It’s summer shape-up time again, but say goodbye to diets that sap your energy and leave you hungry and miserable. Our two-week healthy eating plan has tasty, nutritious foods that will help you lose up to half a stone and leave you energised and glowing inside and out – it’ll even tackle cellulite!
Sounds too good to be true? Believe us, this works! Our two-week healthy eating shape-up plan is based on the principles of nutritionist and cellulite reduction specialist Georgios Tzenichristos, who has a clinic in London. An expert in his field, Georgios is consulted daily by women who are fed up with following standard diet plans that leave them feeling hungry and sluggish - and looking even worse than when they started!
'Many traditional diets starve your body of nutrients,' explains Georgios. 'This leaves you with loose, lacklustre skin, a lower metabolism, poor circulation and more toxins in your system than you had before you started dieting. In fact, over time, a low-nutrient diet can actually create the flabby, puffy, cellulite-ridden look that most women are so desperate to be rid of.' Worse still, as soon as you stop starving yourself, your body grabs hold of the calories and locks them into fat faster than ever before. So ultimately, many diets can make you gain weight!
Because of this, Georgios suggests that his clients follow the simple principle of controlling their nutrient/calorie ratio - also known as ‘low-energy density eating'. The idea behind this is that the foods you eat should be as high in nutrients and low in calories per portion as possible. 'Most of the meals we eat are completely the opposite of this,' adds Georgios. 'Take something simple like a white bread cheese sandwich - it's packed with calories, yet it provides your body with virtually none of the nutrients you need.' It also supplies none of the ingredients that will help you to stay slim. Weight loss is often regarded as a simple matter of calories in versus calories out, but the truth is that the more nutrient-dense your eating plan, the more effective it will be.
This is partly down to appetite - if you consume high-nutrient/low-calorie foods you can, quite simply, eat more and still lose weight. Many nutrition experts also believe that if your body is receiving all the nutrients it needs, it's far less likely to produce the cravings and hunger pangs associated with a high-carb, high-sugar diet. In fact, in trials at the US's Penn State University, women swapping to a low-energy density diet cut roughly 800 calories a day from their normal food intake without even noticing, because their bodies felt so satisfied.
What's more, diets that are low in nutrients trigger a metabolic slow down that can affect your body's slimming potential. 'If you don't take in enough nutrients, your liver will under perform, your kidneys and lymph system will slow down and you will synthesise less collagen,' explains Georgios. 'All of this can have a negative effect on your shape. The liver, for example, is the biggest fat-burning organ in the body. And if your kidneys and lymph system are sluggish, you're going to get fluid retention, which will add flab, pounds and inches.' And that's not all. 'If collagen levels fall, you'll start to look flabbier and less toned - poor collagen is one of the major contributory factors to the formation of cellulite.'
The good news? By adjusting your nutrient/calorie ratio you can change all of this in one fell swoop. According to Georgios, you're likely to lose up to half a stone in the first fortnight - and if you follow the plan for longer you'll then settle down to a weight loss of a safe and healthy 1-2lb a week. In fact, in trials at Penn State University, people who went on a nutrient-rich, low-calorie diet were found to lose 6lb more than those following a diet focused solely on reducing fat and calories. And since you'll be supplying your body with huge levels of nutrients, you'll look and feel fantastic too! In fact, Georgios is so proud of the results of his eating plan that he has nicknamed it the ‘Lipo Diet', because it's more effective than surgery!
The four rules
1 Fill two-thirds of your plate with vegetables - the ultimate high-nutrient, low-calorie foods. Go for dark green leafy veg, which has a huge nutrient/calorie ratio, or sea vegetables such as wakame or nori seaweed (www.goodnessdirect.co.uk).
2 Protein and/or ‘good' carbs, such as brown rice, pasta, sweet potatoes and wholegrain bread and crackers should take up the other third of the plate - but only eat carbs if you've exercised that day. Try to include small portions of fish or lean meat wherever possible as protein helps the body retain muscle mass, which increases the number of calories you burn.
3 Add a dash of healthy fat. Essential fatty acids from oily fish, nuts, seeds, avocados or olives help your body to burn fat. Georgios suggests adding a teaspoon or two of fat, such as flaxseed oil, to meals.
4 Have a smoothie for breakfast, so you start the day on a nutrient high. Georgios recommends adding some whey protein to stimulate calorie burning.
Click here for our ultimate bikini diet meal plan.
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