Stick to our simple 16:8 eating plan and you’ll see how easy it is to slim
SUMMER SLIMMING SPECIAL
Going hours without food might sound daunting, but if you find your willpower waning when trying to lose weight, intermittent fasting might be the perfect diet for you. Not all fasting plans are the same – some are tougher than others – but many people find this 16:8 diet the easiest to follow. The only restriction is that you eat all your food within an eight-hour window. Then for 16 hours you don’t eat anything.
THE PLAN
Follow these simple rules to lose at least 1lb a week.
✱ Practise time-restricted eating by not eating for 16 hours after your last food of the day. So if you finish your last meal at 7pm, it means not eating again until 11am (water, tea without milk and diet drinks are fine).
✱ Pick one brunch and one dinner from our lists and also have one of the 300 calorie light meals/snacks during your eight-hour window.
✱ After the first month or so, when you are used to when and what sort of food you can eat, feel free to introduce your own meals. There’s no need to count calories if you don’t want to, but aim to limit highly processed foods. Also, choose wholegrain foods and try to fill half your plate with fruit and veg.
BRUNCHES
(approximately 600 calories)
Spinach and eggs
2 poached eggs and steamed spinach on 2 slices of lightly buttered wholemeal toast; 100g blueberries and half a banana with 100g 5% fat Greek yogurt.
Sausage butty
Sandwich made with 2 slices of wholemeal bread, 2 reduced-fat sausages, a spread of ketchup and a large sliced tomato; banana with 100g 5% fat Greek yogurt.
Egg baguette
Free-range egg and avocado baguette; pot of Activia strawberry yogurt and 2 mini citrus easy peelers.
Poached salmon
1 cold poached salmon fillet on a slice of rye bread with a big handful each of watercress and cherry tomatoes, drizzled with 1tbsp balsamic dressing.
Oats and fruit
Porridge made with 50g oats and 300ml semi-skimmed milk, with 100g blueberries and 20g almonds; 150ml glass of orange juice.
Beans on toast
1 large (400g) can of baked beans on a slice of lightly buttered wholemeal toast or rye bread, topped with half an avocado, sliced.
DINNERS
