You are working out regularly and also keeping a check on your diet. Are there any specials foods that can help you expedite the process of losing weight? 

According to nutritionist Shraddha Sheth and fitness instructor Abhishekh Patil of Gold's Gym, who chatted with Get Ahead readers on December 1, your daily calorie intake should be nearly 1,800 kilo calories. Diet advice: take fruits rich in Vitamin C, ie orange, sweet lime, watermelon, muskmelon as they cut down on your fat percentage. Have two litres of water per day.

• Low calorie party eating tips

Shraddha is a certified nutritionist with a BSc in Life Sciences and a post-graduate degree in Food and Nutrition. Her profile as a dietician at Gold's Gym involves planning diets for patients and treating different elements of weight management.

Abhishekh is a certified personal trainer from the International Sports Science Association, Santa Barbara, USA. He is a manager at Gold's Gym and has been in the field for five years.

For those of you who missed the chat, here is the transcript:

Part I: Does dieting mean starving?

Part II: Lose fat, not weight

latha: Hi shraddha and AhiShekh..i'm 20yrs old 5 ft 65kg and ..is it safe for me to do skipping to gain height and lose weight?

Abhishekh Patil: Skipping is a good activity. Height, however, depends on your genes. For losing weight, you need to check your eating habits. Exessive skipping will injure your knees in the long run. Skip alternate days for 30-35 minutes.

vivek_vk: I am 26 yrs, 5'10" and my weight is 77. I am regular in gym for the past 5 months. Abhishek can you please tell how to work out for lower abdomen.

Abhishekh Patil: There is nothing called a lower abdomen and upper abdomen. Whenever you do a crunch, it works on the entire abdominal muscle.

dhananjay: I am 29 years old my weight and tummy is growing my height is 5.11and weight is 74 I want to loose weight and tummy

Abhishekh Patil: If you want to lose weight, you have to look out for a gym in your vicinity. Alternate days of weight training and cardio will help you lose weight, if you club it with the right diet.

ilakumanan: I am 28, male, 81kg, already having high blood pressure, i am doing regular exercise and walking, but still i am not able to reduce my wait why??

Abhishekh Patil: You need to concentrate on your eating habits. As you have high blood pressure, there are certain exercises you must avoid that may cause serious problems in the long run. Always consult a certified trainer.

guruprasad: i am 28 years old male and i weigh 82 kilo......what kind of food should i take or avoid to reduce my weight

Abhishekh Patil: Stop eating junk food, fried stuff, avoid chocolate, cheese, butter, ghee. Carry your meals along with you and go on a low-calorie diet.

vijayragvan: Hi, My daughter is 7 years old. she weighs around 33 kg. Her height is around 4.1". She looks plumpy. I am worried whether she would become fat in her teenage. What is the diet / exercise do you suggest?

Abhishekh Patil: At the age of seven, you cannot decide if she is fat or plump. If she is plump, then it is baby fat. You need to look into her eating habits. Too of much of chocolates, junk food must be avoided. The right age to decide is after 13.

Gunpowder: I am 5'8" and weigh 72 Kgs. I am experiencing back pain. Could it be due to weight? How long should i work out in gym? Is it enough to just jog daily for about 2 kms?

Abhishekh Patil: Your lower back problem could be due to wrong posture and your daily routine. You need to do a lot of back exercises to strengthen it.

Aansh: I want to lose 3 kg in a month what should i do

Abhishekh Patil: Losing three kilogrammes in a month is scientifically not advisable. You can lose approximately 1.5 kg in a month. That is very healthy and can be done sans any injury. You need to join a gym for your weight training and cardio on alternate days.

prateek: I would appreciate if you could answer my question. I am 25 Female.My weight is 45 Kgs, height 5'3".I want to increase my weight.Please suggest.

Shraddha: Increase intake of milk and milk products. Have two portions of full eggs and four bananas (elaichi ones) per day.

vishnu: Hi shraddhjiI am diabetic paitent. please suggest diet for daily use. Weigit is 64 Kgs and age is 43 year. suffering from last 10 years

Shraddha: Have low glycemic food ie food low in sugar. Most important tip: Have one teaspoon of soaked methi seeds on empty stomach first thing in the morning. This cuts down blood sugar level.

mahesh827: hi i'm 6.1feet & weight is 75 Kg.is it proportional to my height or i should increase it?

Shraddha: You need increase your weight by 6-7 kgs and increase muscle mass also.

Aansh: What is an healthy food?

Shraddha: Healthy food is defined as food rich in micro and macro elements but low in sodium and fat. Examples: Fruits, yogurt, nuts, dry fruits, high fibre vegetables.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaa: i burn 700 calories a day in cardio. my weight was 104 kg i have come down to 9.5 in 5 months. my diet is around 2200 calories a day. 'is 2200 calories ok to continue with

Shraddha: Your daily calorie intake should be nearly 1800 kcal. Diet advice: take fruits rich in Vitamin C, ie orange, sweet lime, watermelon, muskmelon as they cut down your fat percentage. Have two litres of water per day.

syed: Hi.. how much does it matter if you are doing a brisk walk and running on trendmill?? does the BP increases by running on trendmill? and by doing weight exercise, does your BP shoots up because while doing weight training, the pressure is on the muscles and how does it affect the BP?

Abhishekh Patil: It's not BP but it's the elevated heart rate -- that is called training heart rate. It goes up when you are doing any high intensity activity. By doing regular cardio and weight training, you can reduce your resting heart rate and make your heart more conditioned. This helps you to improve your average life span. The treadmill has a set speed, no alterations can be done till desired, but while doing a brisk walk on the road, there are a lot of obstructions, so your speed can go down and the workout is not as intense.

dubaiguy: i am 26 years of age ... i had got a paunch belly but i hit the gym and did serious cardio and ab exercises. these days i am concentrating on bit more of wieghts. my aim is to hve a lean muscular body. for that what fitness regime would u like to suggest ?

Abhishekh Patil: I would suggest you go for alternate days of cardio and weight training. In weight training, you can follow the regime of chest shoulder, tricep, on one day, back, trapezius, biceps on one day and lower body on one day.

Shraddha: Hi, it was nice talking to you all. For further queries, please write to me at s_firstfit@rediffmail.com.

Abhishekh Patil : Hey guys, have to go now. Keep fit and see you later.

Abhishekh Patil: You can send your queries to abhishekhpatil@yahoo.co.in.

Part I: Does dieting mean starving?

Part II: Lose fat, not weight

DON'T MISS!

• Low calorie festive eating tips
• Getting married? Get in shape
• Simple home remedies for common ailments
• The easy steps to a great body!
• Want a lean, sexy figure?