The spoil yourself diet

No calories, no counting, no exercise. Just luxurious food, a little red wine and some sexy dark chocolate. Can this really be a diet? Yes, and it's a pretty fabulous one too!

Looking for a new weight loss plan to help you shed a few pounds before summer? This has to be our most delicious yet. What's good about it? Well... it's pretty basic stuff through the week, but when you hit the weekend a little bit of luxury pops up just when you need it. By the end of the first week you could have dropped up to five pounds – more if you have a fair bit to lose. Stay with it for three weeks and you should have firmed up nicely and feel a whole lot brighter.

Choose your foods
There's nothing spectacularly different about this list, but eating the foods at the right time of day is important so read the rules carefully.

Spoil yourself - new foods to enjoy

Fresh Fruit Eat 2 to 3 pieces a day of any kind you like, or make smoothies. The luxury touch Add exotic fruits like mangoes, passion fruit, lychees and more.
Fresh Salad and Vegetables Get out of the rut and add lots of new tastes. The luxury touch Avocados, asparagus, new frozen edamame soya beans, artichokes, celeriac and body-cleansing fennel.
Protein Choices Eggs, fish, chicken and tofu plus pulses such as lentils and chickpeas and beans such as pinto and borlotti. The luxury touch – Smoked salmon, prawns, crab and lobster. Just a little gives you flavour and that spoil yourself feeling.
Alternative Dairy Foods Nothing made from cow's milk. Natural goat's, sheep's or unflavoured soya yogurt. The luxury touch – Rich goat's cheese. Creamy and yummy!
New Grains Porridge, rye bread or rye crispbreads for breakfast and brown rice for lunch. No grains at dinner.
Herbs, oils and spices Our dressing recipes (page 136) are spot on for salads, or use just olive oil and lemon juice and some chopped herbs.
Drinks and more Down the usual two litres of water a day and add herbal teas. Smart dieters will try the cleansing kind. Look for Twinings Cleanse, £1.49 for 20 bags, and Dr Stuart's Slim Plus, £1.89 for 20 bags. Both taste good and do the job.

Avoid these
Sugar And anything that contains it is absolutely out, including honey. Remember that artificial sweeteners are banned too, whatever kind they are.
Potatoes Both new, old and sweet, they're all off the menu for a while. Remember to up your intake of green veg and watery salad veg like celery, cucumber and tomatoes that help flush and firm your body.
Processed Foods Cut them out completely. That includes both regular ready- meals and the diet variety. Why skip them? They'll contain something you aren't allowed. If you avoid them all you can't go wrong!
Dairy Foods Anything made from cow's milk – cheese, yogurt, butter and cream. Remember that butter alternatives are a no-no too. Try sheep's yogurt or maybe some soya yogurt, which has a lovely creamy texture.
Wheat Pasta, bread, pastry and biscuits are all off. Wheat can be a big problem for those of us who suffer bloating.
Ready-Made dressings Just like ready-meals they often have extras that you don't really need. And frankly, a fresh dressing made by you is nicer.
Tea and Coffee Both caffeine-rich, so give them the go-by on the plan. After some initial headaches you'll be feeling so bright you may never go back. Desperate for a fix? Fool yourself with decaff!

Stick to the rules
As we said, there's no calorie-counting or weighing with this diet, but there are a few specifics that will help you lose faster.

Limit your portions Enjoying smaller but more delicious portions of food is key to lasting weight loss. Here's what a portion should look like:
o Protein Chicken, fish, etc should be about the size of a regular deck of cards (a chicken breast is about right).
o Cheese A piece the size of a matchbox.
o Rice About the size of a tennis ball.
o Crispbreads Two for breakfast or lunch.
o Bread One slice cut from a large 100 per cent rye loaf.
o Vegetables Enough to fit into cupped hands.
o Salad Enough to fit into two open hands.
o Dressings A drizzle. Don't flood salad but do flavour it.

Drink lots At least two litres of water a day. Try it warm in the morning with a squeeze of lemon or lime (helps it go down better), then through the day.
Curfew grains Every diet expert reckons this is a good idea. So none after lunch please!
Limit eggs No more than six to eight a week. Not the baddies they were thought to be, but don't go overboard.
Breakfast on fruit Make it a rule to eat fruit alone on an empty stomach for good digestion, so have it as a breakfast choice and don't eat it as dessert.
Add some snacks Every diet needs them to perk it up mid-morning or afternoon – here are ours:
o Vegetable sticks and a dollop of hummus.
o A few nuts - about six to eight almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts or walnuts (no peanuts).
o A handful of seeds such as sunflower or pumpkin.
o A bag of raw veggies and some dressing as a dip.
And for a touch of luxury…
o A square of dark 70 per cent cocoa solids chocolate really gives you a lift in the afternoon.
o A piece of fruit or a mini bowl of fruit salad for when dinner seems a long way off. Don't eat anything for at least an hour before or after for good gut harmony.
o Sliced celery with a little lumpfish roe on top makes a great pre-dinner treat. Hummus is good but less glam.
o A small glass of organic red wine - drink with dinner on weekend nights – empty calories but what a spirit-lifter and it's good for you. Skip it if you want to lose fast!

Why not print out our Seven Day Eating Plan
Spoil yourself recipes

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