Lose weight in 2012 - find an effective fast diet to get rid of that extra weight and look great.
The Fast and Easy way to lose weight
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Read our top tips and do's and dont's
When you're on Holiday
Holidays are generally the time when we throw off all restrictions and enjoy ourselves free of work and the constraints of timekeeping.
However none of us wants to return with excess baggage to spend long autumn months trying to lose flab in time for Christmas.
A few small adjustments which you`ll barely notice whilst you're enjoying your week in the sun can make all the difference when you return.
A pint of beer which equals 248 calories can be painlessly replaced by a long, cool Pimms made with yummy fruit and slimline lemonade and save you 100 calories.
Skip chocolate cones and cornets (250 -300 calories) for a fruity water ice in a tube (100 calories) - you'll find they last ages and are much more refreshing in the mid day sun.
Replace a creamy, heavy dessert with juicy pinapple or mouth-watering melon. If you're self-catering try the local supermarket for ready made fruit salad.
Try to fit an extra swim a day in to burn calories before your evening meal.
Replace a meat feast pizza with Margarita style one and creamy carbonera pasta with tomato romano style.
Don't restrict yourself though on holiday or you'll feel resentful and end up bingeing - enjoy your break, only make these slight changes if you don't notice them.
Try new foods and tastes on your hols and come back glowing and rested.
Bikini Diet
Holiday Diet - time to shape up for summer
The winter at last seems behind us, as the days become more sunny; so
it's time to throw off the black tights and woolly jumpers!
It won't be long before you could be unveiling yourself on the beach,
so many of us need to get rid of any wobbly bits that we've been hiding
during the cold months.
With the weather getting warmer it's easier to incorporate more fresh
fruit, veg and salads into your diet, which is good for your health and
waistline. Also increasing your exercise isn't so bad when it's not wet
and windy - walking part of the way to work or taking a stroll round the
park at lunchtime can be a pleasant change, and will help you lose weight
and increase your metabolism.
The whole essence of the Bikini Diet is to embrace the holiday mood of
the seaside : eat lots of fresh fish, leafy green salads, spend as much
time as you can outside - walking, cycling, swimming.
If you are hungry in between meals use fresh fruit as a healthy vitamin
filled snack. Keep slices of melon, small clusters of grapes, juicy sweet
satsumas, strawberries and chunks of fresh pineapple chilled in the fridge.
Drink plenty of water throughout the day, and keep that image of you in
your new swimsuit firmly in mind. You can and will
achieve the shape you want, and enjoy your summer holidays even more after
a few weeks on the bikini diet.
Follow the Bikini Diet for the next few weeks and you will feel more confident
on the beach. Don't set your target too high, so it is unobtainable and
you end up disappointed - set yourself a realistic goal. Whatever your
size you should be able to lose some weight before your holiday and feel
healthier, more confident and energetic.
The Bikini Diet
Try to stick to 3 meals every day with only healthy snacks in between. Most people find eating every 4 hours or so keeps the hunger pangs at bay, and stops you falling prey to temptation. As with most diets it is important to plan ahead and have everything to hand. To lose around a pound a week, you will need to cut about 500 calories a day.
Breakfast
Choose from one of these tasty options to get a good start to your day
Porridge - (1 ounce of porridge oats will make a good portion). Use mainly water with just a splash of milk - porridge is a good source of fibre and an excellent slow-release food. Add vitamins and health improving anti-oxidants with a portion of juicy blueberries, or any other fresh berry of your choice,i.e raspberries, strawberries
Scrambled eggs - 2 eggs beaten (season with freshly ground black pepper and salt) and cook on a gentle heat with a dash of semi-skimmed or skimmed milk, serve on one slice of high fibre wholewheat toast. Try not to butter the bread - you won't notice with the moist eggs on it. Add vitamins with a tomato (raw or grilled). To make it even more tasty add a handful of finely chopped spring onions to the egg mix before cooking. The addition of a little smoked salmon makes this a low calorie feast, full of Omega 3 fatty acids and plenty of protein to stop hunger pangs.
Yoghurt
and fruit - choose a light low-fat yoghurt and mix with raspberries,
blackberries, blueberries or slices of fresh peach or nectarine. A few
slices of banana are nice, but be wary about eating too many bananas as
they have a higher calorie content. A pinch of toasted seeds or nuts givesthe
yoghurt mix an extra bite.
Kipper or smoked haddock - grill or steam, and serve with a slice of fresh brown wholewheat bread.
Avoid
High sugar breakfast cereals - they'll taste good but leave you feeling hungry in a short while, and the risk is that you'll find yourself reaching for more high calorie snacks to match the sugar high.
Large portions - measure your cereal carefully to avoid too many carbs.
Refined sugar and syrups - use a sprinkle of natural brown sugar or tsp of honey if you can't eat cereal without sweetening.
Refined white bread - it won't satisfy like wholewheat bread will.
Lunch
Jacket potato - keep away from adding butter or cheese and instead choose baked beans, toasted seeds, cottage cheese, cooked prawns, roasted peppers or fresh herbs. This lunch is full of fibre and vitamins - King Edward potatoes are crisp outside and fluffy inside when baked and a good choice.
Vegetable soup - avoid creamy soups and opt for tomato based soups. Home-made tastes best - make a big batch and freeze individual portions. Add rice noodles to feel more satisfied.
Big leafy salad - choose a mix of any of the following
as a base: baby spinach, rocket, watercress, chicory, cos, little gem
and add tasty cherry tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions, blanched french
beans, fresh peas, sliced chestnut mushrooms, black (stoned) olives, anchovies,
sliced peeled orange.
Mix salad with either strips of lean ham, cooked lean smoked bacon, chicken,
turkey, cooked prawns, hard boiled egg, avocado, salmon, smoked trout,
smoked mackeral or tuna. Jazz up a low-calorie salad dressing by adding
freshly chopped herbs and crushed garlic - use sparingly.
Omelette - use 2 beaten eggs with seasoning and pack
with lots of tasty veg, like mushrooms (dry fry these first until they
warm through), asparagus (steam first), oven roasted peppers, or mixed
fresh herbs.
Wholegrain sandwich - use 2 slices of wholegrain bread and fill with lean meat, mackeral, sardines, tuna and dark leafy green salad (try rocket it has a lovely peppery bite to it). Add juicy tomatoes and cruchy cucumber. A smear of low calorie mayonnaise can be good.
Dinner
Grilled fish - sardines, mackeral and salmon are teeming with Omega 3 oils, and are juicy and delicious. Serve with a small portion of new potatoes, brown rice or a portion of wholegrain bread. Add any vegetable you fancy or add a crisp leafy green salad.
Grilled chicken - serve a chicken breast with grilled mixed peppers, mushrooms, chillies, onions. Add brown rice, wholegrain pasta or new potatoes and vegetables or a green salad.
Baked fish - make a parcel using greaseproof paper of sliced veg, such as leeks, peppers, asparagus, mangetout, french beans and lay the fish on top, season with dill and a squeeze of lemon juice and/or white wine. Squeeze the paper's ends together to make a parcel, and place in tinfoil and again pull corners together. Bake in the oven at 350 F/180C/ gas Mark 4 until the fish is cooked through. Make sure you pour all the lovely juices over the fish when serving. New potatoes are a good accompaniment with this dish.
Avoid
Too many carbs after 6pm
Rushing your meal - chew everything slowly and enjoy the taste
Watching tv whilst eating - try and make an occasion of it by sitting
at a table
Exercise burns calories and fat
If
you increase your exercise whilst you are reducing your calories you will
speed up your weight-loss. If you combine fat-burning aerobic exercise with
toning or resistance exercise you will build muscle and tone your body.
Whenever you go out try to become more active: - Take the stairs rather than the lift - climbing stairs work wonders
on your bottom toning, imagine walking down to the sea with your lovely
toned rear!
- Leave the car at home for short journeys - walk or cycle instead
and think toned thighs and shapely calves. If you carry your shopping
home you'll be working on your upper arms too!
- Jump off the train or bus a stop early, and walk the rest of the way
or park your car further away than normal and walk that bit further.
Daily increase in exercise soon mount up and help you drop pounds. Picture
your slim, toned bikini-clad body lying in the sun - you will feel so
proud of your slim figure that it will be worth all the effort.
- Go for a swim or brisk walk during your lunch break, it will energise
you and help you avoid that afternoon slump and stop you craving a sugary
snack.
- Drink plenty of water - around 1.8 litres (3 pints) daily
Choose the
right bikini for your shape
Get a spray tan and look slimmer
Diet
recipes
Emma's
Daily Diet Tip 
Try and use the most tastiest ingredients when preparing
your food, as this will really let your tastebuds (and stomach) know you
are eating.
Little steps like choosing to grind whole peppercorns, rather than using
the more bland pre-ground pepper will bring more taste to your food. Sea
salt has much more taste than ordinary table salt and you need less.
