Follow the 5:2 bikini diet to get your body beach-ready in just six weeks

If you stick to this simple plan you could lose up to a stone and drop a dress size in time for summer

Get beach ready fast with the 5:2 Diet

After what felt like the longest, coldest winter for years the sunshine finally made an appearance last week.

But packing away those coats and hats means one thing - it’s almost bikini time...

So if you’ve started looking at the scales in horror at the thought of baring all on the beach in a matter of weeks, don’t panic.

This amazing six-week plan will get you looking fabulous for summer, and you can still eat all your favourite foods - you can even have a barbecue!

The 5:2 Bikini Diet lets you eat normally for five days of the week and cut your calories on just two days.

If you stick to this simple plan you could lose up to a stone and drop a dress size in time for summer.

So this diet is for you, whether you’re looking for a great new way to slim, want to kick-start your weight loss or just want some new recipes to add some summer sizzle to your meals.

Start today with the first of our three exclusive extracts from new book The 5:2 Bikini Diet and get the beach body you’ve dreamed of...

The golden rules

There are three steps to follow to get into shape for the summer. Keep to these rules and you will lose weight, feel healthier and look great.

• fast – eat only 500 calories for women/600 calories for men – on two non-consecutive days per week.
• eat normally but healthily on the other five days.
• follow the 30-minute workout plan three times a week on your non-fasting days.

Your formula for a successful ‘normal’ day

If you follow these steps, you will have plenty of scope for tasty plates of food without excluding any food group, and it means that you will be able to have delicious pasta, bread, desserts and, of course, a glass or two of wine.

• Eat three healthy, balanced meals a day.
• Have light, healthy snacks such as fruit or yogurt if you feel peckish between meals.
• Do not calorie count or reduce portion size; you are not on a diet.
• Do be aware of what you are eating. Is it necessary? Is it healthy?
• Do allow yourself the occasional treat.
• Cut back on processed food and ready meals.
• Prepare home-cooked food as often as possible
• If you still feel hungry after a meal, wait 20 minutes and see if you are still hungry.
• Do allow yourself a glass of wine or two, a tasty dessert or even a few squares of dark chocolate.
• Cut out the rubbish. Keep the following items to a very bare minimum: biscuits and cakes; crisps; non-diet fizzy drinks; chocolate bars and sweets; beer, lager and cider

What to do on your fast days

You can eat your calories in any order you want as long as you don’t go over your limit but to start with it might be easier to stick to something similar to:

Women - 100 calories for breakfast, 150 calories for lunch, 250 calories for dinner

Men - 100 calories for breakfast, 200 calories for lunch, 300 calories for dinner

Or if you want to tailor the diet to your lifestyle from the start, these questions might help you decide how best to manage your meals on a fast day.

• do you get up early?
• do you work in an office?
• are you exposed to unhealthy food during the day?

If you answered yes to some or all of the above questions then it might be worth considering missing breakfast and having a slightly more substantial lunch. Why? Because eating at lunchtime will make it easier to avoid snacks during the day. If you are rushing out first thing, you should find it easier to miss breakfast.

• are you busy during the day with little time to think about food?
• do you feel cranky if you skip breakfast?
• do you have a morning ritual which involves breakfast and coffee?

If you answered yes to some of the above questions then you should try having a bigger (200–300 calorie) breakfast and then going through until your evening meal. Why? If you are busy at work you will not notice lunchtime.

Q&As

Q: Can I drink alcoholic drinks?

A: On a ‘normal’ day, yes, alcoholic drinks are definitely allowed. Obviously beverages that are higher in calories – such as beer and lager – should be kept in moderation, but wine and spirits are relatively low calorie and can be indulged.

Q: Should I exercise on a fast day?

A: Not recommended because you may feel weak and it will increase your hunger. However, some people do enjoy exercise on a fast day and do not suffer from any side effects.

Q: What type of food should I eat on a fast day?

A: The food you eat should be the most filling possible for the least amount of calories. The best things to eat are therefore lean protein-rich foods such as chicken or fish, and good carbohydrates such as pulses or beans. Salads and vegetables tend to have the least calories and can provide a big plate of food for very little calories.

Q: Should I eat ready meals?

A: Healthy home-cooked food is best – it doesn’t have to be complicated. Any processed food is likely to contain additional salt and preservatives and will have lost some of its goodness during production.

Q: What about eating out?

A: On a ‘normal’ day I think a tasty meal out in a restaurant is a well-deserved occasional treat. Don’t go overboard, especially if you tend to eat out more than once a week. Be careful and choose healthy options if you are eating at a fast-food restaurant or takeaway.

Q: What do I do if I break the fast day rules?

A: Don’t panic! If you have gone a little over your calorie allowance – anything up to 200 calories over – you don’t have to give up on that day. Just watch what you did wrong and try and do it differently on your next fast day. If you totally fall off the wagon, call it quits and think about what went wrong the next day. Don’t beat yourself up, and give yourself a little time off. Don’t give up.

Your meal planner

If you’re already feeling inspired, try these great recipes for your first fast day...

Breakfast - Egg white omelette with cherry tomatoes

84 calories, Serves 1

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs (54 cals for egg whites)
• 1 tbsp skimmed milk (5 cals)
• 3 sprays light sunflower oil (3 cals)
• 10 cherry tomatoes, cut in half (22 cals)
• fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Egg whites are a good choice if you are cutting back on calories, as there are only 18 calories in an egg white.

First, separate the eggs. Crack one of the eggs on the side of a clean bowl and, using your thumbs, open the two halves, letting some of the white run into the bowl.

Carefully pass the egg yolk from one half of the shell to the other, letting the egg white run into the bowl. Keep passing the egg yolk from one half of the shell to the other without breaking it until all the white is in the bowl.

Put the yolk in a separate bowl and repeat for the other 2 eggs.

Add the milk to the egg whites and whisk together with a fork.

Spray the oil into a wide frying pan and warm over a medium heat for at least two minutes. Pour in the egg white mixture, then add the cherry tomatoes and basil immediately.

Season with salt and pepper and cook until set. You may need to swirl and tilt the pan to distribute the eggs, tomatoes and basil evenly over the base of the pan.

The omelette should cook in less than a minute. Serve straight away.

Lunch - Mushroom stir-fry

146 calories, Serves 1

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 6 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ tsp walnut oil (20 cals)
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce (6 cals)
• 1 tsp soft dark brown sugar (18 cals)
• ½ tsp sunflower oil (14 cals)
• ½ garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped (2 cals)
• ½ yellow (bell) pepper, deseeded and cut into
• thin slices (21 cals)
• ½ small carrot, peeled and cut into very thin sticks (14 cals)
• 1 small thumb fresh root ginger, peeled and cut into very thin sticks (6 cals)
• 50g (1¾oz) beansprouts (16 cals)
• 50g (1¾oz) mangetout (snow peas) (16 cals)
• 100g (3½oz) mushrooms, sliced (13 cals)

This is a filling and substantial stir-fry, yet it is low in calories too.

In a bowl, mix together the walnut oil, soy sauce and brown sugar to make a sauce.

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan (skillet) over a high heat, toss in the garlic, pepper, carrot and ginger and stirfry for two minutes. Add the beansprouts, mangetout and mushrooms and stir-fry for a further two minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the sauce and cook for another two minutes.

Serve immediately

Dinner - prawn green curry

263 calories

Serves 2

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tsp sunflower oil (27 cals)
• 1 tbsp thai green curry paste (30 cals)
• 150ml (²/³ cup) vegetable stock, fresh or made from ¼ stock cube (9 cals)
• ½ × 400ml (14fl oz) can light coconut milk, stirred (146 cals)
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into strips (51 cals)
• 75g (3oz) frozen peas (50 cals)
• 1 spring onion, trimmed and shredded (5 cals)
• 1 x 160g (5½oz) pak choi, roughly chopped (30 cals)
• 225g (8oz) raw king prawns (king shrimp) (171 cals)
• juice of 1 lime (4 cals)
• 1 fresh basil leaf, shredded
• 1 small handful of fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped (3 cals)
•  

Warm the oil in a wide saucepan, add the curry paste and stir-fry for one minute before adding the stock and coconut milk. Simmer for two minutes, then add the pepper, peas and spring onion and simmer for a further five minutes, or until the peas are tender.

Add the pak choi and prawns and cook for two minutes, or until the prawns turn pink.

Finally, stir in the lime juice, basil and coriander and serve immediately.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/dieting/follow-52-bikini-diet-your-1858971

Jump Rope Girl - World's Best Jump Roper!!!

Jumping rope is so good for you I love it. Thought I might share this to inspire you or you might find some new tricks :)

How to Change Your Mindset to Lose Weight

Weight loss is a simple mathematical equation and should be easy. But it's not. Even though the theory is basic, calories in versus calories out, it requires you to change your lifestyle and create new habits. It is a mental battle, not just a physical one. Often people set themselves up for failure before they even begin to try to lose weight by setting extreme goals and expecting to never fall off the wagon. If weight loss was easy, more than 60 percent of the nation would not be obese. To change your mindset to lose weight, start with small goals and create new, lasting habits.

Items you will need

• Scale
• Notebook or journal
• Pen or pencil

 

1. Weigh yourself and record your weight and what size you wear currently in a journal or notebook. Also write down what you were wearing, time of day and the day of the week so you can weigh yourself under the same circumstances whenever possible.

 

2. Set realistic weight-loss goals. Write down the total number of pounds you want to lose, or what size you would like to wear. Then set small weekly weight-loss goals of 1 to 2 pounds each week to slowly get you to your ideal weight.

 

3. Monitor your food intake daily. Write down everything you eat and drink, including the amounts. This will hold you accountable to what you are eating and help you look at times you may overeat. You can also write down how you were feeling at the time.

 

4. Plan your meals the day before, or plan a week at a time. You can do this even if you have a family if you are the one who plans the meals. If you don't, sit down with the member of the family who does the meal planning so you can be involved.

 

5. Make small, healthy changes to your diet. For example, if you don't eat breakfast, start your day with a healthy meal that includes fat, protein and carbs, such as yogurt and fruit or a whole-grain cereal with milk. Make a healthy breakfast a habit and then change another meal.

 

6. Talk to your physician about your weight-loss goals. Listen to his recommendations and what your weight says about your health. Write down health goals as well as weight-loss goals to improve quality of life.

7. Add exercise to your week. Make it an appointment and don't break it. Start with as little as 10 to 15 minutes of walking three times per week and slowly increase your activity. Try new things or classes to make exercise fun and so it becomes a habit.

 

8. Join a weight-loss group, or team up with a friend or family member to lose weight. Lean on each other and talk about your struggles with weight loss. If necessary, consider seeing a therapist who specializes in eating disorders.

 

Tips

• Take one day at a time to reach long-term goals.
• Read through your goals daily to remind you of why you are trying to lose weight.
• See your physician regularly to monitor changes in your health, not just your weight.
• Forgive yourself if you don't meet every small weight-loss goal.

 

Warnings

• Don't weigh yourself more than once a week.
• Don't use food or skipping workouts as a reward.
• Avoid drastic measures that you can't maintain.

 

http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/change-mindset-lose-weight-9868.html 

Think You Can't Lose Weight? So Did Beverly - Until She Did

If you believe you can't lose weight, you're probably right. Diets don't work for you, and although you know you should eat healthy, you find yourself in a cycle where eating gives you comfort and that's the one true thing in your life. The truth is, you can lose weight, and live a life of passion and freedom. First you must gain clarity about what's driving your thoughts, beliefs, emotions and ultimately, your day-to-day behavior.

The Truth About Exercise and Your Weight

If you've been working out and eating fewer calories but your extra pounds won't budge, you may be wondering why that seemingly simple strategy isn't working.

The truth is you may need a reality check about what to expect from exercise.

1. Exercise is only part of the weight loss story.

There's no getting around your tab of calories in and calories out.
The obese patients Robert Kushner, MD, clinical director of the Northwestern Comprehensive Center on Obesity, treats often tell him they're not seeing the results they want from exercise.
"They will say, 'I have been working out three days a week for 30 minutes for the past three months, and I have lost 2 pounds. There's something wrong with my metabolism,'" he says.
Kushner tells patients that exercise is very good for them, but for weight loss, he emphasizes starting with a healthy diet. "First, we've got to get a handle on your diet," Kushner says. "As you're losing weight and feel better and get lighter on your feet, we shift more and more toward being more physically active. Then living a physically active lifestyle for the rest of your life is going to be important for keeping your weight off."
Other experts have had success including physical activity early on. But they stress that the amount of exercise is key.

James O. Hill, PhD, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado at Denver, says it's easier to cut 1,000 calories from a bloated diet than to burn off 1,000 calories through exercise. "But there are many, many studies that show that exercise is associated with weight loss when done in enough volume and consistently," he says. "It depends how much you do."
For Pamela Peeke, spokeswoman for the American College of Sports Medicine's "Exercise is Medicine" campaign, fitness is a crucial part of a weight loss program, but it's for reasons that go beyond calorie burning. She praises its mind-body benefits, which will help with motivation over the long haul.
Peeke asks her patients to start walking as a way to "celebrate" their bodies with activity. "For years, they've blown off their body," Peeke says. "By them actually using their bodies, they can begin to integrate them back into their lives and not use them  as a source of torture or torment or shame."

2. Exercise is a must for weight maintenance.

 

"I come back to this over and over and over," Hill says. "You can't find very many people maintaining a healthy weight who aren't regular exercisers. What we find is that people who focus on diet aren't very successful in the long run without also focusing on physical activity."

Hill warns that people can be "wildly successful temporarily" at losing weight through diet alone. But there's plenty of data that show that those people regain the weight if they aren't physically active.
Timothy Church, MD, director of preventive medicine research at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La. says, "When it comes to weight, you can't talk about diet alone, and you can't talk about exercise alone. You absolutely have to address both issues at the same time."

3. Food splurges may undo your efforts.

Exercise may not buy you as much calorie wiggle room as you think.
"The average person overestimates the amount of activity they're doing by about 30% and underestimates their food intake by about 30%," says Kathianne Sellers Williams, a registered dietitian and personal trainer.
"When' I'm looking at people's food and activity logs, sometimes things just don't add up," she says. "People think, 'Oh, I just did 60 minutes at the gym' or 'I just did 30 minutes at the gym' and think that counteracts a lot of what they're eating. But the reality is our food portions are huge."

Plus, Peeke says, you have to look at all the other calories you ate or drank that day and how sedentary you were apart from your workout.
"The rest of the day, you're sitting down and you're also eating other things," Peeke says. "How are you going to burn that stuff, let alone this extra little treat that you just thought you wanted?"
It's hard to accurately estimate how many calories you burn working out, Church says. "If it is a hard workout," he says, "you kind of intuitively think, 'Wow! That's cool! I just put enough in the bank for two days!' and you really haven't."

4. Exercise machines may not tell the whole calorie story.

Treadmills and other exercise gear often have monitors that estimate how many calories you're burning.
Kong Chen, director of the metabolic research core at the National Institutes of Health, says those displays are "close, but for each individual they can vary quite a bit."
Chen suggests using calorie displays on exercise equipment for motivation but not as a guideline to how much you can eat.

"It doesn't matter if the display says 300 or 400 calories. If you do that every day or increase from that level, then you've achieved your purpose. But I wouldn’t recommend feeding yourself against that," Chen says.
Those machines don't account for the calories you would have burned anyway without exercising.
"It isn't 220 calories for those 40 minutes of exercise versus zero," Kushner says. "If you were sitting at work or playing with your kids, you’re probably burning 70 calories during that period of time. You have to subtract what you would burn if you didn't exercise. So the overall calorie burn becomes much less."

5. One daily workout may not be enough.

Your best bet for your weight -- and for your overall health -- is to lead a physically active lifestyle that goes above and beyond a brief bout of exercise.
"It's not just about 30 minutes of exercise," Chen says. "It's about fighting the sedentary environment."
"The message isn't that the 30 minutes on the treadmill isn't good," Hill says. "It's that the 30 minutes on the treadmill isn't going to make up for 23-and-a-half sedentary hours." Hill encourages people to weave activity throughout their day. "Do something to move and make it fun," he says.
Chen also recommends setting realistic expectations and taking "small steps all the time" toward your weight goal.

As much as calories-in vs calories-out matters, don't forget about stress, sleep, and other factors that can affect your weight, Williams says. "We need to look at someone's total lifestyle, not just whether someone hits the gym," she says. "Weight and obesity are really multifactorial, and it really simplifies it just to break it down to nutrition and exercise. Those are really big pieces but definitely not the only pieces."

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/exercise-and-weight-loss-five-truths

'I'm Half the Man I Was': 'Tubby Teacher' Shocks Pupils by Losing over 11 Stone (153lbs) in Two Years

His dramatic weight loss, where his waistline shrank from 60 to 36 inches, has stunned the same youngsters who used to mock him.

2010: At 25st 11lbs (363lbs or 165kgs)

A teacher shed almost half of his 25st 11lb body weight after cheeky pupils called him tubby.

James Bentley, 25, ditched junk food and took up cycling to drop to a much trimmer 14st 8lb in just two years.

And his dramatic weight loss, where his waistline shrank from 60 to 36 inches, has stunned the same youngsters who used to mock him in IT classes.

He said: “I got some comments from pupils – the word ‘tubby’ was used a few times.

“I took it in good humour because I have a good relationship with the students but things came to a head when I had my picture taken on sports day.

"My body virtually filled the entire picture, which was ­embarrassing and I knew I had to do ­something to change my appearance.

“I looked in the mirror and thought, ‘who is that person?’”

Now: 14st 8lbs (204 lbs or 93kgs)

 

James, who teaches at Oldbury Academy, West Midlands, said his weight ballooned as he lived on fizzy drinks at school and gorged on takeaways later while marking homework.

But he rejected a gastric band in favour of exercise and a healthy diet and has reaped the benefits.

He added: “The weight has managed to keep coming off and now I feel much better.

"When you are used to seeing ­yourself every day you don’t notice the change.

“But I do think it’s ridiculous when I look at photos from a few years ago and get my big trousers out.”

http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/dieting/success-stories/tubby-teacher-loses-half-weight-1732565  

De-Stress for Weight Loss

Let’s face it: we all get stressed. Unfortunately, it is just a part of life, and unless we know how to handle it, stress can affect our productivity, happiness, and even our waistline.

When we are stressed, we tend to eat whatever is in front of our faces (or worse: we may go looking for indulgences), lose motivation to exercise and end up sacrificing sleep (as well as our sanity)! All of these can inhibit weight loss.

 

Recent studies conducted by the National Institute of Health found that women with higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol ate more, slept less and gained more weight than the women with lower levels. Don’t let these stats get you stressed though, there are many simple things you can do to de-stress and keep that weight off for good.

Eat Right, Stress Less
The fact that “stressed” is “desserts” spelled backwards does not justify downing a pint of Ben & Jerry’s at the end of a stressful day. Countless studies show that what we eat greatly influences the impact stress has on our body. Here are some foods to help fight stress:

• Omega-3s in fish, walnuts, flax and chia have been shown to help fight depression linked to stress.
• Foods high in potassium like bananas and potatoes help control blood pressure, which will help keep cortisol (stress hormone) levels low.
• Whole grains, black beans and nuts are all high in magnesium, which sends a signal to our muscles to relax.

And don’t forget about snacking. Eating breakfast and small meals throughout the day can keep your mood steady. Foods can also help protect against damage caused by stress, keeping us glowing from the inside out. Colorful fruits and veggies like carrots, spinach, apples and berries are rich in phytonutrients that help protect our cells from the damage that stress can cause. Filling up on the right foods will not only help fight stress, but keep you on the right track for weight loss, as well—win, win!

Hit the Mattress
We know it’s not exactly easy to fall asleep, or even stay asleep when we are stressed, but it is one of the most important factors in weight loss. A recent study conducted by Kaiser Permanente found that people trying to lose at least 10 pounds were more likely to reach that goal if they had at least 6 hours of sleep each night and had lower stress levels.

So sleep more to lose weight? While it may sound too good to be true, it is for real. A lack of sleep can set off a cascade of hormonal imbalances, which can ultimately lead to an increased appetite. The greater the appetite, the more we will eat, and the more likely we are to gain weight. A lack of sleep can also leave us feeling groggy and more likely to make poor decisions at mealtimes. But, that doesn’t mean you should ditch the daily workouts and healthy diet in favor of more sleep. Rather, make a good night’s sleep part of your day – everyday! And not just for your waistline, but for your sanity. Proper sleep will make you feel more alert and focused so that even the most stressful days are a whole lot easier to endure.

Get Up and Move
Like peanut butter and jelly, milk and cookies, and spaghetti and meatballs, exercise and stress relief go hand in hand. Not only does a daily workout burn calories and increase overall health and well-being, but it also boosts endorphins, which can relieve stress and distract us from our worries. Although commonly referred to as a “runner’s high” these feel-good endorphins can also be experienced during an outdoor hike or a good kickboxing session.

When released, they can turn even the worst day into a feel-good day. Regular exercise can also improve mood, self confidence, combat depression and even help us sleep better at night, which can aid in weight loss as well. A double reason to get moving! Daily exercise can also help prevent diseases like obesity and heart disease, ultimately giving us less to stress about.

Meditate More
Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years – and there’s a reason why! It has been proven to reduce stress, help with sleep problems and combat depression. This is good for the mind and the body. And the best part is, its absolutely free. All you need is your mind and a quiet place.

This small amount of peace in your day can help you relax and even help you deal with more stressful situations in the future. But remember, don’t get caught up in meditating the “right way.” This can only cause more stress, so do what is best for you. This might be a quiet stroll through the park or a hot bubble bath. Just keep your mind full of positive thoughts, and you will soon become your very own meditation master.

http://healthnews.ediets.com/diet-weight-loss/de-stress-for-weight-loss.html