The TIME Diet, for women who love baked potatoes

Like most women I have been on diet after diet, I loose weight I gain weight and am on this continual rollercoaster road of size 12 to size 16. I deceided that all I really needed was a habbit change rather than life changing diet.

So who am I, your usualy curvy early thirty something. I love food especially my baked potatoes, italian pasta dishes and creamy sauces. I enjoy cooking, eating out and cannot stick to anything except watching my favouite soap 3 times a week!

Here's how I lost 2 stone in 6 months thats a size 16 to size 12 still curvy but much happier when I go shopping or out for an evening. BTW 2 stones in 6 months a more realistic weight loss which allows you to maintain the future weight. Diets which promise more drastic results are usually about cutting calories too far so you have little energy and enjoyment eating!

Welcome to the TIME Diet - In Summary.

Body Timing..
Start to programme your body so it knows when it will be getting food. This is hard to do but is essential to the process.

Eat in the morning between 7 and 9am,
Eat at lunchtime 12.30 to 2pm (1.30pm if you have a family with young kids)
Eat in the evening around 7pm (6.30pm if you have a family with young kids)
These times should fit most households and lifestyles. I have provided timings for those of you with a young family where it is essential to eat as a group and train your kids good habbits from an early age.
Eat Snacks throughout the day, but these should only be fruit or vegetables. Dont take pre pepared fruit or veg, prepare and peel as and when you want to eat it but no more than 3 pieces a day (wow a diet that tells you not to eat endless fruit and veg).

Food timing...
After 1.30pm or 2pm you cannot eat those supposed bad carbs, normally potatoes, white pasta and rice & bread. This is easy people, heres a sample diet:

Breakfast: 2 slices multigrain toast with marmite, glass or orange juice and mug of tea/coffee.
Snack 1: apple with small box raisons
Lunch: Baked Potato (no larger than your hand) with margarine, chilli and cheese
Snack 2: clementine and small banana
Evening meal: Grilled chicken breast marinated in lemon, garlic and greek low fat yogurt, grilled vegetables including aubergine, tomato, onion, mushroom and pepper. For desert you swap your large dinner plate for a small plate and for this example I had some peach sorbet.
Snack 3: grapes

If you have a 2 course meal, allow at least 20 minutes before courses. This will allow your stomach to start digesting the first meal and give you a better perception of your hunger.

Drink timing...
You must drink at least 1.5 litres of water in a day, fill up your bottle so you have a target, however drink throughout the day.
Alcohol, well I don't know aout you but I usually need a glass of wine in the evening.
Weekdays Monday-Thursday drink no more than 1 1/2 glass
Weekends Friday and Saturday night this can be extended to no more than 4 glasses
Weekends Sunday, try not to have anything today, if you are tempted only in the day not after 7pm

There are good and bad drinks, however this diet is about timing so ideally you will drink white wine, white spirits if you can with diet mixers such as tonic or soda water. White wine spritza may well be an 80's fashion drink but makes your allowance last much longer. For every glass of wine have a large glass of water, plus a large glass of water before you go to bed this also helps reduce the hangovers.

Every night have a mug of hot water with slice of lemon

Portion control...
I found I cooked double portions compared to perhaps a meal I would get in a restaurant. Portion control is easy, take a normal size dinner plate, for breakfast and lunch you should see at least 1/3 of the plate empty. The height of you food should be no more than 2 CM. For desert you should have a smaller plate probably 1/3rd of the size of the dinner plate.

Please do this approx, remember this is about a life change not controlled diet experiment!

Fitness control...
You need to work out 3 times a week for at least 40 minutes allowing for a 5 min warm up and 5 min stretch warm down. Monday, Wednesday and Friday work well. Dont worry about going to a gym I workout from home. My living room with all the furniture pushed back makes for a good dance studio. In the first month, you need to enjoy working out if it becomes a hasle you have broken all chance of loosing weight. Put all your favouite up tempt songs onto one cd and time if for 30 minutes. Your warm up should be stepping, lunges and a few squats basically you are warming up the mussels. For 30 miuites dance your heart out! move your legs with perhaps some kicks to the front, side and back, use your arms to punch forward and out to the side.
Squat to the sound of the music generally work up a sweat dancing keep moving and dont stand still if you are out of breath at least step on the spot with some arm movements. After your dance work out do at least 50 stomach/ab crunches sets of 10 with 30 seconds rest will be good for beginners. After your first month invest in a kick boxing DVD workout video, you should now have a good basic fitness level. Kick boxing with dance will allow you to start toning all areas of your body with a maximum fat burn.

Note this is for someone of around 13/14 stone, the larger you are the longer you need e.g. 16 stone you need 2 months minimum and 18 stone 3 months minimum of dancing before you get into a dvd workout.

I am accounting that you will be doing light housework through the week, if you dont add at least 20 minutes into your sunday which could be a long but brisque walk. Walking the dog during the week doesn't count as your exercise this is a little bonus!

Top Time Diet tips!
Hear that tummy rumble, every day you should hear your tummy rumble if you dont cut back on the portions of food!
Well thats it in summary, change your lift and the diet will just happen!