The Honey Diet
With Christmas and New Years around the corner, I'm sure a lot of you want to look perfect and lose those few extra inches. Now, I find it impossible to follow a diet but I read about one which claims to make you lose 3 pounds in a week and decided to share it with my readers. As you may know, honey is really good for health and from personal experience I can say that it probably helps me control my weight and definitely keeps my skin soft and nice thanks to the occasional dollop of honey I add in my lime water on certain mornings.
According to this diet, you need to start and end each day with one or two teaspoons of honey in hot water with a squeeze of lemon. The natural sugars in honey trigger metabolic changes in your body so that you don't crave sugar thus keeping you away from pigging out on cakes, biscuits and other sugary goodies which we women often seek comfort in.
So for those of you with great determination and willpower who want to lose weight fast for the festivities, here goes the honey diet -
BREAKFAST: Two grilled rashers of lean bacon and a grilled tomato
SNACK: A handful of olives
LUNCH: A three-egg omelette with onion, peppers, mushrooms or large salad with cold chicken
SNACK: Celery sticks dipped into a mini-pot of cream cheese
DINNER: Pan-grilled salmon steak with steamed broccoli and French beans
DESSERT: Plain yogurt with honey and a sprinkling of toasted seeds
SNACK: Small handful of nuts and seeds
LUNCH: Hearty soup with lentils/beans and two oatcakes
SNACK: Crudites of cucumber, celery and carrot with mini pot of hummus
DINNER: Lean mince (5 per cent fat) with onions, peppers, courgettes and tomatoes, topped with a layer of mashed sweet potato and a grating of strongly flavored cheese
DESSERT: Small pot natural yogurt with honey and berries
BREAKFAST: Bowl of no-added-sugar muesli with natural yogurt and chopped dried apricots
LUNCH: Large mixed salad with hard boiled eggs, tinned tuna, and honey dressing - plus a pear and a small piece of blue cheese
SNACK: Slice of honey cake
DINNER: Pork casserole with beans and a tomato sauce, served with steamed cabbage
DESSERT: Small pot of fruit salad (in fruit juice)
LUNCH: Open sandwich with a slice of ham, cheese and salad on one slice of wholemeal bread
SNACK: Curls of smoked salmon spread with a dab of cream cheese
DINNER: 'One pan chicken' (a skinless chicken leg roasted in a drizzle of olive oil with a roughly chopped red onion, red pepper, chunks of butternut squash, garlic cloves and sliced courgette)
DESSERT: Small pot of natural yogurt with honey and berries
BREAKFAST: Bowl of home-made granola with milk and a spoon of natural yogurt
SNACK: Apple and walnut cookie
LUNCH: Frittata (eggs and left-over cold vegetables) served with salad
SNACK: Small pot of cottage cheese with cucumber sticks
DINNER: Stir-fry of steak strips with mixed veg, served with a small portion of wholewheat noodles
DESSERT: Berries scattered with shredded coconut and topped with a dollop of creme fraiche
BREAKFAST: Two scrambled eggs with smoked salmon pieces on one slice of wholemeal toast
SNACK: Handful of nuts
LUNCH: Cream of chicken soup with wholemeal croutons, handful of grapes and piece of cheese
SNACK: Honey banana muffin
DINNER: Curry (chicken or tofu) with apples, apricots, sultanas, tomatoes and coconut milk, served with a small portion of brown rice
DESSERT: Grilled peaches drizzled with honey
SNACK: Carrot sticks dipped in hummus
LUNCH: Mushroom omelette and a clementine
SNACK: Olives with feta cheese
DINNER: Meatballs in tomato sauce with a small portion of wholewheat pasta and a large side salad (with honey dressing)
DESSERT: Rhubarb and banana crunchy crumble
And there you go. I once followed an alcohol and ice cream diet (self invented) when I was 19 and it definitely worked! You guessed it right, I ate less food, drank a lot and ate ice cream at regular intervals. Worked for me but heck, everything works when you're 19!! Please let me know in your comments below if you've tried any diets and if they've helped.
DISCLAIMER - Hunting for images for this post made me hungry. Very hungry. Am off to the kitchen. Lentil soup maybe?
According to this diet, you need to start and end each day with one or two teaspoons of honey in hot water with a squeeze of lemon. The natural sugars in honey trigger metabolic changes in your body so that you don't crave sugar thus keeping you away from pigging out on cakes, biscuits and other sugary goodies which we women often seek comfort in.
So for those of you with great determination and willpower who want to lose weight fast for the festivities, here goes the honey diet -
Day 1 - The No-carb day
BREAKFAST: Two grilled rashers of lean bacon and a grilled tomato
SNACK: A handful of olives
LUNCH: A three-egg omelette with onion, peppers, mushrooms or large salad with cold chicken
SNACK: Celery sticks dipped into a mini-pot of cream cheese
DINNER: Pan-grilled salmon steak with steamed broccoli and French beans
DESSERT: Plain yogurt with honey and a sprinkling of toasted seeds
Day 2
BREAKFAST: Two poached eggs on a slice of wholemeal toastSNACK: Small handful of nuts and seeds
LUNCH: Hearty soup with lentils/beans and two oatcakes
SNACK: Crudites of cucumber, celery and carrot with mini pot of hummus
DINNER: Lean mince (5 per cent fat) with onions, peppers, courgettes and tomatoes, topped with a layer of mashed sweet potato and a grating of strongly flavored cheese
DESSERT: Small pot natural yogurt with honey and berries
Day 3
BREAKFAST: Bowl of no-added-sugar muesli with natural yogurt and chopped dried apricots
LUNCH: Large mixed salad with hard boiled eggs, tinned tuna, and honey dressing - plus a pear and a small piece of blue cheese
SNACK: Slice of honey cake
DINNER: Pork casserole with beans and a tomato sauce, served with steamed cabbage
DESSERT: Small pot of fruit salad (in fruit juice)
Day 4
BREAKFAST: Two sausages (meat or vegetarian) with a large grilled tomatoLUNCH: Open sandwich with a slice of ham, cheese and salad on one slice of wholemeal bread
SNACK: Curls of smoked salmon spread with a dab of cream cheese
DINNER: 'One pan chicken' (a skinless chicken leg roasted in a drizzle of olive oil with a roughly chopped red onion, red pepper, chunks of butternut squash, garlic cloves and sliced courgette)
DESSERT: Small pot of natural yogurt with honey and berries
Day 5
BREAKFAST: Bowl of home-made granola with milk and a spoon of natural yogurt
SNACK: Apple and walnut cookie
LUNCH: Frittata (eggs and left-over cold vegetables) served with salad
SNACK: Small pot of cottage cheese with cucumber sticks
DINNER: Stir-fry of steak strips with mixed veg, served with a small portion of wholewheat noodles
DESSERT: Berries scattered with shredded coconut and topped with a dollop of creme fraiche
Day 6
BREAKFAST: Two scrambled eggs with smoked salmon pieces on one slice of wholemeal toast
LUNCH: Cream of chicken soup with wholemeal croutons, handful of grapes and piece of cheese
SNACK: Honey banana muffin
DINNER: Curry (chicken or tofu) with apples, apricots, sultanas, tomatoes and coconut milk, served with a small portion of brown rice
DESSERT: Grilled peaches drizzled with honey
Day 7
BREAKFAST: Two rice cakes sandwiched together with a slice of brie and ham.SNACK: Carrot sticks dipped in hummus
LUNCH: Mushroom omelette and a clementine
SNACK: Olives with feta cheese
DINNER: Meatballs in tomato sauce with a small portion of wholewheat pasta and a large side salad (with honey dressing)
DESSERT: Rhubarb and banana crunchy crumble
And there you go. I once followed an alcohol and ice cream diet (self invented) when I was 19 and it definitely worked! You guessed it right, I ate less food, drank a lot and ate ice cream at regular intervals. Worked for me but heck, everything works when you're 19!! Please let me know in your comments below if you've tried any diets and if they've helped.
DISCLAIMER - Hunting for images for this post made me hungry. Very hungry. Am off to the kitchen. Lentil soup maybe?