Clean and Lean tummy transformer - Conclusion and Review

The six day tummy transformer was for me the five day - I had a huge work event the next day which I knew would involve lots of drinking, canapes etc - and cakes and biscuits I had specially designed and ordered.

Back at work on Day 5 I found it easy to get back into my regular routine. I had my egg white omelette and spinach for breakfast, my two quorn and cucumber snacks during the day, and tofu frankfurters and broccoli for my other meals.

In the five days I lost 5lb, which is good but not amazing; I would expect to lose that on any short-term diet where I was often getting under 1000 calories per day. However in the two days since then I have been thinking that my tummy is looking better. I think the weight did come off my waist a little; today I was wearing a belted dress that I was comfortably wearing a notch tighter than before. My results probably could have been more fabulous if I:

- stuck to the exercise programme. I admit I was a bit lazy with it.

- (this is the diet plan's fault, not mine, but) due to the lack of veggie protein options in the plan, I was using tofu and quorn meat substitutes. Although I selected healthfood brands, they still contained fat and additives and were 'processed.'


I did pick up some great habits from the plan:

- The large but low-carb, low-fat, protein filled snacks really kept me full and prevented me being tempted by other treats.

- I realised that the simplest meal of a healthy protein plus steamed green vegetables, which sounds so boring, is actually a very satisfying and often yummy lunch or dinner which can be put together in under 10 minutes. Forget grabbing Pret on the way home, ordering takeaway, or thinking only pasta would fill me up!

- I loved my calming evening drink. It helped me chill out and get ready to sleep, and with the slight sweetness of the almond milk and the cacao flavour, it satisfied my late night sweet tooth that sometimes has me scouring the cupboards for unhealthy snacks.

- Avoiding coffee and soft drinks, I got really into flavoured green teas and now drink at least one large cup a day.


My main criticism, aside from my comment as a vegetarian, is James plugging his super expensive supplements. It would cost £250 to buy what is needed on the 6 days. James' book would be improved if he eplained what the key ingredients were so people could use what is available to them and affordable (as Dr Nicholas Perricone does very well in his plan)

Overall I enjoyed trying this plan, and now my big boozy party is out the way, I'm going to try and live the Clean and Lean way.

Day 4: Clean and Lean 6 Day Tummy Transformer

OK, this is starting to become a chore. I'm kind of bored of how repetitive the diet is. I'm definitely finding it's easier to do diets during the week, when the structure/activities of work make it easier to remember when to eat - and when to stop - and you are generally not in social situations where you feel obliged to eat or drink. That's kind of a revelation, because I had always blamed work for making me unhealthy with birthday treats being brought in, and muffins and cakes on sale in our canteen.

One thing that I love is my own version of the evening drink which I've been making with almond milk. The maca powder definitely seems to have a soothing effect and the cacao gives it a chocolate taste (the almond milk is slightly sweet). I will definitely keep making this instead of giving in to late evening chocolate cravings.

Today it's that time of the month and I feel a bit lethargic and blah. I decided to go to bed at 7pm, skip dinner and watch a film, during which I had 2 mugs of my bedtime drink. I added hemp protein and chlorella to make up for the meal I was missing!

So my food diary looks like this:

9.30am: hot water + lemon; psyllium husks; 3 egg white omelette
11am: peppermint tea and a small cupcake - made and given to me by a child, I couldn't say no!
11.30am: soy filter coffee from Starbucks
3pm: Taifun tofu fillet and a large portion of steamed green beans
7pm: psyllium husks; 2 x mugs of almond milk, maca, cacao, hemp protein and chlorella; omega 3 supplement and l-glutamine

Looking back on this I really haven't eaten enough green veg today, I'll make sure I get extra tomorrow. I'm desperate to weigh myself but think period-bloat might make the result unreliable!

Day 3: Clean and Lean 6 Day Tummy Transformer

It's technically day 4 because it's 2.17am. I've just got back from a friend's birthday night out and...I CHEATED. I couldn't note drink on her birthday. I had 4 drinks, 3 of which were vodka, sparkling water and fresh lime (very good as far as alcoholic beverages go), the last was bought for me and it was a mojito - sugar!! I feel ashamed! Luckily I think I danced it off...

Even with the drinks added, my calories only came to 1,103. Like the weekend on the Perricone programme, I found the lack of structure in my schedule meant I didn't have time to eat all the foods! I skipped a snack. So my day went something like this...

9.30am: hot water + lemon, psyllium husks
10am: 2 egg white/1 whole egg (I broke the yolk...) omelette and spinach
1pm: filter coffee with a drop of soy milk (it's naughty but James allows one coffee a day in his book)
3pm: 1 Taifun frankfurter and steamed tenderstem broccoli (and omega 3 supplement)
5pm: half pack of 'roast chicken' Quorn slices + 1/4 cucumber
8pm: 1 Taifun tofu fillet and steamed green beans
9-1am: naughty drinks :/
2am: psyllium husks & large glass of water; warm almond milk + maca powder + cacao powder + l-glutamine

I'm finding the meal plan of protein + steamed greens really satisfying which is a surprise. In future I will try to eat more of these simple, low fat and low carb meals. They take under 10 minutes to make so they're super easy.

I feel like today was a bit of a fail as drinking coffee and alcohol isn't very clean, but overall I stuck to the guidelines /principles of the Clean and Lean plan (ok, except the mojito) and my calories are still lower than my RDA!

Day 2: Clean and Lean 6 Day Tummy Transformer

Day 2 is done! Calories come to 1,033. Today my eating schedule looked like this...and again, there was no temptation for treats.

7.15 egg white + spinach (sadly I only had one egg; I should have used two)
10.15 1/2 pack of Quorn 'chicken' slices and 1/4 of a cucumber
1.30 viana vegetarian schnitzel and steamed spinach and asparagus
4.30 1/2 pack of Quorn 'chicken' slices and 1/4 of a cucumber
6.45 2 Taifun tofu frankfurters, stir fried (with a teaspoon of vegetable stock - no oil) broccoli, spinach, red cabbage and bean sprouts
9.30 almond milk + cooled camomile tea + cacao + maca powder

I also took psyllium husks, l-glutamine and omega 3 supplements in the evening.

Day 1: James Duigan Clean and Lean 6 Day Tummy Transformer

First day over! I feel great considering my calorie intake was super-low (971 - I use myfitnesspal to track).

I ate the following... (note my veggie substitutions for chicken/baked white fish)

7am: hot water and lemon
7.15: 2 egg white omelette with spinach.
10.30: half pack of Quorn roast chicken style slices and 1/4 cucumber; green tea
1.15pm: lentil salad (no oil)
4.15: rest of the Quorn roast chicken style slices and 1/4 cucumber; green tea
7.15: a vegetarian bratwurst, baked, with steamed spinach and asparagus

I then went for a 25 minute cardio intervals session (brisk walk 3 mins, jog for 2 mins, sprint for one - repeat x 4) and when I got back went through my circuit.

at 10pm I made my own version of the Clean and Lean Serenity powder with:
heaped teaspoon of maca
heaped teaspoon of cacao
heaped teaspoon of psyllium husks
small cup of cooled camomile tea
small cup of almond milk

I took an L-glutamine pill at the same time.

I didn't feel hungry at all today, I feel great. I am sure I will get really bored of this plan as it's very repetitive and it's easy to feel enthused on the first day. The plan is clever because having, for example, a very large portion of cucumber twice a day keeps you full with hardly any calories. I like the prescriptiveness of the plan in that regard because I would never just take a huge hunk of cucumber to work otherwise! I also particularly liked the relaxing drink at the end of the day (my own recipe - ha!), the combination of cacao and maca, as well as the camomile tea, is very calming - which is much needed in my life at the moment - and I am now struggling to keep my eyes open. Good night :)

James Duigan Clean and Lean: 6 Day Tummy Transformer - introduction

Always in search of quick results, I've decided to try out the most extreme of James's plans. He says he gives this diet plans to models before a shoot. He admits that it's boring and repetitive but highly effective.

James gives specific options for each meal in the programme but they all look interchangeable as they are various forms of lean protein (white meat) and green vegetables.

Two key criticisms for the Clean and Lean programme emerge here:

• Not (really) suitable for vegetarians: Nearly every meal on this plan includes chicken or turkey. I have bought tofu and Quorn products to substitute, but these aren't technically 'clean.' Quorn is a mycoprotein (cultured fungus) that is high protein, low fat and has a chickeny texture. I have chosen the simplest Quorn products and the tofu is from health store brands so they are the closest to clean foods. This complaint applies to James's 2 intensive plans; there are a few nice vegetarian recipes in his books for his long-term programme.

• Plugging own products: On this plan I am told I need Bodyism (James's brand) fibre supplements in the morning, his brand of fish oil supplements during the day, and his Bofy Serenity shake at night. His products are outrageously expensive IMO - the Serenity powder alone is £50 for 240g! In contrast with my most recent example, the Perricone plan, where while Dr Perricone's products are recommended he explains the key ingredients or other brands that work, James offers no details on the ingredients that work or alternatives. Luckily I have some supplements on hand to substitute them with: psyllium husks as the fibre supplement, my own preferred brand of omega 3 supplements, and maca (or similar calming supplement - thats what I have to hand) and cacao powder to replace the serenity shake. It may not be quite the same but I'm not paying £50 for a small bag of powder!

Without further ado let's see the plan! The version given in the book is more specific; this is my summary and this formula is followed every day.

• Boiled water with fresh lemon or lime + fibre supplement
• 2 egg white omelette with steamed greens eg spinach/broccoli/kale
• 100g lean white meat + quarter of a cucumber
• Portion of white meat (chicken or baked white fish) with steamed greens
• 100g lean white meat + quarter of a cucumber
• Portion of white fish or chicken with steamed greens
• Serenity shake with fibre supplement

So much protein! So much bland greens! Argh! We are banned from oil which I find weird. James says this is the healthy way to lose a lot of weight but I've always believed healthy fat from olive oil, nuts and avocados help you lose weight. I won't knock this till I've tried it, though.

Then we have the exercise plan...

Days 1, 3 and 5: 

Morning cardio - 25 minutes of running intervals. I'm going to do this in the evening because I can't handle morning exercise

Circuits - 3 circuits of 8 standard exercises: push-ups, lunges, squats, tricep dips etc

Day 2 and 4:

Resistance training with dumbbells - 5 circuits of 8 exercises

I had better lose a few pounds by the end of this!!! In fact I'm hoping to look something like this...

James Duigan's client Elle Macpherson

Rosie's rule: Hydration

One of Rosie Huntington-Whitely's secrets for staying slim and having clear radiant skin is drinking lots of water. Rosie says she drinks 3-4 litres of water each day. This is a lot of water, but I find it's easy to drink 3 litres a day if you include herbal and green teas.

In the last couple of days I've been trying this. I order water multipacks to be delivered to my office, so every day I have a 1.5l bottle of Evian. I supplement this with 3 large green teas during the day, I have bought them in lots of different flavours (Twinings Mango & Lychee, Ginger green teas are lovely, and I'm also really enjoying the strangest one yet, Salted Caramel) as I'm not keen on the flavour of ordinary green tea. I always find a good selection in my local Waitrose! Then I drink a couple of glasses of water at home with dinner. I always try to make that the last thing I do before I go to sleep, and first thing I do when I wake up, is drink a large glass of water.

This is because sleep is very dehydrating for the body. According to James Duigan, in the Clean and Lean flat tummy book, when the body is dehydrated it is in a stressful state. This stressful state encourages production of the hormone cortisol whch makes our body hang onto fat.

It's also now widely known that what feels like hunger is often just thirst and drinking plenty of water can help reduce snacking. In addition, when you are drinking water this often, your tummy tends to feel full all the time. Drinking a hot drink like a herbal tea is particularly filling.

Rosie Huntington-Whitely

One of the most stylish, beautiful models around - with, of course, a killer body - is Rosie Huntington-Whitely. You don't need to search hard to find a lot of information on Rosie's diet and fitness regime - it's not a surprise that loads of fashion magazines follow what she does, because it's clearly working.

Rosie's slim figure and glowing skin come courtesy of Vinyasa Flow yoga, green smoothies and James Duigan's Clean and Lean diet rules.

For the next month I'm going to try all of these. Let's see if I end up looking like this:

Celebrity diet and fitness tip of the day: Michelle Keegan - abs workout

Michelle Keegan is a UK celeb - one of those people who seem to appear from nowhere and pop up all over all the trashy women's magazines, lad's magazines and Femail. Her fame is definitely helped by the fact that she has a great body - particularly her super-toned midsection.

So I'm glad that my Michelle Keegan fitness tip is all about the abs! Alongside her regular gym routine of moderate impact cardio, Michelle uses this 8 Minute Abs video on Youtube. By the looks of it, it's a real 90s classic!

I will definitely be using this video in future!

This fitness tip comes from an interview in this week's Now Magazine, which also reveals Michelle's  typical daily diet:

Breakfast: omelette made with two eggs

Mid-morning: toast with cream cheese

Lunch: salmon and green salad

Dinner: chicken salad

Day 3: Perricone 3 day programme

It's over! I'm relieved as today was a struggle with my work schedule. I didn't get myself up in time to make the breakfast - which with the egg-white-separating, omelette & porridge making and the fruit cutting takes me about half an hour, not including eating time!- so I switched the schedule around. I had the afternoon snack of quorn, hazelnuts, apple, which I could grab and go, for breakfast. I got a salmon sashimi box from Itsu for lunch, snacked on blueberries at the office, and had my egg-white omelette with veg/romaine for dinner. I'm finding the food bland and cannot stomach any more salmon. However as with yesterday evening, my skin is looking fab and radiant. I do have 2 new small blemishes but they are probably not related to the diet.

The verdict on this diet

Pros
- Relatively easy to stick to - the food is extremely filling so you don't get 'diet-hunger' despite eating healthily; I didn't manage to eat the full programme on any day
- Convenience - ingredients are easy to find, and if you get the Perricone book the shopping list makes it very convenient
- Results - I am thrilled with how smooth and glowy my skin looks. I could see the benefits after one day on the programme!

Cons
- Time consuming - because the meal plan is so prescriptive and specific, you need to take the time to prepare every meal which took me a while
- Bland - the food wasn't very tasty
- Salmon - there is tons on this diet. If you like fish, this programme will be fine for you. I don't, so I really struggled :(

I am going to leave Perricone here. The book also contains a 28 Day Wrinkle-Free Plan. Like this diet, there's plenty of fish and as I can't even look at a piece of salmon for the time being, I'm not up for it! I'm 26 and don't need to worry too much about ageing yet, so I'll revisit the plan in a few years! Based on the success of the 3 Day Programme for my skin, if you are worried about your skin I would really recommend you give Dr Perricone's advice a whirl. It really did work rapidly to improve my skin.

I will definitely use what I learnt from the book about skincare and nutrition going forward! It was a really interesting read and I highly recommend it.

Buy it here