Eat yourself 10 years thinner
It’s a fact of life. You gain weight as you grow older, right? Not according to nutritionist Dr Christine Lydon. Try her diet and exercise plan for six weeks to see if you can regain the figure you had a decade ago
Most of us wish for the figure we had 10 years ago - but nutritionist Dr Christine Lydon, the author of 10 Years Thinner (Hodder Trade Paperback, £14.99), is adamant that this needn't be a pipedream. 'The old assertion that weight gain is unavoidable was based on research that showed most adults get fatter as they get older,' explains Dr Lydon. 'But it didn't take into account essential variables, such as physical activity. Subsequent research has indicated that people don't get fatter simply as a direct result of ageing. They grow fatter because, as they age, most people become less active.'
What's more, Dr Lydon believes that the modern diet has left our bodies struggling to stay slim. 'Around 40,000 to 50,000 years ago, people were lean and fit hunter-gatherers who ate a diet of low-fat wild game, roots and leafy vegetables,' she explains. 'Obesity and heart disease must have been non-existent.' In fact, some anthropologists theorize that our sudden shift to a grain-based diet, around 10,000 years ago, shocked the human metabolism into storing fat, rather than building up muscle mass.
Adults who don't exercise typically lose 5-7lb of muscle every decade, which equates to 250 fewer calories burned each day. If you carry on eating the same diet, that's a weight gain of 25lb in just one year! 'Conversely, the more toned you are, the more fat you'll burn,' adds Dr Lydon.
But before you panic that you have to spend hours at the gym lifting weights in order to keep your metabolism revved up, don't worry - a little extra muscle goes a very long way to keeping you slim and healthy. Dr Lydon's effective plan combines a high protein, reduced carbohydrate diet, supplemented by plenty of vegetables, fruit and nuts, with a simple exercise routine that you can follow in your own home.
And if you think that sounds too simple to be effective, here's how the readers who tried it got on: one lost 11lb, one lost 1 stone 2lb and one lost 1 stone 5lb.
If you carry on eating the same diet, that's a weight gain of 25lb in just one year!
The diet rules
This diet has no ‘meal plan'. Simply follow these rules and still eat the foods you love!
Eat frequently - three meals and two/three snacks per day.
Drink at least two litres of fluid per day - water and herbal or green tea (all other drinks are banned for the first six weeks).
Each meal must have a fist-sized serving of lean protein. And every snack must include a handful of nuts or seeds. Adequate protein, consumed frequently throughout the day, is vital to muscle toning and fat burning.
Include one serving of fruit and vegetables with every meal and snack - a serving of fruit equals one fist and a serving of vegetables equal two fists.
Cook only with extra virgin olive oil. This essential fat signals to your brain that you're full and slows the absorption of carbohydrates.
For the first two weeks of the plan, all legumes, soy-based foods, dairy foods, sweets, chocolate, sugar, grains and other high glycaemic index (HGI) carbs (such as potatoes, dried fruit, alcohol and fruit juice) are banned.
At the beginning of week three, you may reintroduce legumes; and from the beginning of week four, you may also eat up to 100 calories of dairy and soy-based foods per meal.
At the start of week five, you may eat 100 calories of HGI carbs per meal.
After week six, you may have two glasses of wine and one nothing-barred ‘cheat' meal per week (lasting 90 mins).
Use daily supplements of multivitamins, plus omega 3, calcium and magnesium.
Complete these exercises five times a week
Step-ups Step up and down, one foot at a time, onto your bottom stair. Work up to 20 reps.
Push-ups Work up to 30 reps of traditional push-ups.
Bench dips Sit on the edge of a hard surface with your hands either side. Lower your bottom towards the floor until your arms are at right angles, then push your body back up. Work up to 30 reps.
Lunge curls Lunge one foot forward with a dumbbell (around 2kg) in each hand. As you lunge, curl the weights towards your shoulders, lowering them as you step back. Work up to 20 reps.
Squeeze crunches Lie on your back with your knees up. Place your hands by your ears, elbows out. As you exhale, ‘crunch' your tummy muscles, raising your upper body. Work up to 30 reps.
Squat presses Stand with your feet twice shoulder width apart and your dumbbells at shoulder height. Squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor, while lifting the weights straight over your head as you stand up. Work up to 30 reps.
Squat raises The same as squat presses, but as you stand upright, raise the dumbbells out to your sides until they're parallel to your shoulders. Work up to 30 reps.
