The busy girls' six-week diet plan

No calorie counting, no fat counting, and you can still have takeaways, ready meals and alcohol. All you have to do is follow the rules. Start your weight loss now with our six-week diet plan.

By registered dietician and TV nutritionist Azmina Govindji

What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘diet'? For many, it conjures up food deprivation, too much like hard work, an end to pleasurable eating. Try this. Say to yourself: "I mustn't eat chocolate. I just can't eat chocolate. I shouldn't go near a chocolate bar". What are you thinking about? Chocolate, of course! As soon as you say to yourself that you need to avoid a certain food, that food becomes even more desirable.

The six-week body plan isn't about avoiding; it's about asking yourself which choice you'd rather make. It's about equipping you with a treasure chest of tools and lots of swap lists so that you can choose the food or snack that's just right for any given moment. And if you're a party animal, chances are that you'll want to let your hair down. So when you're at a party, this isn't about sitting around with a few carrot sticks on your plate.

And the best news is that it will help fill you up because it's based on the Glycaemic Index (GI) It's not a low carb diet; it's a slow carb plan based on The Gi Plan by Azmina Govindji and Nina Puddefoot (click here to buy The Gi Plan). No calorie counting, no fat counting, and you can still have takeaways, ready meals and alcohol - all you have to do is follow the rules.

The diet plan rules
Eat three meals and two snacks every day, basing meals on low GI carbs and keeping only to the choices on the plan. You can choose any meals or snacks from the varied meal swaps and snack swaps.

Choose a balanced diet by having a variety of foods from the five food groups: starchy foods, fruit and veg, low fat milk and dairy, protein foods like meat, fish, eggs and beans, and small amounts of fatty and sugary foods.

Drink six to eight glasses of fluid (water, low-calorie drinks, herbal tea, milk, tea, coffee) every day. Add on a free daily allowance of 1/3 pint of semi-skimmed or one per cent milk.

Have no more than seven units of alcohol for women and 10 units for men. It's better to drink less and make sure you distribute your alcohol intake throughout the week.

Write down goals, benefits and rewards. For example, your goal is to be size ‘x' by date ‘y'. Make a list of all the benefits of achieving this, like fitting into that bikini or having more confidence. Then think how you will celebrate your success and write down a reward, too.

Have at least two 10 minute bursts of moderate intensity physical activity every day. 

Move More
Short chunks of regular physical activity that's easy to fit into your daily routine is recommended. Being physically active while taking part in any weight loss programme is integral to long-term success. Whatever your age, a total of 30 minutes of moderate exercise, five times a week, is a great insurance policy. It can be as simple as a brisk walk in three 10 minute chunks.

This equates to around 150 minutes of 10 minute slots each week. Do two 10 minute moderate intensity bursts each day, which is around 140 minutes per week. You can choose how you spend the extra 10 minute burst - or you might do even more than 10 minutes, which would be even better. Remember to check with your GP before starting any activity programme that is outside your normal routine.

There is good research to suggest that taking moderate intensity physical activity in 10 or 15 minute chunks is just as effective as having a 20 or 30 minute session. Visit AXA PPP Healthcare Nutrition and Fitness for more fitness tips and exercise programmes

Start the busy girls' six-week diet plan

1. The rules

2. Smart carbs

3. Meal swaps

4. Snack swaps

5. Recipes

 

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