Cinch (Sass diet) 5 day Fast Forward review and results

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.

A post especially for apple shapes! Dr Mailyn Glenville diet plan

This post is about my latest diet book, Fat Around The Middle by Dr Marilyn Glenville, a hormone specialist.


Apparently my body looks kind of like this - heavy on top and thick around the middle, with Kate Upton as the human model:

Kate's weight has fluctuated over the years, and while she owns it whatever her weight, she does look lovely a little lighter, proving that even a dramatic apple shape can look slim and toned.

(Of course, not all apples have such big boobs and such thin legs. However I am one of the apples that do have these attributes and it gets quite annoying as my body looks so uneven).

I was really happy to find a book especially for apples. There is a lot of scientific information in the first part of the book about why the body clings onto tummy fat - it's largely to do with 'stress' on the body and the hormone cortisol, as well as the importance of stabilising blood sugar.

The book is an interesting read, and it boils down to a few key elements for a 3 month plan. Firstly some diet rules:

• no alcohol
• no caffeine
• no white/processed carbs
• no sugar
• (no fun)
• protein at every meal (to slow digestion)
• snacks between meals to keep blood sugar steady
• avoid milk, red meat and chicken while eating more eggs, fish and nuts

In addition there's

• exercise - we need to build muscle to raise metabolism
• a programme of supplements

I have ordered the supplements formulated by the author from the Natural Pharmacy. Caffeine and alcohol are the hardest thing for me to give up so I'm going to consciously reduce them but can't cut them out for 3 months, nope. One coffee a day surely can't hurt!

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.

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