I am exercising regularly but need some advice to get better results, can you help?

Hi Niamh

It sounds like you may be doing pretty intense weight training 4 times per week, probably using some of the same muscle groups at all four sessions. This would likely mean that many or your large muscles like legs, back and chest get hit fairly hard 4 times per week. This means that they probably never quite recover between workouts and this could explain the tiredness.

So why not pick 2 of the above sessions to do each week, at least 3 days apart and add in one HIIT cardio session (just plug HIIT into our search engine for an explanation) in between and then add a "normal", moderate-intensity cardio session in between to fill the other gap between the sessions.

However, the main thing that is probably holding you back is diet! Diet is usually responsible for 70 to 80% of your fat loss results. So take a look at your diet and cut your intake of sugar and starchy carbohydrates (bread, rice, pasta, corn, pastries, etc) in half and ensure you eat at least 1 gram of lean protein per pound of your body weight. Keep eating a few small servings of fruit per day and lots of non-starchy green and brightly-coloured vegetables. This will almost certainly kick start your fat burning and if and when you hit another plateau, half the sugar and starch again.

Also, ensure you have two nice, anything-goes, cheat meals in which you eat anything you want! This keeps your metabolism high and gives you a few rewards...a light at the end of the tunnel when you're feeling deprived!