Ask Rosemary

Can I join your online weight loss club?

Rosemary says: We no longer offer a subscription based online slimming club but if you are trying to lose weight please feel free to make use of the recipes, exercise videos and advice freely available on this website. Why not start by looking at the videos in the Slimming and Weight Loss section.

Please can you tell me where I can find instructions for a Rosemary Conley yoghurt maker?

Rosemary says: It’s a long time since we sold the range of kitchen products and the manufacturer is no longer around but if you contact my office we have the instructions for most products scanned in and can send you a PDF copy by email. Sadly we cannot help with spares or replacement parts for any of the range.

I don’t have a DVD or video player anymore – Can I stream or download all your exercise videos online?

Rosemary says: Obviously you can stream all the videos that are on this website, but as far as I am aware none of my exercise videos that were released on DVD (or the older ones on VHS cassettes) by the BBC or VCI have been released online.

I know the Rosemary Conley diets are balanced and safe, but what are your views about well known shakes and their safety?

Rosemary says: Personally, I am not a fan because they don’t teach you nutritious eating habits. And why would you want a shake when you could eat a proper meal and still lose weight? I think it is so important for us to learn to eat healthily and to understand the enormous benefits of exercising regularly. If we feed our body with great nutrition we can slim down at a sensible rate and our skin will shrink back, particularly if we exercise. Losing weight too fast on a very low calorie diet can run the risk of the body being left with flabby skin which can be very demoralising.

I’ve worn out my old VHS cassette tapes. Are all your exercise videos available on DVD?

Rosemary says: I get quite a number of requests from people who would like me to issue a DVD version of my old videos however unfortunately this is not something that we are able to do.  Sadly, problems of copyright (which I don’t own) and the costs of remastering the videos compared against the relatively small number we would sell means that it just isn’t practical. Personally, I think my later exercise routines are much better anyway, I loved doing the two salsacise workouts!

I’m 77, and wondered if I could do all your short exercise videos? Also, I have diverticulitis and wondered  which would be the best diet to lose weight? Please can you help?

Rosemary says: It is always good to check with your GP if you are thinking of changing your diet or starting exercise. The exercise videos on the site are carefully put together to suit people of all ages and abilities so I am pretty confident that you will be able to do them. Also, The 28-Day Immunity Plan would be ideal for you because it includes an eating plan that will help you lose weight as well as provide you with a diet that includes plenty of fibre which is helpful for anyone with your condition. As the eating plan promotes good gut health, this will also help your health and wellbeing.

I’m in my sixties, a bit overweight and creak and groan when I move! All the exercise videos I see seem to feature young, fit people leaping about.  Have I left it too late to get fitter?

Rosemary says: It’s never too late to improve your fitness! If you could shed any excess weight you will feel loads better. Your joints will feel less pressure on them and moving about will become noticeably easier. Exercising, subject to checking your medical situation with your own GP, should improve matters no end. I’m sure you’ll be familiar with the motto ‘if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it’  and never has that been more true than with our muscles, strength and fitness.  Have a look at my Ultimate Whole Body Workout DVD which includes a chair-based exercise section. Start gently but you’ll be surprised how quickly you can improve your situation.

You are the same age as I am but you are slimmer and fitter than me. How much exercise do you do each week?

Rosemary says: I teach two diet and fitness classes on a Monday evening so that includes around 60 minutes of aerobics and 20 minutes of toning. In addition, I walk most mornings for around 30 minutes which means that I walk about a mile and a half each day. In addition I have a ballet lesson for one hour a week. I manage to keep my weight fairly constant at around 8 stone by not snacking between meals and only eating things like crisps very occasionally because I want to be slim more than I want to have treats!

Do you still run local diet and fitness classes? How do I find one near me?

Rosemary says: We haven’t run local classes since 2014. When we stopped some of our previous franchisees continued running similar classes under their own names but I no longer have any idea if any of them are still around so you would need to check locally to see if there is anything suitable in your area. In the meantime please feel free to make use of the recipes, exercise videos and advice freely available on this website.

What is your view on weight loss injections – Mounjaro/Wegovy etc.?

Rosemary says: Weight-loss injections are becoming very popular because they are proving effective in helping people to lose weight – fast. They achieve this by reducing the appetite of those who use them. They are particularly valuable for those with a BMI of over 40 where obesity can affect a patient’s long term health and wellbeing in many ways. However, we must remember that these types of drugs should be used as a tool toward weight reduction, not a magic solution. They should be taken alongside healthy food – so that sufficient nutrients can be absorbed by the body – and increased activity to help their body tone up as the weight reduced. Together, they can transform a patient’s life as weight loss can mean they move around more easily and by eating more healthy food, they have the energy to be more active. Used under medical supervision and responsibly, weight-loss injections can be a valuable aid toward a healthier body. We must remember that unless people learn to eat more healthily, revise their quantities, exercise more and change their lifestyle, there is a real risk of the weight going back on. Some people are talking about staying on the drug for life – but there has been no research as the effect on the body in the long term.

 NB The drug should only be prescribed by a medical clinician. Products available on the internet may not be safe. Also, the long term effects of the drugs are yet to be discovered.

Do you still advocate the 5% fat rule? (I.e. not more than 5 grams of fat per 100 grams of food?) I noticed on one of your nutrition videos you allow nuts now which are more than 5% fat.

Rosemary says: Broadly speaking I still advocate 5% fat as a rule of thumb but I have broadened my scope of foods to include some nuts. For instance almonds are acceptable within my eating plans but other nuts should be eaten in only small amounts as they are so high in fat. Salted peanuts and similar should be avoided of course. However, if someone follows a vegan diet then nuts play an important role as part of their daily diet. As in so many things, moderation is the key. I hope this helps.

When choosing a plain yogurt the higher fat version is generally lower in sugar content than the lower fat version. I try to select the lowest fat/sugar content that is available. However, is it better to select lower sugar with higher fat content, or lower fat with higher sugar content please?

Rosemary says: As no yogurt is very high in calories I would go for the lower sugar version. I am not as strict with the 5% fat rule these days. I rather look at the goodness and the quality of the product nutrition-wise.

What is the best time of day to weigh yourself?

Rosemary says: The most accurate time to weigh yourself is very first thing in the morning as that is an easy time to replicate. Of course you will be dehydrated so you will weigh the least possible weight – which makes weighing at that time very attractive!

Do you have any books in audio form as I have trouble reading because of my eyesight? 

Rosemary says: I don’t have any of my books available in audio but The 28-Day Immunity Plan, is available from Amazon as an eBook and with an e-reader you would be able to adjust the size of the print to make it easier to read. You might also be able to use a screen reader to read out the text on your computer. In addition, the exercises featured are available as videos on this site. 

I just bought your Flat Stomach Plan. In one section for breakfast it says 25 grams of cereal plus 225 strawberries or 1 banana. In another section it says 25 grams of porridge plus 25 grams of sultanas. Why is there such a big difference in fruit quantity?

Rosemary says: There is a huge difference in the calorie value of dried fruit compared with fresh fruit. Strawberries are brilliant for giving you lots of fruit for few calories whereas sultanas and other dried fruit are very calorie-dense. It all comes down to personal preference as to which breakfast you choose and of course you can repeat your favourites and skip the ones you don’t fancy.

I just wanted to email you to thank you for your fitness dvds. I have found that they have really helped to keep me going. I find your instructions really clear and I love the Salsa!

Rosemary says: That is brilliant to hear. Just in case anyone is interested in getting a copy, both the Salsa dance workout DVDs area vailable in our shop. What we all loved about recording them was that they really toned up our waistlines amazingly!