Fairly fit within a few weeks

Just as you would accept that weight management is a permanent commitment, you should also accept that an unfit body does not respond as well as it should to any attempt at dieting. Being physically active and fairly fit is as much a part of optimal health and fat loss as oxygen is of sustaining life.

Again the question is "So what now?' Here we are, living in a crime-infested society where outdoor walks are mere memories of times gone by or distant dreams of some day yonder. Our chances of enjoying normal, natural and pleasant physical activities have become lean - anorexic in fact. Picnics and playing in the veldt with the children and the pets? Dream on, unless you have a large enough garden to play picnic in a secluded corner. Dinner and dancing once a week at a fancy restaurant with a lively jazz quartet to keep the feet tapping and hips swaying? Forget it. Those joints just don't exist any more because the demand has disappeared. Why? Because walking arm-in-arm with your dance partner to and from the parking lot has not only lost its romantic appeal, it has become positively dangerous. And gyms? They are for the ones who have already lost - or perhaps never had - any excess weight and we-with-the-hips feel more intimidated by the sight of those svelte bodies than we would by the sight of a scorpion in our training pants!

So what now? Now that were ready to commit to an active lifestyle, we have nowhere to go! So well just have to stay at home and try some of the following suggestions.

This is the magic that will help you regain that which you've lost: your lean body. Denser muscles mean you are allowed more food, on account of the higher metabolism. They also mean glowing looks because of the increased oxygen supply to the cells, better health and prevention of disease and best of all, a lean, trim body. Muscles weigh more than fat, so they take up less space, giving you a taught and toned appearance.

The first thing to do is to buy yourself a pair of strap-on ankle weights and wrist weights. They are available from most sport shops. Start with ¹/2 kilogram per leg and 250 gram per wrist. Strap them on and go about your daily business as usual. If you wear long pants nobody will even notice the ankle weights and on the wrists they are not that noticeable or unattractive. You will be amazed to find out how much you move your arms and legs during an ordinary day. And wearing the weights, every normal movement turns into a mini workout. This builds new muscle tissue without much effort on your part! It takes time - about 6 to 12 months - to regain those muscle tissues lost through poor diets, but it will be worth persevering. Try to wear your weights for at least two hours every day and of course, try to make it during your most active hours when you're preparing dinner or doing shopping. At first you might experience stiffness, but that is normal, so don't give up. This is one of the best gifts you can give yourself!

If you have the money, hire a personal trainer. If you can further afford to have him or her come to your home, so much the better. Alternatively you can make use of the trainer at your local gym. But check them out beforehand. As with everything, this industry has its fair share of chancers. Check out his or her references and if you're happy, discuss your requirements with them: you want to build muscle density and improve your percentage of lean muscle tissue. The key is using light weights and doing many repetitions. Hiring a good personal trainer, albeit expensive, is probably the most effective way of reaching your physical goals. Somehow it just works when you have to do it with somebody, and a good trainer is also a master when it comes to motivation.

On dining out

American-style food has become the norm in our lives: burgers, sticky ribs, fried chicken, coleslaw, chips, fried onion rings, sodas and sundaes.

Do your body a favour and favour ethnic foods more than once in a while. Most countries' indigenous recipes conform to the food pyramid: high fibre, high carbohydrates, including vegetables, moderate protein and humble amounts of fat. Here are some examples for when next you eat out, or feel like entertaining at home:

Indian: Choose breads (naan and purl) and pulses (dhal), vegetarian curries and biryani (rice and a little meat). Avoid fatty lamb curries and coconut-milk desserts. Chinese: Choose soup, stir fry vegetables, steamed rice, cooked noodles, chow- mein, chop suey. Avoid deep fried sweet & sour dishes and bow ties.

Thai and Indonesian: Choose vegetables and seafood in broth, steamed vegetables and fish. Avoid deep fried dishes and curries made with coconut milk. Japanese: Choose sushi, sashimi (raw fish) and steamed or broth-cooked dishes. Avoid tempura and deep-fried ice cream. (True!)

Italian: Choose lightly dressed salads, minestrone, pasta with vegetable sauces, grilled veal with lemon, pizza breads and pizza with less cheese and salami, grilled fish and vegetables and sorbet and fruit for dessert. Beware of the antipasti tables - those delicacies are often swimming in oil: select from them with your head rather than with your heart. Avoid creamy sauces, cheesy pizzas and Italian ice cream.

The carbo consideration

As you know, certain slimming clinics and some diet doctors have vilified carbohydrates for decades. They claim that a low-carbo diet, rich in protein, will

Or improve your metabolism by forcing your body to release more growth hormones. This - the intake of mainly proteins - will ostensibly build more muscle tissue and in that way improve your metabolism forever. Forget it; its only a half-truth. The whole truth is that, in the absence of the energy the carbos are supposed to provide, your body will use up all the protein you eat as energy and after that, when more energy is required, which is invariably the case, it goes on to use some of its own protein as well. Remember those lean muscle cells? Those lovely little protein-filled cells that cause your metabolism to be energetic, vibrant and efficient. If you didn't have them, you would get fatter and fatter with each passing day. The bottom line? If you do not eat sufficient carbos for energy, it will promote chronic weight gain in the long run through the permanent loss of lean muscle tissue and very little, if any, real body fat will be lost.

Here's what you should consider when it comes to your carbo intake, so that in future you can manipulate it in such a manner that they actually work for you.

Simple carbohydrates are sugars like cane sugar, honey, fructose and glucose, Complex carbohydrates are starches like bread, pasta, dried beans and cereals.

• The only differences between sugar and starch are their taste, nutrient values and rate of absorption by the body.Once ingested, the body converts all carbohydrates to glucose.

• Complex carbohydrates with a low Glycaemic Index (GI) protect your body's muscle reserves by supplying the body with energy while promoting the burning of fat for extra energy. (See How low should you go?)

• Try to consume 60 to 65% of your daily kilojoules from complex carbohydrates, preferably those with a low GI. The eating plan conforms to this principle. Simply follow it and you won't need to do any calculations! Eventually, this kind of eating pattern will become a habit, and your preferred way of life,

• If you follow an eating plan rich in complex carbohydrates with a low GI, coupled with a low fat intake (around 33 g in total per day) your blood sugar levels will remain stable. You will enjoy a more naturally controlled appetite and greater emotional stability. The eating plan referred to is designed specifically with those factors in mind. Within days you will experience the full benefits of this way of eating. Your excess fat will start disappearing and you will have more energy than you ever thought possible, fewer mood swings, anxiety attacks, hunger pangs, sugar or starch cravings and you will start feeling optimistic and full of life.

• Be aware that the digestion of carbohydrates begins with the first bite. If you don't chew your complex carbohydrates well, efficient digestion will not take place, which can impede your body's fat burning mechanism.