Women's Health & Fitness

Diet plans - ARTICLE

Dieting made easy

Kickstart your own BodyBlitz with this easy-to-follow-diet plan

So you want to lose weight?

Most people know that the weight-loss equation is largely dependent on how much exercise you do and what type of diet you follow. While physical activity at least three times a week will help you shed those extra kilos, most experts agree that diet is the first thing you need to change in order to see results.

Making the change

Many of us have eating habits that have been ingrained in us since we were kids. For example, a bowl of ice-cream after dinner, pizza at least once a week or a sweet treat to reward ourselves. In order to successfully lose weight you need to change these patterns.

Review your diet

A good starting point is to review your diet and make the following changes:
Record everything you eat in a food diary. Be honest with yourself - a cheeky lie here and there won't get you anywhere!
Eat smaller meals, more often. This can help boost your metabolism (the rate at which you burn food).
Opt for low-gi carbs, such as pasta, sweet potato and wholegrain bread.
Drink plenty of water - at least eight glasses a day to prevent dehydration.
Learn to read food labels. Concentrate on grams of nutrients instead of percentages.
Eat less than 30 per cent of your kilojoule intake in the form of fat. Reduce saturated fat (from sources like meat and dairy) but make sure you include good fats, such as Omega-3.
Don't deny yourself the occasional treat - just don't keep chocolate and lollies readily available!

The rules

The following diet plan is designed to help you change your eating habits. For maximum results, follow the guidelines below:
1. No alcohol for the duration of the two weeks
2. Tea, coffee and diet soft drinks are okay but limit yourself to two a day
3. Never skip meals

Help is at hand

Losing weight can be difficult, so it's important to arm yourself with the necessary tools and advice to help you stay on track. Here are a few tips that may help:
Water - keep a water bottle handy at all times. Our body can often mistake hunger for thirst, so now there's no excuse to reach for a chocolate bar.
Invest in a few inexpensive fitness tools, such as a pedometer, free weights, a skipping rope and some boxing gloves. Flick through old fitness mags for ideas and inspiration.
Be realistic! If you're a size 16, chances are that you won't morph into Elle overnight, but with a lot of determination you will get the body you've always wanted.

How it works

Create your daily menu by choosing one meal from each of the following categories.
Good luck!

BREAKFAST	SNACK 1	LUNCH	SNACK 2	DINNER
• 1 wholegrain toast topped with sliced tomatoes and cottage cheese • 1 apple	• 200g low-fat yoghurt	• 1 wholemeal pita wrap filled with 100g lean turkey breast, rocket and cranberry sauce	• 1 handful Brazil nuts	• 90g roast beef with 1tsp gravy, ½ cup pumpkin, 4 steamed asparagus
• ½ cup natural muesli with ½ cup low-fat milk	• Celery, capsicum and carrot spears with low-fat hommus	• 100g tuna (in springwater) with lettuce, tomato, 10g of ricotta on two pieces of rye bread	• 1 glass low-fat protein shake	• 100g lean pork and vegetable stirfry, serve with ½ a cup of cooked Basmati rice
• 2 slices of sourdough, one with vegemite the other with honey	• 200g low-fat yoghurt	• Grilled chicken breast (100g) salad with tomato, rocket and snow peas. Dress with Balsamic vinegar and a dash of olive oil	• 2 Ryvitas with low-fat hommus or cottage cheese	• 80g grilled salmon, marinaded in honey, soy and garlic. Serve with ½ a cup of cooked Basmati rice and steamed greens
• ½ cup All Bran cereal with ½ chopped banana and ½ cup skim milk	• 1 cup mixed berries	• 80g chickpeas, 100g tuna in spring water, capsicum and cucumber salad	• Celery, capsicum and carrot spears with low-fat hommus	• 100g grilled or lightly fried kangaroo with sweet potato mash (no butter) and steamed veggies
• 2 Hi bran Weetbix with ½ cup skim milk	• 1 cup fruit salad	• Vegetable soup. Control calories by choosing a low-fat pre-made option	• 200g low-fat yoghurt	• 2-egg mushroom, ricotta and spinach omelette one rye toast
• 1 x 2-egg omelette with mushrooms, spinach and tomato	• 2 Ryvita topped with cottage cheese and cherry tomatoes	• 70g chicken breast, ¼ avocado, 20g low-fat semi-dried tomatoes plus wholegrain dinner roll	• 1 glass low-fat protein shake	• 100g ovenbaked lamb racks with 1½ cups of roast veggies and wholegrain mustard