You can make every minute count on your journey to lose weight and get back to health, starting from the moment you wake up until the time you go to sleep.
Here’s how to start, fill and end your day, feeling satisfied while making food choices that can help you meet your weight loss goals.
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7am: Grab your glass
Drink a large glass (approx. 500ml) water.
As well as freshening your breath after eight dry hours of slumber – dehydration being one of the leading causes of halitosis – it’ll help kick-start your metabolism and stave off hunger pangs later, says Anita Bean, author of Food For Fitness (A&C Black).
“It’ll help your body absorb water-soluble vitamins later – add a slice or two of lemon to boost your digestive system and add some flavour,”She says.
7.30 a.m. Fry up
Skip breakfast at your peril – and pile the protein on your plate.
An American study found that overweight teens who ate high-protein breakfasts consumed 400 less calories per day than those who skipped breakfast or ate a regular, carb-heavy breakfast.
“Protein activates the body’s signals which curb appetite, reducing overeating and cravings later,”Anita.
Credit a drop in the hunger hormone ghrelin and a rise in the hormones which signal to your body you’re full.
Load your plate with two poached eggs, a grilled tomato, baked beans, and two rashers of grilled bacon – a guilt-free ‘full English’That will make you super-charged for later.
8:15am: HIIT
There’s no need to head to the gym to start torching calories.
“Do four, 20-second intervals of full-body exercises such as squats, star-jumps or press-ups, with 10 second rests between each set,”Matt Punscheon is the LA Fitness head trainer (lafitness.co.uk).
“This kind of high-intensity training – or HIIT – jump-starts your metabolism so your body keeps burning calories throughout the day.”
He suggests that you focus on your form and strive to get more done each day.
“This should only take a few minutes, and it can be done anywhere, by anyone – work at your level, and enjoy the glow of completing each session,”Matt.
9am: Take 500ml of skimmed Milk
One University of Tennessee study found that regular exercisers who consumed an additional 1,200mg of Calcium daily lost on average 10 kilos over six months.
It was found that calcium stored within fat cells played a critical role in regulating the way fat is processed and stored.
Calcium in fat cells is a sign of fat burning. The higher the calcium content, the greater the weight loss.
“Calcium prevents the storage, and increases the break-down, of fat at a cellular level,”Anita.
Skimmed milk provides the same vitamins and minerals as whole milk — with almost no fat.
Because the fat portion of whole milk doesn’t contain calcium, you can lose the fat without losing any calcium.
11am: Graze
Take a snack rich in protein, such as a handful of unsalted nuts or peanut spread on apple slices.
By preventing your blood sugar from dipping too low between meals, you’ll have a more stable insulin response – aka fewer hunger pangs and less over-eating.
“When there’s a large surge of insulin released after a big meal or after a lot of carbs, it can promote more fat storage than if you eat regular, smaller meals,” says Anita.
“Snacking’s only bad if you eat the wrong foods.”
1pm: Maximize your minerals
Lunch with a spinach salad, mackerel, and flaked almonds
“They’re all rich in magnesium which your body needs to fire-up its metabolism,”Anita.
A US study from 2013 concluded that taking more magnesium can help lower insulin and glucose levels.
This same study also found that magnesium can help with water retention and bloating.
2.30pm – Go green
Swap your builders’ brew for green tea to help burn fat.
Dutch biochemists discovered green tea extract contained a compound called epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG), which, when combined to the green tea caffeine, helps increase fat oxidation as well as resting metabolic rate up to 20%.
Tests showed that drinking just two cups per day could help you burn more calories than 600 calories per week.
4pm: Slurp soup
Make your next mini-meal chicken soup
Researchers in the USA found that it helps dieters lose 2lb more per week when they slurp twice daily. This is due to its high protein and low fat content.
Try Covent Garden’s new Classic chicken soup, packing just 140 cals per 280g bowl (£1.65 from Tesco).
6pm: Take to the roads
Your main cardio dose of the day will get your heart rate up
“Your body temperature and other physical parameters reach a peak in the early evening, meaning warmer, more flexible muscles, greater strength and stamina and faster reaction times,”Andy Wadsworth, an elite trainer for cycling, says bwcycling.co.ukA former World X-Terra Triathlon Champion.
“Choose whatever cardio exercise works for you – swimming, jogging, even brisk walking.”
Try the NHS Couch to 5k program if you’re lacking inspiration (www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/couch-to-5k-week-by-week/)
Go fishing at 7.30pm
“Your body’s digestive processes are working at full power now,”Anita explains.
“You’ll be able to digest food properly and won’t be over-eating as your blood sugar should still be sufficiently elevated.”
Salmon with honey, soy and sesame with mixed peppers, noodles, and noodles is a great way to boost your metabolism and reduce hunger pangs.
Soak your feet at 10pm
“A hot bath tricks your body into cooling down more rapidly when you get out, which leads to deeper, restorative stage 4 sleep,” says Professor Jim Horne from Loughborough University’s Sleep Research Centre.
“You’ll digest your food more efficiently and wake up feeling more refreshed.”
10:30 p.m.: Sip Horlicks
This hot milky beverage is infused with tryptophan, which induces sleep.
Install black-out blinds for minimal disruption.
“Insufficient sleep causes spikes in the stress hormone cortisol and disturbs your blood sugar, leading to over-eating the following day,”Anita.
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