The key to losing weight effectively is a regime that’s easy to follow, enjoyable, never leaves you feeling hungry and allows you to make your own choices about what to eat. This book takes the guesswork and arithmetic out of calorie counting. Whether you are on a weight-loss programme for just want to maintain your ideal weight, these quick and easy recipes enable you to watch your calorie intake while eating tasty meals that will leave you feeling fuller for longer. You can navigate your way through the day without worrying about calories and quantities – there’s no number crunching.
No guesswork… no counting
No matter what diet you are following or what your daily calorie target is, it’s easy to achieve and to stay on course with this book. Throw away your calculator and stop worrying about food – just relax and enjoy every meal. There’s no need to guess, because all the recipes fall into 100-, 200- and 300-calorie portions, making weight loss, control and maintenance so easy.
It works with so many diets
No matter how much or how little weight you have to lose or which diet you are following, this approach works. Whether you are just limiting your daily calorie intake to a specific number per day, dieting online, going to classes or following the 5:2 regime, this book can help and inspire you, making slimming so much simpler. There is no magic formula to dieting – successful weight loss and maintenance are all about calories: how many you consume and how many you burn, and to lose weight you need to take in fewer calories than you use up. Nearly all diets are based on calorie counting, whether they call them by their name or use other systems. When you are in control of the calories you eat, it’s easier to manage your weight loss and see the results as the excess pounds and inches disappear.
What are calories?
Whether you want to lose weight or maintain your ideal weight, it comes down to a simple formula: the calories you consume (from the food you eat) must not exceed the calories you burn in the course of a day – doing chores, working, exercising and going through your daily routine. If we eat more calories than we use, they are stored in our bodies as fat. There are approximately 3,500 calories (or kilocalories/kcals) in 450g/1lb of fat. Therefore to lose a pound, you need to eat 3,500 fewer calories or use them up by exercising – or a combination of both. A calorie is a unit of heat energy that fuels our bodies; high-fat and high-sugar foods contain more calories than those that are low in fat and sugar: you get about 9 calories from 1g fat and about 4 calories from 1g protein.
Be calorie aware
By learning about the calorie content of the foods you eat, you can make informed and conscious choices and be more in control of your weight. Always check the labels on foods such as breakfast cereals, ready meals, sauces and salsas, fruit juice and smoothies – although many of them are perceived as healthy, they can contain ‘hidden’ or ‘empty’ calories in the form of fat and sugar. And lots of the snack foods that we grab without thinking are loaded with calories. For example, a large caffe latte made with whole milk might contain as many as 225 calories, while a blueberry muffin could add up to 550 calories. Together, that’s approximately half the calories people would aim to eat in a day on a 1500 calorie-controlled weight-loss diet!
Portion control made easy
In this book you can mix and match your meals to achieve your calorie target each day without agonizing about piling on the pounds – everything is counted for you and portion-controlled to help you manage your weight more effectively. Just choose delicious recipes from the following calorie bands:
100-calorie breakfasts, brunches, light meals and desserts
200-calorie breakfasts, brunches, packed lunches, light meals and desserts
300-calorie breakfasts, lunches and main meals
By taking control of what you eat, you will be more calorie aware as well as feeling healthier and trimmer. You can proceed at your own pace and enjoy a wide range of nutritious foods, including many of your favourites. A lot of calorie-counted diets are complicated and confusing, but we have calculated everything for you in simple round numbers, and all the recipes have fat and fibre counts, so you can make your own choices on what to eat.
Stay slim
When you reach your weight-loss goal, you can use the recipes to maintain your ideal weight in the long term. As they are simple to make and taste so good, you will be happy to use them again and again. By adopting a healthier diet and working with simple calorie bands, you will be less likely to regain the weight you have lost. If you have a minor lapse or indulgence, don’t worry or feel guilty – just reduce your calorie intake for a day or two and you will be back on track.