We all need to WORK WITH WHAT WE'VE GOT

Our expert Annie Deadman explains how your genes may control your figure - but they don't have to hold you back

- Annie Deadman

In this month’s column, we’re talking about body shape and whether we can streamline our pear-shaped hips or apple-shaped tummy. Can we actually work against genes and change our physical shape? Well, the chances of me morphing from Annie Deadman (broad of shoulder and short of leg) into the Princess of Wales (tall, willowy, with enviable ankles and a teeny waist) are nil. That said, changes to how we exercise and eat can definitely affect, if not transform, how we look.

Let’s get a few basic facts in place first. To lose fat (people say lose weight, but what they mean is lose fat), we need to be in a calorie deficit. This means eating the right amount of kilojoules – and you can get this from any free online kilojoule calculator. Key in your details (weight, height, age etc) and roughly how much exercise you do, and your daily kilojoule intake will come up.