There’s being slim and then theres being ‘Ibiza’ slim. You will catch my well documented effort to lose weight on my other posts.
I tries the quick fix ‘5:2’ diet but felt like I could easily murder 6 fluffy kittens on fasting days. I tries T5s but unfortunately if you eat like fuck as well they do not work.
So I sat myself down, had a word with myself and decided to make some small changes. I have been using Raspberry Ketones to curb my appetite but I’ll be honest I rarely remember to take them properly and I really dont think thats whats helped.
Before I go forward and tell you how I’ve lost 10lb in two weeks please remember. I am NOT a nutritionist. I am NOT a doctor. There is no science behind this AT ALL. I am just telling you what has worked for me.

Walk a bit

I live around a 15 minute walk away from the bus station I get into work from. Not only did I realise two weeks ago its £24 cheaper a month if I walk down and just pay for the bus to work, but its a good way to get in some exercise during my normal day. I walk here and back, and on the way home I try to push myself to walk a bit faster as it wont matter if I go home sweaty. If you get the bus, try getting off a couple of stops before. If you drive, why not get a monthly car park ticket for a car park a few minutes walk away. When it comes down to it, you wont want to pay extra to park closer.

Dont snack of an evening

Experts are so divided on this. I personally dont know the science behind it, but I’ve stopped and it works. I know they say you can have healthy snacks, but surely not eating anything that will ‘sit’ just before bed is better. If you really struggle with this have dinner later.

Dont deny yourself

My motto is ‘eat healthy all week, treat of a weekend’. Dont deny yourself anything, you will lose against the diet. It makes me much more willing to chew on leaves all week if you have a Nandos to look forward to Friday.

Cut out some carbs

I used to have a massive sandwich for lunch and noticed not only does brown bread make me sluggish, it makes me go all red and patchy. Now for lunch I have a ham & cheese salad, packed with goodies which see’s you through the afternoon.

Snack after lunch and before dinner

If everything we are told is right, we need to keep our metabolism ticking over like a running car. Have a snack (ideally between 3 and 4) to keep your metabolism going. I have mine when I finish at 4 and I dont feel as utterly starvational at dinner.

Eat breakfast

Alrhough I am never hungry in the morning, I always force down some oats and yoghurt. Breakfast is VERY important and skipping it will just be counter productive.

Cut down on meat

My Mum only eats chicken, so after years of living on the stuff I decided for us a few weeks ago we were going to incorporate more Quorn, Veggie burgers, Veggie bolognaise, pasta etc. Not only is this all packed with nutrients its far less fattening.

Herbal tea is your best friend
Peppermint tea aids digestion, so I try and drink one after each meal.

Be REALISTIC

When I say ‘I had Burger King after my night out Saturday’ I mean, I still had an uber healthy lunch and breakfast. Be realistic. This wont work if you cheat.

Watch that alcohol

I know I know. You love wine. Me too. But its not great for you. Why not set aside one night a month where you go out, do something grand (probably on pay weekend) and stay in the other 3 weeks and look forward to the next one. Give yourself a long term project you cant be hungover in the mornings for. Mine is getting the garden done for summer.

A typical day in the life of my food consumption

Breakfast:

Porridge oats mixed with Greek yoghurt with a coffee and no sugar.

Lunch:

Ham salad with lettuce, peppers, spring onions, cucumber, jalepenos, tomatoes and a little bit of cheese.

Snack:

Asda cereal bar (see it doesnt have to be expensive either).

Dinner:
Vegetable bolognaise. Basically this is made by chucking in more vegetables and taking the mince out of the equation. I always have this and pasta with whole wheat spaghetti and pasta.

It sounds boring to eat this EVERY day, but its only 5 days right?

Last weekend I had Nandos, Burger King and Indian, but it didnt matter because I had eaten healthy all week.

I need to stress again I am NOT a Doctor or nutritionist. I’m telling you what worked for me. It’s not a fad diet, it’s making small changes to be healthier in the long run. Please ensure you speak to a medical professional before making drastic changes to your diet

All in all, these changes havent been hard to make at all. Yes its a bit shitty when you are at work and everyones eating lovely greasy food, but it makes that treat at the weekend something big to look forward to.

If you would like to do some research for yourself, here is the link to the NHS live well website:

http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/healthy-eating/Pages/Healthyeating.aspx

**UPDATE** 17/07/2014

I have now lost a stone and a half following this plan and have never felt better.