drop down menus that appear and enter your current weight from the drop down ranges. This will take you to a product recommendation. If you scroll down you will find an exercise programme and menu to suit your needs.
If you exercise regularly and eat sensibly using one of our plans you should lose between 1 and 2lbs per week. Losing weight any faster than this tends to be counterproductive, as it slows the metabolic rate and leads to later fat gain.
Q: I've recently lost weight through running and am now really pleased with my figure -how do I ensure that I keep the figure I've achieved whilst keeping up energy and avoiding hunger - particularly bearing in mind that running has become a big part of my daily routine?
Now you are at a healthy weight it is important to think about your food asfuel. If you miss meals or overeat then both of these will negatively impactenergy levels. The trick to supporting running or similar endurance sportsis to eat small regular meals across the day and use energy products tosupport long runs.
I would recommend you have a look at the meal plans on the site which provide great guidance for a good active diet, but you will have a need for slightly more carbs to support your runs. Think low GI during the day, selecting wholegrains, fruit and vegetables in your snacks and complementing with lean protein but think high GI around running. For 3 x 10k runs thiswould simply mean sipping on a carbohydrate drink just prior to your run (Viper Active sports drink is a good choice on Maxifuel, our partner site).
You would need approximately 250-300ml in the hour prior to your run and then you could finish off a 500ml bottle and complement with another 250ml of water after your run. You should also check that you are meeting your general fluid needs (2 litres of water per day in small regular drink canbe herbal teas if you prefer) and aim for approximately 750ml of fluid foreach hour of running in addition.
Q: I'm currently on a low carb diet - could I use Sculptress capsules to supplement this?
Sculptress capsules would indeed be suitable to combine with your current diet plan. They do contain caffeine so start by taking one capsule on day one and two, increase to two on day three and then three on the day four. This is the optimum dose. This allows your body to get more used to the caffeine introduction. These are great to use for short periods of time (one month) to accelerate results. If you chose to use the shakes too then you could just use one of the capsules. They are really convenient so make sticking to a diet plan much easier.
You should also find you feel relatively full afterwards.
Q: I've recently been feeling fatigued throughout the day - could this be to do with my diet?
Fatigue can be a very vague symptom with many underlying causes. Some simple things to check are that your hydration is good (drink 2 litres of water, as plain water, throughout each day), that your blood glucose balance is tight (stick to whole grain everything and avoid anything sweetened or refined) and that your sleep patterns are okay.You should be able to fall asleep promptly and stay sleeping restfully for at least 6-7 hours each night.
Ask yourself honestly whether depression could be an issue. If you are over 40 it is also worth getting your thyroid checked. And if your BMI is over 30 you can look into sleep apnea.
Q: I've recently started exercising in the morning - should I eat before I train or does it not matter?
I would recommend that you ensure you are well hydrated prior to exercise and plan to have your breakfast 1-2 hours before your session. If you have little time prior to your workout use a carbohydrate drink such as Maxifuel's Viper Active and ideally take your shake immediately after exercise. The Sculptress Shake can then be used to assist small regular meals across the day, perhaps helping with your mid-afternoon snack.
So, to summarise:
Wake, have breakfast (or start sipping 500ml Viper)
1hr-2hrs later - train
Immediately after training - Sculptress Shake and a piece of fruit
2 hours later - lunch
2-3 hours later - mid-afternoon snack (possibly sculptress and fruit again)
2-3 hours later - dinner
Please see for ideas on what and how much to eat in the day take a look at our meal plans.
Q: What can I do to get a healthy BMI?
BMI is reduced by weight loss, and although it provides a reasonable guide to a healthy weight, if you have low bodyfat levels and more muscle then you may score higher than the 19-24.9 BMI 'Healthy' range, yet actually be a healthy weight. I would recommend that you get your body fat tested to see if you are in a healthy range as this will provide a far more meaningful assessment of a 'healthy weight'. A healthy range for body fat for women is between 21% and 33%. Some women will have values below this but once your body fat goes below 15% you have to be particularly careful as this can interrupt menstruation.
If you feel you would like to lose weight then I would recommend visiting our homepage again and entering your goal into the caption box. This will allow you to put your current weight in and will recommend a meal plan and exercise plan for you.
