Drop a Size in Two Weeks Flat!

When it comes to your mid-afternoon snack, we’ve left it up to you to choose from the list below, depending on how hungry you are and what you fancy. Each snack is approximately 100 calories.

1 cracker and 1 teaspoon peanut butter

any piece of fruit (see the list on page 32 for suggestions if you’re stuck in a Granny Smith rut!)

20 almonds

8 dried apricots

4oz pot low-fat yogurt and a small banana

a palmful of sunflower and pumpkin seeds

2 rice cakes topped with cottage cheese

half a small avocado filled with salsa

2 squares milk chocolate (Well, we are all human!)

SATISFYING SOUPS

Both these soups are filling and tasty and they’ll provide your body with some of the essential nutrients it requires. Your daily soup should be taken pre-dinner, as this will fill you up and help stabilize blood sugar levels specifically when they may be starting to wane. This means you should feel more energized, less hungry, and less likely to overeat at your evening meal.

Full of Goodness (FOG) Soup

Makes 1 week’s worth

Choose at least five of the vegetables listed below – the more the merrier! The initial preparation and cooking takes a little while but you then have a convenient soup that will last a week in the fridge – it freezes well too.

1 onion, coarsely chopped

1 zucchini, coarsely chopped

handful of green beans, cut into ½-inch lengths

1 carrot, diced

3 sticks celery, peeled with a potato peeler to remove the ridged strands and then coarsely chopped

1 leek, coarsely chopped

¼ cauliflower, cut into small bite-size pieces

4–5 green cabbage or spring green leaves, sliced into strips

1 small bunch broccoli, washed and cut into small bite-size pieces

1 parsnip, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces

14-oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

handful of frozen peas

handful of snowpeas, diced

4–5 dried mushrooms, softened in 1¼ cups boiling water (the water can be added to the soup)

4 chicken or vegetable stock cubes

good handful of fresh chopped flat-leaf or curly parsley

Put all the vegetables, beans, and peas into a big stock pan together with the stock cubes and a gallon of cold water. Bring to a boil and then simmer on a very low heat, covered, for about 2 hours. Season well, halfway through cooking time.

Blend half of the soup in a blender or liquidizer and return it to the pot. Throw in the chopped parsley and serve.

Immune-boosting Soup

Makes enough for 1 week

This is a great detoxifying soup. It will cleanse your digestive system and is packed with antioxidants to boost your immune system.

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 carrots, chopped

2 onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 red peppers, seeded and chopped

1 pinch ground allspice

1 tablespoon tomato purée

3 × 14-oz cans chopped tomatoes

1 chicken or vegetable stock cube dissolved in 1¾ cups boiling water

2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice

4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a pan, add the carrot and onion and cook gently for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper, and ground allspice and cook for a further 3–4 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add the tomato purée, chopped tomatoes, and stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Take off the heat and add the orange juice and chopped basil. Season well and serve.

A WORD ABOUT TEA, COFFEE, AND ALCOHOL