Have you ever lost weight and then spoilt all the good work by piling the kilos back on? It is so easy to fall into this trap — lose weight — feel good — relax — and put it all back on! If it sounds familiar, it is because we have all been there.

Follow my tips for long-term weight loss

• Take a long-term approach. Losing weight gradually is the key

• Don’t delude yourself. Lose weight gradually whilst making sensible changes to eating habits

• Don’t go hungry. Eat three balanced meals and allow yourself three snacks.

• Recognize your triggers. I know that when I am busy and tired I feel like some chocolate. So I don’t buy it — I only keep boring biscuits in the house

• Drink lots of water, as it is very filling. If you need an energy boost, have fresh fruit juice

• Eat by routine — 7.30 a.m. Breakfast — 10.30 a.m. Banana — 1.00 p.m. Lunch — 4.00 p.m. Snack — 7.00 p.m. Fruit — 8.00 p.m. Supper — 10.00 p.m. Milk drink

Recipe of the Week

Pineapple Barbecued Shrimp Skewers

Serves 6

Ingredients

1/3 cup barbecue sauce

3/4 cup pineapple juice

3 tbsp lime juice

3 tbsp chopped, fresh cilantro leaves

650g large shrimp, peeled and de-veined

1 ripe pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced into 5 cm chunks

6 metal or bamboo (soaked in water) skewers

Method

Combine the barbecue sauce, pineapple juice, lime juice and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Pour half of the pineapple-barbecue sauce mixture into a re-sealable bag, add the shrimp, and marinate for 15 to 30 minutes. (Reserve the remaining sauce mixture for basting and serving.) Preheat the grill to medium-high. Remove the shrimp from the marinade, discarding the leftover marinade. Skewer the shrimp and pineapple onto the skewers. Grill the skewers on both sides until the shrimp are just cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. While the skewers are cooking, brush them with some of the reserved sauce. Serve the skewers with the extra pineapple-barbecue sauce for dipping.

Weight Watch:

Fruit: Nature’s Fast Food!

Purchase fruit in season — by doing so will save money and the taste will probably be much better. Serve a fruit salad instead of cake or ice cream for dessert. And if you really want cake or ice cream for dessert, serve a smaller portion of the sweet treat and top with chopped strawberries, blueberries, or pineapple!

Add bananas or raisins to your breakfast cereal.

Ask Alva

I’m a 19-year-old girl. I had started an exercise program around last September to reduce my weight. I started with the recumbent bike but now, as I’m fitter I jog around 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week. I had recently gone on a holiday and gained a whopping 4 kilos. I have cut down on calories and tried everything but I just can’t shed it... I think I’ve hit a weight loss plateau. Can you give me some guides to feel myself again? Sahl

Our inability to lose weight can be due to reaching a plateau where the body’s metabolism adjusts to the foods being eaten and the exercise being done, and therefore slows down and burns fewer calories, making it more difficult to lose weight. The best thing to do is to vary your exercise routine. It may also be worthwhile reviewing your food intake and reassessing some of the foods that may be contributing to those stubborn extra pounds. Another question to ask yourself if you’re not losing weight is, ‘Are you eating enough?’ If you starve yourself, then your body will go into famine mode and hold onto all its precious fat reserves. What you might need is to eat regularly and kick-start your metabolism. Here are some other reasons why weight loss can plateau:

• Having tempting foods in your fridge or cupboards.

• Eating fattening food when you’re a guest or with friends.

• Peer pressure from friends who don’t understand how important sensible eating is to you. They’ll say ‘once won’t hurt’ which is a sure route to giving in to temptation.

• Feeling like you’ve strayed so far from your eating and exercise plan that it feels pointless to go back Alva