Lose Weight Without Effort (Part 3)

Thursday

Breakfast: 150g Greek-style plain organic yoghurt with one dessertspoon ground flaxseeds. Six walnuts. One sliced apple.

Lunch: One fillet smoked mackerel, and a salad of one whole avocado and three artichoke hearts in olive oil, served with rocket and lamb’s lettuce and lime juice.

Supper: Grilled chicken breast with lemon juice, garlic and thyme, roasted fennel and pumpkin seeds. Quarter one fennel bulb and roast in a dessertspoon of olive oil at 170⁰C for 20 mins. Mix one teaspoon balsamic vinegar with two dessertspoon of pumpkin seeds and roast at 150⁰C for 20-25 minutes.

Grilled chicken breast with lemon juice, garlic and thyme

Friday

Breakfast: Two boiled eggs, one slice spelt toast and two plums. Cup of Nettle tea.

Lunch: Baked potato with tuna and red pepper. Endive, celery and fennel salad and black olives, dressed with one dessert spoon of walnut oil and the juice of half an orange.

Supper: Teppanyaki beef fillet, with mixed greens (bok choy, broccoli and mange tout). Coat the beef with teriyaki sauce and griddle for six minutes each side. Serve with steamed veg. sliced mango and lime juice. Glass of white wine.

Saturday

Breakfast: Feta omelette with a handful of baby spinach. Use two eggs and a third of a block of feta per person. Cook in one teaspoon of light olive oil. Cup of Peppermint tea.

Lunch out: Superfood salad box with sweet potato, feta and edamame beans (Pret, EAT and M&S all do a version of this).

Supper: Puy lentils with duck breasts; roasted savoy cabbage, onions and wed wine. (casseroled for ease), with red Camargue rice.

Sunday

Breakfast: Supergreen smoothie: ½ medium cucumber, a handful spinach, one bunch watercress, one sprig mint, one teaspoon chia seeds, 400ml filtered water. Blend all ingredients, rather than juicing them, for a thickish, and very nutritious green drink.

Lunch: Roast tomatoes, large flat mushrooms and asparagus in one dessertspoon of light olive oil and basil, with two poached eggs on top. One slice of toasted rye bread.

Supper: Green vegetable risotto. Using half a cup Arborio or brown rice, add peas, beans, asparagus, wilted chard. Make with Marigold stock powder and a dash of white wine. Serve with sprouted Mung bean salad.

Snacks

These high-protein snacks banish mid-afternoon cravings.

1. Pot of edamame beans (available from Pret, Itsu, M&S and Waitrose).
2. Small pot of hummus with raw vegetables.
3. Small pot of avocado guacamole with raw vegetables.
4. Two Oatcake with almond or cashew nut butter (thinly spread).
5. Small cup of sprouted beans or seed with fresh lemon juice.

Drinks

Add basil, lemon slices, sliced root ginger or sliced cucumber to bottled water for taste and to aid absorption.

Get into herb teas – nettle, fennel, green and white teas are all slimming, as are yerba mate and Pu-Erh.

Limit your consumption of black tea and coffee, which tend to stimulate hunger.

Save alcohol for the weekend, and enjoy good wine rather than cheap plonk.

 You can omit this or add any other lemon flavored herb

Slimming super foods

Celery – High in fibre and many minerals, this crunchy vegetable is beast eaten raw, to slow the release of the nutrients from the rest of your meal. And it contains zero fat.

Quinoa – A seed rather than a grain, the combination of protein and complex carbohydrate in quinoa provides you with energy for several hours after eating.

Avocado – Long considered a no-no for traditional dieters, this fruit is higher in protein than most, and supplies ample essential fats, together with a high dose of vitamin E – which is great for reducing stretch marks and wrinkles caused by rapid weight-loss.

Oats – The total super food for energy, weight-loss and anti-ageing, oats are lower in gluten than wheat, which tends to bung up the digestive system. They provide slow-release energy, and reduce cholesterol.

Chia seeds – The newest kid on the block, nutrient-rich chia seeds add bulk, fibre, protein and essential fats to cereals, smoothies and salads. For a great energy boost and to stave off hunger for longer, soak overnight in water. A 28g serving gives you half your fibre RDA.

Five diet no-no’s

• Don’t cook more than you need for each meal, unless you are planning to use a protein, such as chicken or salmon, in you salad lunch the next day.
• Don’t buy bulk packs of foods to reduce costs – you never shrink your waistline this way!
• Don’t go back for seconds – stick to the ‘one-plate’ rule.
• Don’t drink alcohol on an empty stomach – it’s high in calories and will sabotage your slimming programme from the start.
• Don’t embark on a limited food range – your body will quickly rebel, and you’ll find yourself craving inappropriate foods.