Want to look your best for the Christmas party? It’s easier than you think. Whether you want to shed a few pounds or banish bloating for a flatter tum, our fast-acting plan will help you blitz up to 7lb – roughly equivalent to one dress size – in just two weeks.
Packed with foods that are both energising and tummy trimming, our plan ensures you’ll shed weight without feeling tired during the hectic festive season.
And all the recipes – many of which are simply healthier versions of your favourite foods – are super easy and quick to make.
Follow our daily meal plan for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Plus, to help keep cravings at bay, you can also select two snacks from our list. Don’t fancy one of the meals on the schedule or don’t have the ingredients handy? No problem. Simply swap in a meal of your choice from another day.
HOW THE DIET WORKS
You’ll eat around 1,400 calories a day – a safe amount for healthy weight loss. No food groups are cut out and you can eat everything but in reasonable quantities, with lower amounts of fat and sugar.
The diet is also packed with filling high-fibre foods and lean protein, so you won’t feel hungry and succumb to cravings. Plus, because it’s low in salt and filled with potassium-rich fruit and vegetables, it will also help you get rid of excess fluid and lose that uncomfortable bloated feeling – meaning your dress will zip up that bit more easily.
Day 1
- Breakfast: Poached egg on one slice of wholemeal toast, no butter, with two grilled tomatoes.
- Lunch: Grilled chicken salad made from mixed leaves, chopped red pepper, cucumber slices, chopped red onion, five cherry tomatoes, one sliced chicken breast and 2tbsp low-fat balsamic dressing. Plus one satsuma.
- Dinner: Veggie chilli made using one tin of kidney beans, red pepper, mushrooms, carrots, one tin of tomatoes. Serve with 100g brown rice.
Day 2
- Breakfast: Bowl of porridge made from 50g traditional oats and 180ml skimmed milk, sweetened with a little honey. Plus one pear.
- Lunch: Prawn pasta made with two handfuls of wholemeal pasta, with 2tbsp tomato and basil sauce, handful cooked prawns, handful of fresh spinach and 2tsp grated parmesan.
- Dinner: Small lean grilled steak served with roasted red pepper, courgette, and butternut squash.
Day 3
- Breakfast: Two pancakes made with one egg, 25g wholemeal flour and enough semi-skimmed milk to make a batter, cooked without fat in a non-stick pan. Top with 2tbsp fat-free yoghurt and a handful of berries.
- Lunch: Tuna salad wrap made with wholemeal pitta, 1tsp low-fat mayo, lettuce, tomato and 6oz tinned tuna. Plus one apple and a glass of fruit juice.
- Dinner: Mozzarella cod made with cod fillet baked in foil with basil leaves, one tomato and a matchbox sized piece of cheese, served with mixed steamed veg.
Day 4
- Breakfast: Smoothie made from semi-skimmed milk and a handful of mixed berries, plus 25g nuts.
- Lunch: Half a tin of tomato and lentil soup with a granary roll, plus one pot of low-fat yoghurt.
- Dinner: Tuna kebabs made with one tuna steak chopped into chunks and alternated on a skewer with red and yellow pepper slices. Grill and serve with steamed broccoli and green beans.
- Sliced apple with 1tbsp peanut butter
- Low-fat fruit yoghurt
- Banana
- Small handful mixed nuts
- Two oatcakes with half a sliced avocado
- Two chopped carrots with 2tbsp low-fat hummus
- A 150ml glass of red or white wine (once a week)
Day 5
- Breakfast: Half a can of reduced sugar and salt baked beans, with one slice of wholemeal toast. Plus an apple.
- Lunch: Sushi of three California rolls, cup miso soup, plus two slices of fresh pineapple.
- Dinner: Moroccan lemon chicken made with chicken breast baked in foil with six chopped green olives, one garlic clove, lemon slices and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with oven-roasted vegetables.
Day 6
- Breakfast: Bircher-style porridge made with semi-skimmed milk, 50g oats, one grated apple, chopped almonds and mixed berries.
- Lunch: Prawn sandwich made with two slices wholemeal bread and a handful of prawns mixed with natural yoghurt, tomato and salad leaves. Plus one banana.
- Dinner: Honey-glazed pork chop. Grill one chop with 1tsp of honey spread over it, serve with sauteed broccoli, sugar snap peas and green beans.
Day 7
- Breakfast: Two toasted English wholemeal muffins spread with Marmite.
- Lunch: Bowl of chunky veg soup plus an open salmon sandwich made with two slices of wholegrain bread, tinned salmon and 1tsp balsamic vinegar.
- Dinner: Grilled lamb chop with steamed broccoli, peas, carrots and 1tsp mint sauce.
Day 8
- Breakfast: Spicy scrambled eggs with ½tsp cayenne pepper on granary toast.
- Lunch: Ready-made sandwich or roll. Look for anything with less than 400 cals.
- Dinner: One baked salmon fillet, cooked with 1bsp creme fraiche and 1tsp chopped dill. Served with steamed asparagus, spinach and broccoli.
Day 9
- Breakfast: Banana smoothie, made by blending a banana with a small glass of semi-skimmed milk, plus four brazil nuts.
- Lunch: Any veggie soup served with a wholemeal roll, plus a handful of grapes or an apple.
- Dinner: Easy roast chicken. Bake one chicken breast with one chopped sweet potato, one sliced courgette and a handful of chopped broccoli, brushed with a little olive oil, in a roasting tray for 30 mins. Serve with gravy made with 1tbsp granules.
1. Fill up on fibre
Food that stays undigested in your system longer than 24 hours can release gases that bloat your tummy. The answer is to eat plenty of fibre-rich fruit, veg and wholegrains as they help keep your digestive system working efficiently.
2. Chew more slowly
It’s not just about what you eat, but also how you eat. Smaller bits of food are easier for your stomach to break down, and eating slowly gives your brain sufficient time to register when you’re full, which can help prevent overeating.
3. Feed your gut
A probiotic supplement or daily yoghurt drink can help banish bloating by increasing the number of friendly bacteria in your gut, improving digestion and reducing IBS-type symptoms.
4. Slash salt levels
Salt is found in many shop-bought and processed foods, which is bad news for bloating as it encourages your body to retain water. Get label savvy and avoid foods with a high sodium content. When cooking use herbs and spices to add flavour to meals instead.
5. Ditch ready meals and fizzy drinks
The additives in processed foods and soft drinks ferment in your stomach, producing gas and a swollen belly – bad news when you’re trying to trim your tummy.
Day 10
- Breakfast: Pot of full-fat Greek yoghurt with a sliced banana and a handful of almonds.
- Lunch: Half a tin of reduced sugar and salt baked beans on two slices of granary toast.
- Dinner: Spicy cod. Bake one fish fillet in foil with lemon juice and 15g chopped chorizo. Serve with oven-roasted red pepper, courgettes and tomatoes.
Day 11
- Breakfast: Two-egg omelette, cooked with half a chopped red pepper and a handful of spinach.
- Lunch: Spicy three-bean baked potato. Heat half a tin each of lentils, chickpeas and kidney beans in a saucepan with ½tsp cumin, ½tsp coriander and 1tbsp tomato puree. Use to top a medium-sized baked sweet potato.
- Dinner: Prawn curry. In a wok, fry a large handful of frozen prawns with 1tsp grated ginger, three chopped spring onions, 1tsp curry powder, half a red pepper, sliced, a quarter of a mango, sliced, and half a tin of coconut milk. Serve with 60g brown basmati rice.
Day 12
- Breakfast: One poached egg with half a mashed avocado, on one slice of wholegrain toast.
- Lunch: Baked jacket potato with mixed Mediterranean veg, topped with 1tbsp of crumbled feta cheese.
- Dinner: Chicken stir-fry made with one chicken breast, chopped into strips, stir-fried with half a chopped red onion, one minced garlic clove, one chopped yellow pepper, a handful of mushrooms, eight sugar snap peas and 1tbsp of soy sauce.
Day 13
- Breakfast: Two toasted crumpets, spread thinly with Marmite or jam, plus one pear.
- Lunch: Egg fried rice made by frying 75g pre-cooked basmati rice with one large beaten egg, two spring onions, a handful of frozen peas and a little soy sauce.
- Dinner: Hearty beef stew. Make by browning 300g lean braising steak and one onion, then adding two chopped carrots and half a chopped swede with 500ml of beef stock. Cook either in a slow cooker or in a casserole dish on the hob. Makes two portions.
Day 14
- Breakfast: Two boiled eggs with asparagus soldiers.
- Lunch: Minestrone or spicy lentil soup, with a wholemeal roll.
- Dinner: Shepherd’s pie made with 200g minced lamb, half chopped onion, half can green lentils, one beef stock cube and one can of tinned tomatoes. Top with one large cooked sweet potato, mashed with 1tsp olive oil.
