Some people prefer to have a specific list of things to do/buy to lose weight especially when starting out. There is no ‘one-size fits all’ plan since the amount of ‘quick’ (carb) energy you need to consume in your food on any particular day will depend on your level of activity that day. If you have a physically demanding day your blood sugar can drop very low meaning that you feel light-headed or faint if you don’t eat much ‘quick energy’ carb. Furthermore, if you do a very long hard work-out then, unless you top-up with carb afterwards, as well as feeling faint your body will not be able to metabolise your body fat fast enough to supply your muscles with energy and start to digest its own muscle to get that energy (and muscle loss is not a good kind of weight loss!). Below is a super quick plan for a 75kg woman who uses 2000 calories a day and has a moderately active lifestyle but as you watch the pounds drop away I’d strongly recommend that you take time to understand the underlying principles so you tailor the plan to your own body and keep the weight off and stay healthy all your life.

Slimming phase (until you reach your target weight)

• Eat 3 meals per day, 2 of which are 200 calorie vitamin/mineral milkshakes (like this) and 1 of which is a 600 calorie balanced main meal (examples here) with
  • the carb presented to the body in a low GI way (i.e. low GI carb or moderate/high GI carb diluted with protein/fat/fibre/water to reduce the overall GI)
  • the minimum carb  you can tolerate (say 30g) without feeling too weak to function safely before your next meal and ensuring you consume at least 18g fibre a day (to avoid suffering constipation)
• Eat green vegetable/fruit/nut snacks up to 200 calories total
• Ensure you get at least 75g (as many grams as your weight in kg) protein per day total and Omega fatty acids in your meals or snacks (or tablets if you have to).
• Do not eat anything substantial after 8pm
• Drink plenty of water or green/herbal tea to allow your body to burn its fat stores for energy (imagine that 1/10th of the volume of each glass of water you drink is actually the volume of fat burning away!)
• On 3 days of the week do 1 minute of intense exercise as 3 bursts of 20 seconds of running on the spot (or cycling or swimming or anything else that involves you moving all your major muscle groups – thighs, core, upper body). Spread these intense exercise days across the week since the benefits of each session last into the next day.
• Measure your weight and fat % each week and take photos of your body to keep motivated.

Maintenance phase (once you’ve reached your target weight)

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”

– Hippocrates

• Eat 3 balanced meals per day, presented to the body in a low GI way totalling 2000 calories
• Do not eat anything substantial after 8pm
• On 3 days of the week do 1 minute of intense exercise as 3 bursts of 20 seconds of running on the spot (or cycling or swimming or anything else that involves you moving all your major muscle groups – thighs, core, upper body). Spread these intense exercise days across the week since the benefits of each session last into the next day.
• Measure your weight and fat % from time to time and take appropriate action..like patting yourself on the back!