In the past year I have lost - and fairly successfully kept off - about 20lb of weight loss, most of which I lost very quickly over about 3 months. One of the diets I tried that kick started this last summer was the Cinch diet, now renamed the SASS diet, from dietician Cynthia Sass.
The long-term diet advocates many small meals perfectly composed of different food groups. However, with my love of a callenge/quick fix, I was drawn to the five day start to the programme, the Fast Forward. It was strict and simple. It was also great to start a diet plan with really limited ingredients - so easy to shop for. The five ingredients are
spinach, raspberries, eggs, almonds and non-fat yoghurt
All chosen for their nutritional properties, particularly pertaining to weight loss.
I lost 5lbs on this five day fast forward. I was drawn to the plan as I really like all five components. It's very vegetarian-friendly, which is a pleasant surprise. I wasn't hungry at all during this diet (apart from emotional hunger, boredom, or specific cravings as I was restricted from most of my favourite meals) and I didn't do any exercise or sports except walking as the daily plan had under 1200 calories. I drank one coffee a day and green teas. My favourite meal was the evening salad of spinach dressed with balsamic vinegar and a tablespoon of freshly squeezed orange juice, raspberries, almonds and a hard-boiled egg. If I felt like I needed a treat I had a spoonful of natural almond butter.
I have kept the non-fat yoghurt and raspberries combination as a favourite breakfast or snack. I found the weightloss easy to maintain and the quick results very motivating.
I didn't continue with Cynthia's long term plan, but I would really recommend this diet for a nutritional reset and a kick start for a weight loss regime. More information on her plan is in her book - I bought a second-hand hardback of the old edition, titled Cinch! on Amazon marketplace very cheaply. Here is the current edition.
Tuesday, 30 August 2016
Thursday, 6 August 2015
Military Diet - review and weight loss results after 3 days
This is the kind of diet I've always avoided, but it's perfect for my blog - it's an online craze making big calls on what it can achieve in terms of weightloss: up to 10b in 3 days. I thought I would give it a go. I was also very keen to investigate any drastic diet that included ice cream every day!
I used the diet plan from this source, which has really helpful information on substitutions (I'm vegetarian so needed to make a few).
http://blessedmommy.hubpages.com/hub/Lose-Up-To-10-Pounds-In-3-Days-On-The-3-Day-Diet
It was really easy to buy everything I needed, all the meals are simple. Two things that struck me are that the diet is very high in dairy (especially for vegetarians substituting cottage cheese for tuna), and very low in vegetables. It's not the way I usually eat at all.
Breakfast on the first day was delicious: wholemeal toast with peanut butter, half a grapefruit and coffee.
Lunch was bland but fine.
Dinner (with my tofu 'meat' substitute) was also yummy, and dessert - apple and banana (which I warmed) with vanilla ice cream was a real treat!
The first day was really easy and I felt full with no temptations to snack or cheat.
Day 2 breakfast felt balanced - dry toast, egg and half a banana - and I was full till lunch, which, with a huge portion cottage cheese, was also filling.
My issue on day 2 was lack of energy without the coffees allowed. As it was a busy work day and I was falling asleep at my desk, I gave in and had a cup of tea with a drop of milk which perked me up.
I was starving by dinner and ate my tofu frankfurters, carrots and broccoli, and banana and ice cream.
I went to bed really early and work up in the night coughing tonsil stones, which I rarely get. All this dairy doesn't suit me!
Unfortunately breakfast on the last day involved a huge piece of cheese, which wasn't what I felt my body needed but was at least appetising with a small app and crackers.
Lunch was small and bland, just one egg on toast. I had a major energy slump, like the day before, and ended up drinking two cup of tea. I was also unable to turn down the office chocolates I was offered and had two chocolates.
Dinner was the strangest yet this day - just cottage cheese (tuna on the original plan), ice cream and banana. I ate this and went straight to sleep at about 7.30pm.
I woke up this morning and had lost 5lb, I'm quite happy with that considering I ate so much ice cream. It's a long way from 10lbs - I did have some minor cheating though so maybe they made all the difference!? I don't think this is a very healthy diet, I don't really feel good now - I wouldn't recommend it.
Update: a week and a half on, I have maintained 4lb of this weight loss after returning to a normal diet which I'm quite pleased with.
I used the diet plan from this source, which has really helpful information on substitutions (I'm vegetarian so needed to make a few).
http://blessedmommy.hubpages.com/hub/Lose-Up-To-10-Pounds-In-3-Days-On-The-3-Day-Diet
It was really easy to buy everything I needed, all the meals are simple. Two things that struck me are that the diet is very high in dairy (especially for vegetarians substituting cottage cheese for tuna), and very low in vegetables. It's not the way I usually eat at all.
Breakfast on the first day was delicious: wholemeal toast with peanut butter, half a grapefruit and coffee.
Lunch was bland but fine.
Dinner (with my tofu 'meat' substitute) was also yummy, and dessert - apple and banana (which I warmed) with vanilla ice cream was a real treat!
The first day was really easy and I felt full with no temptations to snack or cheat.
Day 2 breakfast felt balanced - dry toast, egg and half a banana - and I was full till lunch, which, with a huge portion cottage cheese, was also filling.
My issue on day 2 was lack of energy without the coffees allowed. As it was a busy work day and I was falling asleep at my desk, I gave in and had a cup of tea with a drop of milk which perked me up.
I was starving by dinner and ate my tofu frankfurters, carrots and broccoli, and banana and ice cream.
I went to bed really early and work up in the night coughing tonsil stones, which I rarely get. All this dairy doesn't suit me!
Unfortunately breakfast on the last day involved a huge piece of cheese, which wasn't what I felt my body needed but was at least appetising with a small app and crackers.
Lunch was small and bland, just one egg on toast. I had a major energy slump, like the day before, and ended up drinking two cup of tea. I was also unable to turn down the office chocolates I was offered and had two chocolates.
Dinner was the strangest yet this day - just cottage cheese (tuna on the original plan), ice cream and banana. I ate this and went straight to sleep at about 7.30pm.
I woke up this morning and had lost 5lb, I'm quite happy with that considering I ate so much ice cream. It's a long way from 10lbs - I did have some minor cheating though so maybe they made all the difference!? I don't think this is a very healthy diet, I don't really feel good now - I wouldn't recommend it.
Update: a week and a half on, I have maintained 4lb of this weight loss after returning to a normal diet which I'm quite pleased with.
Friday, 24 July 2015
Finally...5:2!
I'm back and it's been a little while. My attempt to plan out 100 days of healthy eating, and to keep my tracking my food choices for that long, sadly failed. I just don't have the discipline! Like the fact that, at the age of 27, I've learnt I can't just go to the supermarket like a normal human and buy a packet of biscuits BECAUSE I WILL EAT THE WHOLE PACK, I'm discovering a new fact about myself. I don't have lon-term discipline. While I can be very enthusiastic and dedicated in the short-term - perhaps the reason I'm fascinated by diet trends offering speedy results - it's not sustainable for me.
Which is why the 5:2 diet seems to be perfect for people like me. (And with the popularity of miracle diet seekers/perpetual yo-yo dieters out there - hello readers - I know I'm not alone). We get to be super-super-healthy and efficient for one day, then we're back to normal the very next day - until the next fast day!
There are all kinds of benefits to intermittent fasting, which unusually for my blog, I'm not going into. I usually love examining the nutritional benefits of diets, but not so much with this one. I was fairly cynical to begin with, and I'm still not entirely convinced it won't turn out to be another faddy unhealthy Atkins diet. But, two fast days and a lot of excitement in, it's EASY (for my eating style/personality at least). I must be one of the last people to try this - even my parents did it for a while!
Although I've done juice fasts and know I can deal with short-term hunger, I've managed to get a fairly balanced diet on my fast days, with three meals and a snack. On my fast days I've conveniently fed myself with some UK staples:
Total 0% yogurt 170g pot
M&S Blueberry pots
Pret egg & spinach protein pots
Pret veggie sushi protein pots
(Hmm... a lot of pots) With all of the above around 100 cal - except the blueberries which are less - and a few almonds and goji berries here and there, I've been able to keep full and nourished on the go.
1 week in, I've lost 6lb. I exercised intensely twice, but I had a huge burger and fries on one of the days, and a big bag of Cadbury's giant buttons on another. LIVING THE DREAM.
Which is why the 5:2 diet seems to be perfect for people like me. (And with the popularity of miracle diet seekers/perpetual yo-yo dieters out there - hello readers - I know I'm not alone). We get to be super-super-healthy and efficient for one day, then we're back to normal the very next day - until the next fast day!
There are all kinds of benefits to intermittent fasting, which unusually for my blog, I'm not going into. I usually love examining the nutritional benefits of diets, but not so much with this one. I was fairly cynical to begin with, and I'm still not entirely convinced it won't turn out to be another faddy unhealthy Atkins diet. But, two fast days and a lot of excitement in, it's EASY (for my eating style/personality at least). I must be one of the last people to try this - even my parents did it for a while!
Although I've done juice fasts and know I can deal with short-term hunger, I've managed to get a fairly balanced diet on my fast days, with three meals and a snack. On my fast days I've conveniently fed myself with some UK staples:
Total 0% yogurt 170g pot
M&S Blueberry pots
Pret egg & spinach protein pots
Pret veggie sushi protein pots
(Hmm... a lot of pots) With all of the above around 100 cal - except the blueberries which are less - and a few almonds and goji berries here and there, I've been able to keep full and nourished on the go.
1 week in, I've lost 6lb. I exercised intensely twice, but I had a huge burger and fries on one of the days, and a big bag of Cadbury's giant buttons on another. LIVING THE DREAM.
Sunday, 29 March 2015
Day 8 of my food diary
I have to admit, I'm not taking this seriously enough. I havent been able to exercise properly recently because of ongoing problems with my legs - I have really tight calves which have caused some tendon iritaton and generally make moving around uncomfortable. I'm checking in with my PT to see him this week and will crack on with eating healthily. Today was a bit of a disaster!
Breakfast: Cappuccino and a toffee/banana muffin
Lunch: Spelt toast & avocado, an instant noodle soup from Itsu with added organic mixed frozen eg
Dinner - kind of spread through the afternoon and evening: (I'm almost ashamed to type) an entire packet of chocolate digestives and a cup of tea! I'm blushing right now. BAD GIRL!
I'm nearly 10 days in to this shebang and need to star making a REAL EFFORT!
Breakfast: Cappuccino and a toffee/banana muffin
Lunch: Spelt toast & avocado, an instant noodle soup from Itsu with added organic mixed frozen eg
Dinner - kind of spread through the afternoon and evening: (I'm almost ashamed to type) an entire packet of chocolate digestives and a cup of tea! I'm blushing right now. BAD GIRL!
I'm nearly 10 days in to this shebang and need to star making a REAL EFFORT!
Day 7 of my food diary
Hangover breakfast: My homemade, hopefully healthier version of an egg McMuffin - a wholemeal sub with fried egg and cheddar slices
Sack: Vanilla iced skinny latte from Starbucks
Lunch: Amy's vegetarian chilli with avocado and baby spinach
Dinner: pub trip for friend's birthday - 3 glasses of prosecco, and chips with ketchup and mayo in the pub; a birthday brownie
Day 6 of my food diary
I woke up in agony from skiing the day before and booked a sports massage. I could barely walk!
Breakfast: Spelt toast with avocado
Lunch: A very naughty cookie from Ben's cookies
Dinner: Sauteed kale and a vegetarian schnitzel
Alcohol: 2 glasses of wine and 2 cocktails
Exercise: Just hobbling around with aching calves...
Breakfast: Spelt toast with avocado
Lunch: A very naughty cookie from Ben's cookies
Dinner: Sauteed kale and a vegetarian schnitzel
Alcohol: 2 glasses of wine and 2 cocktails
Exercise: Just hobbling around with aching calves...
Day 5 of my food diary
Today was all about exercise - I had a one day skiing course at Snozone in Milton Keynes, a real snow slope under an hour from London. I wasn't a natural skiier at all and found it really hard, but I hope to keep taking lessons and improving. After seven hours on the slopes I was exhausted!
Breakfast: Cappuccino and egg and tomato breakfast bap from Pret
Lunch: I refuelled at a restaurant in the complex. I was totally starving and ate a veggie burger with chips plus unlimited salad from the salad bar (I hose crunchy veg without dressing). I drank a diet coke.
Dinner: My new favourite egg recipe which can be adapted with whatever greens you have available. Sautee half a leek in olive oil until soft then add kale/spinach/pea tendrils, then make a well in the greens and crack an organic egg in. Fry until set. Delicious mix of proteins and leafy greens!
Snacks: Just a skinny cappuccino on the train back to London
Alcohol: 2 glasses of wine while relaxing in a hot, soothing bath in the evening!
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