Hello, I am one of those people who has always had to watch what they eat. Over the last couple of years the weight has crept up. Not loads, I have a stone to lose, (I am only 5′ 3″ so a stone makes a difference). I have have been reading recently how much your metabolism slows down as you age, a bit of a depressing thought! Do other people find this too?

The answer is to do some strengthening exercises, build up a little bit of muscle. Apparently muscle burns more calories than fat so the more muscle you have the better. I have just read that after the age of 50 we lose 1lb of muscle each year so need to reverse that trend and do a few weights and squats.

Mary C – I’m 66, currently 5′ 1″, and have lost nearly 6 stone in 32 weeks on the 800 BSD, still another 11 pounds to lose. Without doing any exercises apart from the walking I do anyway – and that’s not usually the 10,000 steps – I just don’t have the time!

Lynne that is amazing. You must feel so different. I will use your story to inspire my Mum too 😃

Hi Mary C
If you switch what you eat away from carbs and towards protein and particularly fat, you will find that your appetite naturally decreases and you will need to eat less. Carbs make us feel hungry even when we aren’t because they send screwy signals to our brains. Fat and protein, on the other hand both help keep us feeling fuller for longer, even to the point where you can happily cut out snacking between main meals and maybe even lose main meals altogether. This is what is referred to as intermittent fasting, where, for instance, you might not feel the need to eat breakfast as you are just not hungry. We are often told not to miss meals or terrible things will happen to us. This isn’t true at all. Cut the carbs and your body will tell you when it is genuinely hungry and that is the right time to eat (or not!)