How far would you go to look sexy?

WOMEN lie about it. Men won’t talk about it. And only women know how far they are prepared to go. Of course, we are talking about women’s weight gain.

This week’s question comes from Katie in uMhlanga: “There is a new diet pill on the market I want to try, but I am scared.

Duramine comes with a doctor’s prescription.

I have never had to exercise before. All of a sudden at my age my oestrogen is dropping so fast that I am gaining weight, but I am also losing muscle mass. Please help.” Dear Katie, weight loss is a battle for many women. Some women, like you, have been lucky enough not to ever worry about your weight until this late in life.

You need a good personal plan to make a sensible decision with short spurts of success until you reach short, medium and long ter m goals for weight management. That first goal is vital to motivate you to stay the course.

As women age the basic formula to manage weight becomes: 90% what we eat and 10% exercise. Without strict exercise habits and self-disciplined eating in place, the drop in oestrogen increases weight by 30% in women until their oestrogen levels settle down.

The weight settles at that 30% weight gain, unless you intervene.

Women without the skills to manage their weight sit and pray for this phase to pass and instead of mobilising, they become complacent. Here is my golden rule: Be radical, but do not do anything that you cannot sustain. You can now answer yourself: Do I take a diet pill? Can I sustain my new eating habits? Do I join a gym with a personal trainer? Will I stay motivated?

The key to most transformations is that we need an emotional trigger: Something happens which moves us into action.

One morning you wake up and you realise that there is absolutely nothing wrong with your scale, it works. What is not working is your complacency: You are gaining weight.

When you feel moved you will do something. Allow this challenge to give you a better body than before.

Hot older women ooze sexiness when they work for it, and they give off the essence of confidence. Physical effort makes us feel more in control which in turn reduces stress and cortisol that would otherwise increase your appetite.

Hold yourself accountable and be honest. Start eating less. Reduce your intake by 30% to maintain the same weight.

To lose weight you need to be radical and aim for a goal weight with your doctor’s supervision. Currently, Duramine is a popular appetite suppressant, but if you use it, do so with caution.

Also choose to commit to a serious exercise regime or do not take the pill at all.

You are looking for an easy way out, which will backfire later unless you are fully committed to a lifestyle change.

Have a medium and long-term eating strategy to increase your metabolism and keep that weight off.

You have no excuse to avoid exercise, because you can download several exercise programs online. It will cultivate a new habit for less than one month’s subscription to a gym.

Be in control with a mind-overmatter attitude:

Eat for nutrition and 30% less.