There’s nothing like a full day of eating well. You finish the day with a smile on your face, your energy is up, you feel motivated and if you’ve exercised on that day, you get that extra endorphin boost, the feel good hormone. Today I thought I’d see in the weekend with a great plan for you to start on Monday. All of the recipes below are taken from the two new ebooks, The Lunch Box Diet: Breakfast & Dinner Cookbook and The Lunch Box Diet: 60 Tasty Recipes. If you use the code ’slim’ in the checkout up until the end of Jan, you can get a further 50% off the sale prices.
I’ve put together a combination which will give you loads of energy, pack your body full of nutrients and fire up your metabolic rate, so why wouldn’t you give it a try. What’s more, with the e-books pack you can mix and match everything, it’s like Christmas nutrition shopping at Boots. Ha ha (for those outside of the UK, we have mix and match presents in the shops)! A selection of treats that make you smile and you can use all year round! 
Also, I’m very excited that the next few weeks will see the launch of some amazing new software that will allow you to use my diet, completely tailored to you. You will be able to input your personal details, track your calories and fine tune it so it completely works in with your personal calorie requirements, which I know a lot of people have really wanted, it takes the diet to another level. While I don’t want people to count calories religiously, the software will teach you what portions are right for you, so you can really start understanding when you go over, and that has to be a good thing. What’s more you can suit the meals to yourself and invent your own boxes and add them to your meal plans. Oh and print off shopping lists and more! Watch this space…
So, here we go, a full day for you, your breakfast, lunch box and evening meal. Get started Monday and enjoy…
Breakfast
Spiced Oats with Fruit
Makes one serving
1 cup oats (preferably old-fashioned, not quick cooking)
½ banana, sliced
2 tablespoons raisins
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg
2 tablespoons low fat yogurt
Cook oats according to package instructions. Stir in banana,
raisins and spices. Serve topped with yogurt.
Lunch Box
Scandinavian Picnic
Group A
1 generous handful spring greens
1 apple
½ avocado
1 cup red cabbage, sliced or shredded
½ cup red onion, sliced thin
Group B
Pork tenderloin roasted with allspice
Group C
Chopped salted pecans, crumbled blue cheese, snipped chives
Active Carb option
Whole grain, limpa or pumpernickel bread.
1. Rinse and dry greens. Add to box. Core and slice apple, and immediately toss
with lemon juice. Slice avocado and toss with lemon juice. Add to box. Top with
red cabbage and red onion.
2. Coat outside of lean tenderloin with scant teaspoon olive oil, finely ground
black pepper, allspice and salt. Roast until done. Cool, slice and add to box.
3. Top with about 1 tablespoon each pecans and blue cheese, and 1 teaspoon
snipped chives.
Evening Meal
Asian Salmon with Shredded Cabbage
Makes two servings
2 salmon steaks, 1-inch thick
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon ginger, finely chopped
Dash of Tabasco sauce to taste (optional)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups shredded cabbage
1 tablespoon olive oil
Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat
oven to 400 degrees.
Combine the oils, soy sauce, brown sugar and ginger.
Whisk together. Put fish in baking dish and pour sauce
over fish. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Cover with foil
and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until just done.
In small sauté pan, heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil
and add shredded cabbage. Turn cabbage with tongs,
heating until just barely tender, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle
with salt and pepper, transfer to two serving plates, and
top with salmon.
Like the sound of these? Head over to The Lunch Box Diet: Breakfast & Dinner Cookbook and The Lunch Box Diet: 60 Tasty Recipes and grab your 50% off the sale prices by entering ’slim’.
Hannah Waterman has been all over the TV at the moment and to be honest, good on her. She’s managed to completely transform her body by performing high intensity interval training which is the type of exercise at the heart of my rapid weight loss and boot camp training programmes. I wouldn’t normally promote a DVD like this as most of them are awful, but the training style she uses is sound, and the results speak for themselves.
The ex Eastender managed to pile on the pounds but needed to get in shape for a new west end role of Calender Girls. She was told that she’d had to get naked for the role and that was her ‘tipping point’ as well as the one photo, which is explained in the video below. I’ve spoken about ‘tipping points’ before. Maybe it’s when someone says something to you about your weight, maybe it’s the death of a family member because of heart disease, maybe like me it was bullying. But look at the transformation, she’s changed her body and this has had a massive effect on her confidence levels.
If you’re not able to sign up for my new personal training rapid weight loss programme or join my bootcamps and you want to train from home then Hannah’s DVD is worth a look, and with a familiar face to work out with, maybe this is just the thing that you need to help you get in shape in the new year.
If you are interested in Hannah’s Body Blitz DVD, click here to find it on Amazon. Combine this DVD with The Lunch Box Diet (click banner above for all-new recipes) and you will do very well. Better still, get yourself to Exeter and let me work on you myself! Ha!
Hey! We’re in 2010, welcome. Do you know what, I’m so happy! Why? Well, A) You’re going to feel absolutely amazing this year B) It’s my mission to change more people’s lives than I did last year and C) I’ve got so many treats ahead for you, I’m so excited. Oh and thank you so much for reading my blogs, emails and more – thanks for your support in 2009 and let’s together make this year one that delivers you the body, confidence and passion to do more than just lose weight or get fit! Agreed?
By now you should know if you’re not involved in some kind of fitness then you should be. It changed my life and even when I was busy, when I ‘got into it’, it changed my life. I am aware though that for a lot of people, finding the time to exercise and just getting that ball moving is a real struggle. That’s why, you can now download Fitness, Even When You’re Really Busy - there’s 50% off and an added extra discount for 24 hours only using the code ‘happynewyear’.
This new ebook is for anyone who needs a good kick start in the new year. If you want more energy, to feel a real zest for life and remember what I said in ‘The Snowball Effect’, if fitness isn’t in your life, it simply has to be.
Have you veered off your weight loss plan? No worries, it happens to us all. The key is to get back on that path towards good health. I’m here to help. We’ll tackle this problem together!
You see, healthy weight loss isn’t all about what you eat. It isn’t all about exercise. And, it isn’t all about your mental motivation. It’s about all three. Without all three areas covered, you’re going to have a difficult time getting on that path and staying on course.
Three Paths, One Destination: Healthy Weight Loss!
Path One: Eating
1. Figure out WHY you left your diet plan.
Did you go astray because there was a giant cheeseburger on the side of the path whispering come hither? Or was it the creamy ice cream? Chances are, if you were going along your diet plan all the while craving things that you love and missing them dearly, your diet was more than likely too strict. First off, never let an indulgence knock you off the path completely. Just work a bit harder at the gym. If these indulgences happen too often, adjust your diet plan to allow for either replacements for your favourites (salty healthful snacks for salty, greasy junk or creamy smoothies for ice cream etc.) OR find a diet plan that isn’t so strict.
2. Big Event
Often times, big events like holidays, parties or weddings can really throw a monkey wrench in your dieting efforts. If you’re still reeling from a recent big event and haven’t paid much attention to your weight loss efforts, it’s time to snap back. How? First off, if it was a party you threw and you still have a bunch of leftover fattening foods in the fridge, get a giant garbage bag and toss it all! I know, I know, waste not want not, but hey, we’re talking about your health here!! Secondly, the next time around do yourself a favor and hit the gym more while you are planning the event. You’ll need it for the stress these things cause, and you’ll be far more likely to stay committed to your weight loss efforts!
3. Farmer’s Market
Having trouble staying motivated to eat the right things? Go to a local farmer’s market. I promise you that all the aesthetically and aromatically pleasing fruits and veggies will lure you right back on track!
Path Two: Exercise
1. Zzzzzzzzzz???
If you were working out for more than three weeks and still found your routine less than inspiring, TOSS it!! You need a different approach towards exercising because the norm is that if you commit to anything for three weeks, you will have made it a habit that you look forward to. Be creative and give anything a shot! Anything that will get you good and sweaty three to four times a week is worth a try!
2. Try, Try Again!
Of course, this means that conversely, if you haven’t given it a chance for at least three weeks, you maybe ought to give it another shot. It can be tough to commit to exercise in the beginning depending on how long it’s been. You may find things difficult and frustrating at first. You may be discouraged by a little stiffness or feeling winded during cardio. Hey, it’s all good! Stay committed, stay focused and keep going!
3. Patience!
Here’s the thing. I actually have talked with folks at my gym who fully expect that after one week in the gym, they will in fact look like David Beckham or Posh. Sorry, no.
HOWEVER, if you keep working out, two things will happen:
You will learn to LOVE working out and you will no longer concern yourself with the short-term.
One day, in the near future, you will look in the mirror and think “WOW! I look fantastic! It’s really, really working!!!”
Path Three: Mental Wellness
1. Repeat after me: GUILT IS A WASTED EMOTION!!!
Don’t cut your nose off to spite your face. You feel guilty because you ate half a cake, so you figure, what the hell and eat the other half. Stop!!! Should you eat half a cake? Of course not, but you’ve done it and you can’t undo it by feeling bad and eating more. You’re letting your guilt thwart your efforts. Let it go! IF you eat half a cake, work it off the next day without guilt or remorse.
2. “I’ll start on Monday, I promise!”
Well, then Monday comes and goes and it becomes NEXT Monday. As the Nike campaign says “Just DO it!” I don’t care if it’s half way through a lazy Saturday and you’ve been sitting on the couch eating crisps for four hours. Get your bum up, shake the crumbs off your t-shirt and go for a walk! I guarantee you that you will feel fantastic for doing so. What do you have to lose? Oh, I know… weight!!
3. It’s OKAY to ask for help.
Hey, you wouldn’t light up a cigarette in front of someone who just quit, right? And most folks wouldn’t have a cocktail around someone who just got out of alcohol rehab. Why then, should your loved ones eat whatever aromatic delight they desire in your presence when you are trying to retrain yourself to eat more healthfully? No, you can’t put yourself in a bubble and no, people can’t cater to your every need. HOWEVER, there is no need for your spouse to munch down a triple bacon cheddar burger and fries right in front of you. Explain to your loved ones that you really need their support. Perhaps your spouse could save his or her artery clogging delights for lunch time when you are not together. You’d be doing your loved ones or co-workers a favor anyway! After all, even if others in your life are thin as rails, that type of eating simply isn’t good for anyone!
So, what are you waiting for? The good news is that the path to healthy weight loss never closes no matter how long it’s been since you took a stroll. All you have to do is get back on it and it will take you where you need to be! Read more on The 3 Paths to Weight Loss…
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