Jacqueline Whitehart - The 5:2 Bikini Diet: Over 140 Delicious Recipes That Will Help You Lose Weight, Fast! Includes Weekly Exercise Plan and Calorie Counter

PART 1: THE 5:2 BIKINI DIET

Introduction The 5:2 Bikini Diet has something to offer everyone as it’s totally different to other diets – diet twice a week, then eat healthily the rest of the time and watch the weight fall off. As an avid follower of the 5:2 diet since September 2012, I want to share my experiences of this life- and figure-changing diet with the world. I have created an all-new and delicious selection of healthy and filling recipes that are just perfect for summer. You will find salads, barbecues and super summer desserts, which are all suitable for your fast days. With the addition of a simple and fun exercise routine, developed by David Jones of Sculpt Health & Fitness, this is the perfect diet to lose weight and get in shape for the summer. This book is for you if you are new to the diet and want to get started; if you are already a follower of the 5:2 diet and are looking for some extra help or a new start; if you want some fantastic new recipes for summer; if you want an exercise routine that will improve your bikini body or you just want to lose some weight in a healthy and simple way. Join the 5:2 revolution and be happy with your weight and your body. I’ll see you on the beach! Yours, Jacqueline Whitehart, April 2013

The golden rules for a successful diet THE GOLDEN RULES FOR A SUCCESSFUL DIET Let’s cut to the chase: there are three steps that we will be following for the next four weeks and beyond to get into shape for the summer. Follow 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. Looks simple doesn’t it? That’s because it is! It’s really simple and easy to follow, so read on and I will guide you through each of the three rules.

Health benefits HEALTH BENEFITS Not just slimming This chapter simply explains the medical reasons for the diet’s success. When you understand how healthy you will become on this diet – as well as slimming easily – you will keep to this lifestyle forever. The slimming results on the 5:2 Bikini Diet are stunning. And not just that, losing weight healthily and easily improves your overall health. There is also increasing evidence that this new breed of fast diet, of which the 5:2 diet is the easiest and most popular, has some incredible benefits for your long-term health too.

The magic numbers

Getting started Now you know the basics it’s time to get started and think about your first fast day. Are you fit and well and ready to lose some weight? The first thing to think about is what days would be most suitable for a fast. Remember, you need two days a week with at least one rest day in between. You can have a set routine and pick the same days every week or pick and choose. The diet is extremely flexible and is designed to fit in around you and not the other way round.

Fast days FAST DAYS I suggested that you should eat three small meals on your first fast day. As you continue with the diet, you will probably want to adjust this to suit your body’s needs and your lifestyle. It is normally wise to leave at least 50 per cent of your calorie intake for the day until your evening meal, although you can eat this meal as early as you like, any time after 5 p.m. But how you split your breakfast and lunchtime calories is more interesting. You could skip breakfast, skip lunch or have a small meal at each. Here are a few questions that 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. If you are still unsure, stick to three small meals and perhaps adjust a little when you discover your hungriest times of day.

Normal days

Getting beach fit

Questions and answers

Not just a diet, a way of life

PART 2: THE 4-WEEK PLAN

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

The results

Beyond the 4-week plan

PART 3: THE RECIPES

PART 4: EXERCISE

Calorie counting reference

Plates Section

Credits

Copyright

About the Publisher

For my husband Andy who has helped and supported me both in life-style changes and in my writing. He has also enthusiastically tested out all my new recipes.

For my children Amy, Irie and Max who remind me that life isn’t just a diet.

The 5:2 Bikini Diet has something to offer everyone as it’s totally different to other diets – diet twice a week, then eat healthily the rest of the time and watch the weight fall off. As an avid follower of the 5:2 diet since September 2012, I want to share my experiences of this life- and figure-changing diet with the world.

I have created an all-new and delicious selection of healthy and filling recipes that are just perfect for summer. You will find salads, barbecues and super summer desserts, which are all suitable for your fast days.

With the addition of a simple and fun exercise routine, developed by David Jones of Sculpt Health & Fitness, this is the perfect diet to lose weight and get in shape for the summer.

This book is for you if you are new to the diet and want to get started; if you are already a follower of the 5:2 diet and are looking for some extra help or a new start; if you want some fantastic new recipes for summer; if you want an exercise routine that will improve your bikini body or you just want to lose some weight in a healthy and simple way.

Join the 5:2 revolution and be happy with your weight andyour body. I’ll see you on the beach!

Yours,

Jacqueline Whitehart, April 2013

Let’s cut to the chase: there are three steps that we will be following for the next four weeks and beyond to get into shape for the summer. Follow 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.

Looks simple doesn’t it? That’s because it is! It’s really simple and easy to follow, so read on and I will guide you through each of the three rules.

Two days a week you follow a calorie-restricted diet, that’s:

•500 calories for women

•600 calories for men

The days are non-consecutive.

If you have followed the 5:2 diet before you will be familiar with the term ‘feast’ day, but that’s something that trips people up time and time again. This is because most of us, if told we can eat what we like, go a bit mad.

The five non-fast days are normal and healthy days, they are not diet days and we do not count calories.

DO:

•Enjoy your food and don’t count the calories.

•Eat three healthy meals a day.

•Do NOT snack between meals and avoid processed food.

Cut out the rubbish. Keep the following items to a very bare minimum:

•biscuits (cookies) and cakes

•crisps (potato chips)

•non-diet fizzy drinks

•chocolate bars and sweets (candies)

•beer, lager and cider

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.

Remember that the recipes in this book are not just for fast days; they are perfect for your normal days too. Just add some extra carbohydrates, such as rice or potatoes, if necessary and make sure you eat three balanced meals every day.

While rules 1 and 2 are for weight loss, exercise makes the most of the weight loss by reducing the flab, toning your body and zapping the cellulite.

If you are new to exercise, then perhaps the best way to get started is walking. Start with walking 15 minutes a day, three days a week and work up from there. Walking is great if you are just starting to exercise as it is proven to significantly improve fitness levels. Walking increases the blood flow to the muscles, improving circulation and heart function. Swimming is also a suitable option if you are just getting started with exercise.

If you are fit and exercise regularly then you should find Sculpt’s 5:2 Bikini Diet exercise plan easy and enjoyable, ready to get your body in shape for the summer – fast!

By following the workout plan three times a week, you can expect great results in just four weeks. There’s more detail about the benefits of combining exercise with the 5:2 diet in the ‘Getting beach fit’ chapter (see here).

This chapter simply explains the medical reasons for the diet’s success. When you understand how healthy you will become on this diet – as well as slimming easily – you will keep to this lifestyle forever. The slimming results on the 5:2 Bikini Diet are stunning. And not just that, losing weight healthily and easily improves your overall health. There is also increasing evidence that this new breed of fast diet, of which the 5:2 diet is the easiest and most popular, has some incredible benefits for your long-term health too.

Based on the opinion of several fasting experts, there is now a picture developing of how the scientists believe intermittent fasting changes the way our bodies work, giving us additional health benefits as we age. Here I provide a simple approach to the science, which I hope will make it clearer to anyone with a general interest, but without a scientific background.