You may have been working out for a while and may even have lost some weight. If, however, your weight loss has reached a plateau, what should you do?

Fitness trainer Brinda Sapat, who chatted with Get Ahead readers for an hour on July 26, has this advice to offer: Whenever you change your workout routine, your body responds and loses weight. Whenever you see your weight plateau, it is time to work on a different routine.

For those who missed the chat, here's the transcript:

Part I: Should I lose 20 kg is 60 days?

Rajaprabu123 asked, Is jogging the Best ??

Brinda Sapat answers, Walking is best since it is easy on your joints. however if you do want to lose weight you can do a combination. Walk one round, jog the next and so on.  

Dipti asked, I brinda, I want to reduce my thighs, butts, tummy and upper limbbs how do i do this plz give some suggesion regarding what type of exercise should i do?

Brinda Sapat answers, You need to do cardio four to five days a week. Walk for half an hour or join an aerobics class. Also some weight training will help.  

krishna asked, hi brinda, how do i reduce my tummy.... i am 50,i am working as lecturer, daily i am spending some time for yoga, but no change in tummy size nor the weight reduction.please suggest something to reduce the tummy

Brinda Sapat answers, Hi Krishna, yoga will not help your burn fat . You need to do half an hour of cardio four to five
days a week or join an aerobics class. Keep the yoga up too cos it helps to tone muscles and make you flexible.  

rajeshwari asked, Hi !! I'm 22 yrs old 5'4 weighing 65 kgs. What is my ideal weight? Till what age do girls generally grow tall? anythin i can do abt it? Another thing is i want 2 reduce my breasts quite a bit. What do i do??? Pls Help!!!

Brinda Sapat answers, Hi Rajeshwari. You won't grow taller now. Sorry about that :( Start doing cardio four to five days a week like walking or an aerobics class and cut down your fat intake.

shravya asked, hi brinda, i am 27/F/5'2"/55kgs. am i overweight, if so how much do i reduce and i have fat around my tummy. can practising yoga regularly solve my problem. pl. adivse

Brinda Sapat answers, Hey Shravya! If you measure more than 31" around your waist then yes, you do need to lose weight. No, yoga will not help. You must do cardio four to five days a week

anand asked, Hi Brinda, I have been jogging for a month now. I jog 5 kms a day. All my muscle are beginning to tone up except for my tummy. Is jogging effective to reduce your tummy?

Brinda Sapat answers, Hi Anand! Yes jogging is a cardio workout and will burn fat around the tummy area. Generally that's the last part it will move from simply cos thats where most of the fat is stored. You need to add some crutches and back exercises to help tighten the muscles.

bharat asked, Hi Brinda, I am 6ft2in,my current weight is 105kgs.around 8 months back I was 121kgs. I have many quesries which I am listing below. 1)around 2 months back I was stuck up at 109 kgs for around 2 months.Then I changed my workout by continuously increasing and decreasing the scale of workout.it led my wht to reduce by 4 kgs.but now again i am stuck up.plzz help now wht shd i do. 2)will yoga be of any help? 3)is body massage needed for muscle relaxation? thanx and regards

Brinda Sapat answers, Hey Bharat! Interesting question and the answer is in your experience itself. Whenever you change your workout routine your body responds and loses weight. So now it is time to change your routine again. Whenever you see your weight plateau, it is time to do a different routine.

bharat asked, Hi Brinda, I am 6ft2in,my current weight is 105kgs.around 8 months back I was 121kgs. I have many quesries which I am listing below. 1)around 2 months back I was stuck up at 109 kgs for around 2 months.Then I changed my workout by continuously increasing and decreasing the scale of workout.it led my wht to reduce by 4 kgs.but now again i am stuck up.plzz help now wht shd i do. 2)will yoga be of any help? 3)is body massage needed for muscle relaxation? thanx and regards

Brinda Sapat answers, Yoga is good only as apart of your routine. Mainly you need cardio. Yes massage will help relax your muscles

Sharma asked, Hi BINDRA, I am 23 Male, I am putting on a lot of weight, 2 months before i was 60 kgs now I am 65. I dont find time for gym as I have tight office schedule. plz help me how can I reduce my weight.

Brinda Sapat answers, Sharma. Cut down on fried foods and sweets. Have an early dinner and stick to dal and veggies only or soup and salad And with either combination add some fish/chicken/paneer/lentils.

jason asked, hi, do you have any suggestions for losing weight if suffering from hypothyroidism

Brinda Sapat answers, Hi Jason. Do some cardio three to four days a week and weight training. First get a go ahead certificate form your doctor so that you do not harm yourself.

Balachandar asked, Hi, I want to know whether body weight and BMi is an accurate meaure of fat content. I am 26 Male 5'11" weighing 91kgs. I don't look fat.

Brinda Sapat answers, Simply measure your waist. If you measure more than 35" you need to lose weight!

sailaja asked, brinda r u there i was doing walking&joggingfor 40 minutes everyday,skipping around 300-400 perdaynd doing crunches and exercises as said by u. i had problem now that my knee bones are showing discomfort when jogging or climbing stairs and very painful at the end of the day .my age is 30 and height is 5'2" and weight is 54kgs

Brinda Sapat answers, Hi Sailaja. Basically your knees are suffering from overuse injury. Do not jog or skip. Stick to walking or swimming until the pain eases. Also do some knee strengthening exercises but avoid squats and lunges by all emans. Also use a hot water bag everyday on the knee for abour 15 minutes

raajesh asked, hello!brinda, i am 5ft 6inch, 34 married recently.i look pretty slim and i want to put up decent weight now.pls suggest me

Brinda Sapat answers, Weight train.  

Nish asked, How to acheive steel wrists and thick forearms ?

Brinda Sapat answers, Do "wrist curls" and "supinated bicep curls".  

shailendra asked, hi Brinda i am 35 years old and 5 ft 10 inch tall i was about 92kg but have now come to 80 kgs but i have not lost much of my fat around my upper abs i am a non vegitarian and consume about two pegs of whisky twice a week pls advice if my current weight is alright and how to reduce my upper abs .

Brinda Sapat answers, Hi! Cut down fried foods and sweets. Walk four to five days a week briskly for 30 minutes. Avoid red meat.

prashant asked, hi bindra i m 24my height is 5.7 and weight is 69.my maximum fat is on the both side of tummy,i hav tried lot many things but no results. i

Brinda Sapat answers, I do not know what you've tried but you need to do a combo of cardio and weight training three days each.

shekar asked, hi this is shekar could u suggest some execrises for reducing fat around tummy area

Brinda Sapat answers, Cardio four to five days a week and crunches and back exercises. 

Bhaskar asked, Hi, I am 171 cm,33 yrs , 68.5 kgs. I am a software Professional used to working long hours. I swim 5 days a week for 30 mins a day and do static cycling for 4 kms everyday at home. I also play soccer once a week for about an hour. I do not drink or smoke. Recently, I am putting on fat in my tummy , what should I do

Brinda Sapat answers, Hi Bhaskar. Good physical work there! To lose the fat you need to cut down your fat intake- fried foods and sweets. Also eat dinner early and avoid too many carbs at dinner time.

neelima asked, hi brinda...am 31 and i have a desk job which leaves me with very little scope to excercise.. my working hours are long, stressful and unpredictable...i have gained about 10 kgs in last two years because of that.. what shd i do. i joined gym but cdnt continue beacuse of work...i eat mostly home food and do not binge...i am really keen to lose weight but don't know how....also i tend to bloat after i eat...need your advice.. my problem area is my stomach and my bust

Brinda Sapat answers, Hi Neelima, Make usre you are eating something between breakfast, lunch and dinner. Like nuts or fruit. You must eat something inbetween to keep your matabolism high. Also make sure the main meals that you eat are smaller in quantity. Avoid carbohydrates at night ie rice/roti/bread etc

Nish asked, Hey Brinda, does mind control the body or does the body control the mind ?

Brinda Sapat answers, The mind controls the body.  

prishi asked, My age 22, weight 49 :-(

Brinda Sapat answers, Eat carbohydrates, protiens and weight train. Do not worry. You will gain weight. Just persevere.  

shobv@rediff.com asked, In your 8 week to fitness programme, Could you pls. suggest weight training which could be done at home?

Brinda Sapat answers, Hi! The exercises are listed in Week 3 and Week 4. Please check. You can do those at home.

Brinda Sapat says, Nice echatting with all of you. Hope you could use my help. Stay healthy!Bye!