Why Is My Waist Size Important?

Your risk of some health problems is affected by where your body fat is stored, as well as by your weight. Carrying too much fat around your middle (waist) can increase your risk of developing conditions such as:

heart disease
type 2 diabetes
cancer

Measuring your waist

Measuring your waist is a good way to check you're not carrying too much fat around your stomach, which can raise your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and stroke.

You can have a healthy BMI and still have excess tummy fat – meaning you're still at risk of developing these diseases.

To measure your waist:

• find the bottom of your ribs and the top of your hips
• wrap a tape measure around your waist, midway between these points
• breathe out naturally before taking the measurement

Regardless of your height or BMI, you should try to lose weight if your waist is:

• 94cm (37ins) or more for men
• 80cm (31.5ins) or more for women

You are at very high risk and you should contact your GP if your waist is:

• 102cm (40ins) or more for men
• 88cm (34ins) or more for women

Losing weight around the stomach

Most people who are overweight find their excess weight is down to eating more energy (calories) than they burn.

Weight gain occurs when we regularly put more calories into our bodies than we use. Over time, that excess energy is stored by the body as fat.

If you're trying to lose weight, it's a good idea to eat less and be more active.

Hula hooping is an excellent way to trim the waist and burn calories without too much effort!

Source:nhs.uk/chq/Pages/849.aspx?CategoryID=51

How To Trim Your Waist And Burn Calories

Get Your Hoop HERE

Exercise You Can Take Anywhere....

If you're anything like me I like to exercise even when I'm away. Doing some exercise as part of my weekly routine is important to me, so having items I can use to exercise with and pack easily into my suit case are a must.

I have recently been asked to try out a hula hoop. Not your solid circular hoop but a weighted, flexible type.

I really didn't know what to expect, let alone even see how it could possibly be effective but I was willing to give it a try.

My initial thoughts were that it would be difficult to use but I liked the idea of being able to take it with me on my travels AND it was easy to store at home, so I reserved all judgement.

It took me only a short time to get the hang of using it and because of the weight and design I could really feel it working. Not only did it work my waist and hips but I also felt like I'd had a cardio workout and felt slightly breathless and sweaty (all good signs in my eyes!!)

I was really impressed by this piece of equipment and could definitely feel a difference.

Not only could you use it to trim your waist but it was cleverly designed to enable you to also work other parts of the body including your arms (all will be revealed).

I'll be sharing a video on how to use it.

If you can't wait that long, then here is the link to the hula hoop HERE

It really is amazing, easy to use and store, so it ticks all of the boxes for me 👍

Think Hula Hoops Are Toys? They Could Change Your Life...

As told by Jenny Wood.......

Going through my wardrobe recently, I found a pile of brightly coloured bikinis languishing in a drawer. They can go straight to the charity shop, I thought glumly, stuffing them into a bin bag. 

When I gave birth to my little boy 18 months ago, I gained something else as well - a wobbly belly, or, as it’s affectionately known, a ‘mum tum’. So, I was pretty sure my bikini-wearing days were over.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate my body. Long walks with a buggy, breastfeeding and running after a toddler have actually helped me lose more than the three stone I put on during pregnancy. But, while the rest of me has slowly shrunk back into shape, my tummy hasn’t followed suit. Wearing anything body-hugging  still fills me with fear.

I’d love to have abs like Olympic athlete Jessica Ennis. And, it would seem, I’m not alone. In a recent survey of 3,000 women, 58 per cent said their stomach was the body part they most wished they could change. 

The problem is, like most people with children or busy lives, I can’t spend hours in the gym or afford to hire a personal trainer. But now, thanks to the latest celebrity fitness craze, I may have found an unlikely solution: hula hooping.

‘I’m all about hula-hooping right now!’ tweeted Kelly Osbourne recently. ‘Five mins in the morning, five mins at night ... in five days I lost two inches from my waistline!’ Michelle Obama, who can apparently hula while kneeling, Grace Jones, who hooped throughout her Queen’s Diamond Jubilee performance last year, and Beyoncé have all credited the humble hoop for their fantastic figures. If they can do it, I reckon, so can I.

So I arrange to meet hula hooping expert Anna Drury, 30, at a gym in South London. Anna first picked up a hoop in 2006 after seeing them used in a performance at a music festival. 

 

She’s been hooping professionally for five years now and teaches in schools, runs adult classes and performs at events worldwide, often using several hoops at once and even setting them on fire. Crikey.

The last time I picked up a hula hoop, I had ankle socks and pigtails, so I’m understandably nervous as I join the 12 other women in the evening’s class. Anna believes that everyone - even those who are hopelessly uncoordinated like me - can learn to hula hoop. 

The secret is lots of practice and the right equipment - the larger and heavier the hoop, the easier it is to control and the more it’ll help you tone up. 

As for what to wear, apparently the fewer or tighter the clothes the better. That way the hoop sticks to you rather than the fabric, so I opt for a purple vest top and blue leggings. 

As the class starts, Anna explains that hooping is like riding a bike - it’s all about finding your own personal rhythm and once you’ve got it, it never goes. Music helps you relax, making the whole process much easier, so she turns on the stereo and off we go. 

Getting the hula hoop ‘in flight’ (to use the technical term) is actually easier than I’d thought - I just hold it around my waist and fling it sideways - but keeping it twirling for more than a few rotations is going to take some practice. 

Anna’s tip is to stay positive - just concentrate on trying to keeping the hoop from falling. That’s easy for her to say, casually spinning her hoop around her neck, but I get countless knocks as mine keeps clattering to the ground. 

Anna cheerfully explains that bruises are par for the course when learning, and that my stomach will toughen up, so I should look at them as war wounds. 

Slowly, I start to get the hang of it, although I find it much easier to hoop in an anti-clockwise direction than a clockwise one (apparently this is normal for right-handed people). However, if I can learn to hoop in both directions I’ll get better-looking abs, because I will then be working the muscles on both sides of my body. 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2333002/The-10-minute-workout-rolled-away-spare-tyre-weeks-Think-hula-hoops-toys-They-change-life-.html#ixzz4wKPS5HLv 


I will be doing my own trial of a different kind of hula hoop in the next few weeks with a video so wacth out for that!!

How Much Does The Time Of Day You Eat Really Affect Your Weight?

You've heard a lot about whether or not late-night eating affects weight or not. But it's time to set the record straight once and for all. See how the research has evolved, and what the final verdict is on noshing past bed time.

First

A 2005 study in the journal Obesity Research found no link between evening snacking and gaining extra pounds, prompting nutrition pros to declare that bedtime eating while watching Parks & Recreation isn't slim-down suicide. Break out the ice cream!

THEN

In 2008, researchers showed that people who ate between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. consumed more total calories per day and gained more weight over time. If your freewheeling diet has you eating at oddball hours, chances are you're eating more overall.

NOW

A new study found that when people who tended to eat a third of their calories between 6 p.m. and midnight switched to a schedule where they stopped eating between 7 p.m. and 9 a.m., they lost weight and slept better.

THE TAKEAWAY

The time of day doesn't matter as much as how much you're eating within 24 hours. To reduce that amount, stick to a food window of 10 or 11 hours, says Satchin Panda, Ph.D. It may keep your circadian rhythm and weight steadier.

Source:womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/night-eating-and-weight-gain#ixzz40S4sjk3t

Fasting Weight Loss Update

I am a little bit later with my weight progress update due to life getting in the way.

I weighed myself and was pleasantly surprised to learn I had lost 3LB. I tend not to worry too much about what I weigh and prefer to use how my clothes fit and feel as a guide. However, I was curious as to whether or not doing the over night fasting was actually making a difference.

As I have said previously I do feel less bloated during the day.

I am trying not to use this method of keeping my weight in control as an excuse to eat junk during the day. I do like to eat what I feel like but still follow the rule of everything in moderation.

Everything does become harder as you get older i.e weight loss, toning up, but keeping on top of it certainly helps me to feel better and look better. For me exercise and good eating habits are a way of life, not just something I do to get in shape for a holiday or special event.

If you have yet to get started then I can only stress that the sooner you make a change, the sooner you will see changes.

Good luck :)

What's The Secret To Weight Loss?

Exercise is great, keeps you healthy, improves your fitness, reduces stress and helps with weight loss.

However, this is just a small part of the best way to lose weight. By far the most important thing is your diet. Diet has a much greater impact on body weight and health than exercise.

Now I hate the term 'going on a diet'. To me that immediately makes me think that I will have to cut out some of my favourite foods. I prefer to opt for healthy eating.

During the week I try to eat healthier. I try to eat foods that are as natural as possible and not loaded with toxins. If you would like to read more about a previous article I wrote on 'non-toxic eating' you can view it HERE

I eat this way as best as I can during the week and relax a bit at the weekends when I go out. There's nothing I like more than a nice cappuccino and cream scone after a good walk along the coast.

I also find that when I eat as natural as possible that I don't suffer from bloating and feeling uncomfortable. To me that speaks volumes about what processed, sugary foods do to my body

One thing I also do is to make sure I am eating enough. I hear too many times of people who try to lose weight by not eating. Yes initially you may lose some weight but then it will become difficult as your body holds on to as much fat stores as it can (the body is a clever tool and will store as much weight as it can not knowing when it's next meal will be or if at all). Also you will lose essential muscle tone.

My advice would be to find an eating plan that works for YOU. Forget diets and concentrate on eating healthy and reducing the amount of processed, sugary foods you eat. Try not to eat too late at night (definitely no later than 8pm). Have a treat if you fancy it but keep it to a minimum and have it as just that, a treat. Take daily exercise and follow the 80/20 rule - 80% of your effort should be down to what you eat and 20% effort on exercise.

Smart! Don't eat at night, lose weight

The kind of fasting being popularized as "intermittent" may be all the rage as a weight loss strategy, but let's be honest, eating hardly anything 3 days per week will never be truly popular. The awesomely easy alternative: fasting while you're asleep, plus a little longer. A food break as brief as 12 hours will help you get a smaller waistline: It speeds up metabolism and lowers blood sugar and body weight, even if you don't actually cut any calories. This is based on preliminary research, but if it's true—and other ongoing research is looking to show that—you'll burn fat by just changing when you eat.

 Your easy plan: Eat 3 meals as close together as possible—say, a 9 AM breakfast, a 1 PM lunch, and a 6 PM dinner—to stretch out your nighttime fasting phase as long as possible.










Source:prevention.com/health/health-breakthroughs-that-will-change-your-life

What To Expect From Your Body During Your 40's

Libido may be dwindling.

Helen Ford says: 'Libido may be dwindling which could be due to lower hormones or just because we are exhausted with day to day life.'

The nutritionist recommends eating foods with omega 3 and stocking up on vitamins to combat the slump.

She says: 'Think about eating more oily fish and nuts and seeds to provide the anti-inflammatory omega 3 oils. 

'Incorporating phytoestrogens such as fermented soya, lentils and chickpeas, flaxseed which have hormone balancing properties. 

'A multi vitamin and mineral with more magnesium and calcium is important, with fish oil and additional Vitamin D.'

Pre-menopausal symptoms may appear.

Many women don't expect to see symptoms of the menopause until their 50s, but Jane Mitchell says that some can expect them much earlier.

'The fact is that your body only has so many eggs,' she explains. 'As soon as they are used up you will see the signs of menopause.'

'It can come as a shock to some women.' 

The nutritionist adds that the best way to reduce symptoms is to exercise and cut out sugar and alcohol. 

Your facial features change.

Dr Maryam Zamani adds that the structure of our faces can change quite significantly in our 40s.

She says: 'The fat in the face can be lost and this significant volume loss can create jowls and the hallowing of the temples.

'The nose is affected as well, and tends to dip downwards. The lips lose volume. Facial structure can be affected with bone loss and this leaves women with sunken looking eyes and increased sagging.'

Joints may start to crunch and creak.

Arthritis Research UK’s ageing expert Professor Janet Lord, Director MRC-ARUK Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research in Birmingham says that women should look out for their bones becoming stiff or crunching as this may be a sign of osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis.

It is increasingly common for people to suffer it from their late 40s.

Professor Janet says: 'In this condition, the surfaces within your joints become damaged so the joint doesn’t move as smoothly as it should. Risk factors include genetics, obesity, age and previous joint injury. 

'We don’t fully understand why it’s more common in older people, but it might be due to your muscles weakening and your body being less able to heal itself, or your joint slowly wearing out over time.'


Watch out for the next post - What to expect from your body during your 50's

Source: dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3269613/What-expect-body-decade-20s-50s-combat-it.html#ixzz3p17vHeSb

My Latest Challenge

Over the last week I have been trying out a new exercise routine based on methods used by ballet dancers.

The exercises are intense and concentrated and although I started off not doing as many reps as suggested, I was soon able to increase the amount quickly.

After the first day I felt like I had certainly used some deep muscles I hadn't used for a while and was surprised how I felt the next day. I knew I had done something but wasn't in pain (we've all had those workouts whereby the next day you can barely walk).

I definitely like this exercise routine. I will keep you updated on how I get on and will share what exactly the routine involves very soon :)

Can Lemon Water Really Help You Lose Weight?

Celebs such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Real Housewives of New Jerseystar Dina Manzo guzzle hot water with lemon as if the liquid was bottled at the Fountain of Youth itself. They're certain it aids in weight loss—but is the claim too good to be true?

"Hot water with lemon in and of itself does not cause any actual weight loss," says Alissa Rumsey, R.D., a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. However, if this drink is replacing a beverage that is higher in calories, like coffee with sugar or fruit juice—and that results in a calorie deficit—then it can help you lose weight.

Drinking water—whether hot or cold, infused with lemon, or plain—also helps keep your metabolism humming. "Staying hydrated is an important component of a healthy diet because it boosts your metabolism," says Rumsey. "For those that don't enjoy plain water, adding some lemon is a great way to boost the flavor without adding calories."

In the short term, drinking water with lemon can also reduce bloating—it acts as a mild, natural diuretic, says Rumsey. However, if you're experiencing bloating in the long-term, it's best to figure out what is causing it and work to stop those habits: Eating too fast, drinking through a straw, drinking carbonated beverages, consuming too much salt, and consuming foods with sugar alcohols are common culprits.

You also don't want to chug water with lemon religiously if you experience heartburn or acid reflux, as the citrus in the lemon will only exacerbate your symptoms, says Rumsey. Now you know!

Source:eatclean.com/scoops/lemon-water-weight-loss

Change Your Life Whilst You Sleep

Can you IMAGINE if changing your life...

... Was as EASY as falling ASLEEP?

Turbo-charge your confidence. Lose weight quickly. Rocket your relationships. Become a luckier person. Let go of stress. Be a super-positive thinker. Speed up your brain.

Imagine if ALL of this were possible.

Just by falling ASLEEP.

WELL, IT IS.

And it's all down to an ingenious audio technology known as "Sleep Programming."

Sleep Programming is officially more powerful than hypnosis. It's recently been proven by San Diego University -- and is used daily by the US Government to help train new military recruits.

How does it work? Simple!

Just play one of the special Sleep Programming CDs on loop as you fall asleep - and get ready to wake up a NEW PERSON!

It's the FASTEST and MOST EXCITING way to change. And it's available to YOU - RIGHT NOW.

Check out the official website online CLICK HERE

And get READY to CHANGE!

3 Yoga Poses to Reduce Stubborn Belly Fat

Yoga is beneficial in many ways, and these three yoga poses to reduce stubborn belly fat can help stretch your body and clear your mind.

Using yoga to relax and meditate has long been accepted. The ability to strengthen and tone your body doing these exercises is overlooked but is still very effective.

Tadasana, or Mountain Pose

This pose is a good starting pose, as it gets the blood circulating better and prepares you for the poses that help get rid of belly fat.

This pose begins in a standing position, with feet flat, heels spread and big toes touching each other. Stretch your hands in front of you and touch the palms together. Next, take a deep breath and stretch your spine.

Raise joined hands above your head, stretching as much as possible. Next, stand on toes and point your eyes to the ceiling. Hold pose for 20 to 30 seconds. Take another deep breath and relax to the floor while exhaling.

Ushtrasana, or Camel Pose

This pose includes a backward stretch that tones the abdominal muscles. That helps reduce fat in that area as well. First, sit in Vajrasana, or the Thunderbolt pose. This pose is when you sit with knees together in front of you and feet tucked under your buttocks.

Next, lift your body so your entire weight is resting on your knees and your heels should be perpendicular to the ground. Take a deep breath and arch your back. Reach behind your back and attempt to hold your ankles.

Tilt your head backward and stretch. Hold the pose for 30 seconds. Exhale, relax and return to Vajrasana. Repeat this pose five times. These are the initial recommendations. It is a good idea to work toward holding the pose for 60 seconds each time and to repeat the pose 30 times.

Utanpadasana, or Raised Foot Pose

In addition to your stubborn belly fat, this pose helps the hips and thighs as well. For those struggling with pregnancy weight that has not yet come off, this pose will be extremely helpful. First, Lie on your back, flat on the floor. Put hands on either side of your body, palms toward the floor.

Next, take a deep breath and tilt your back and bring the back of your head to rest on the floor. Raise your legs to make a 45-degree angle with the floor. Breathe normally throughout. Hold the pose for 15 to 30 seconds. After that period, raise your legs so they make a 90-degree angle to the floor. Hold 15 to 30 seconds, then relax. Repeat 10 times.

Using these three poses is a good start to getting rid of belly fat, toning the body and relaxing the mind. However, there are other poses that can be incorporated into your routine if these get boring or stop being a challenge. Practice these poses and get comfortable, then rotate in others to give yourself a challenge and keep reducing your belly fat.

Source:www.healthyfoodhouse.com/3-yoga-poses-to-reduce-stubborn-belly-fat/

Alternatives To Drinking Diet Coke

ALTERNATIVES TO DIET COKE

• Look for stevia (a natural sweetener) versions of soft drinks if you really must drink a soft drink.
• 
  
• Drink plain mineral water with fresh lime or lemon juice or both with a dash of organic honey, if you prefer a sweeter taste, as a very healthy and hydrating drink.
• 
  
• Drink green tea if you want the effects of caffeine without the jitters. L-theanine in green tea is the antidote to caffeine's negative effects on the nervous system and it also boosts 'alpha waves in your brain'
• 
  
• Drink Kombucha or Kefir tea. They are both naturally fizzy and Kefir tea in particular can provide a dose of probiotics for promoting better digestion and health of your gut.
• 
  
• Learn to make or buy nutritious smoothies made out of green vegetables like spinach, low sugar fruits like blueberries and tasty ingredients like coconut butter that are full of essential nutrients and health promoting fatty acids.  

Source: dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-3184770/Now-DIET-Coke-does-body-Infographic-reveals-fizzy-drink-makes-store-fat-rots-teeth-effects-like-cocaine-just-ONE-HOUR.html#ixzz3jBDnVlC1

Are YOUR Weight Worries Holding You Back In Bed?

Tracey Cox reveals the three fears that are ruining women's sex lives (and why they shouldn't)

• Sexpert Tracey Cox says women worry so much they can't enjoy sex
• She says bad body image is ruining the experience for many women
• But the sexpert reveals why there is really nothing to worry about

Sex is meant to be one of life's greatest pleasures.

So why do lots of women spend the whole time worrying rather than enjoying themselves?

Here are the top three things most women stress about in bed - and shouldn't.

YOUR BODY

Most women are paranoid about their bodies and it's not just our self-esteem which takes a miserable dive every time we succumb to obsessing about our muffin tops.

A bad body image has a direct effect on our ability to enjoy sex.

Numerous studies have shown body self-conscious women are more timid, less likely to initiate sex, try new positions or talk about their needs than women who are happy with their bodies.

But the reality is most men don't look at your bottom and think 'Dear God! Look at those Godawful lumps!', they think 'Let me get my hands on that!'.

Research continually shows that men in love are almost universally positive about their partner's body.

You see fat, he sees curves.

Sex is about what's happening on the inside not the outside. It's about feeling sensations, feeling connected and loved - and having orgasms.

Lying there stressing about how you look and feeling paranoid means none of the above is going to happen.

NOT HAVING AN ORGASM EVERY SINGLE TIME 

Reputable US research suggests 75 per cent of men always reach orgasm during sex while only 29 per cent of women do.

If that wasn't depressing enough, another comprehensive study (Elisabeth Lloyd, US) analysed more than 30 years of studies of female orgasm to conclude they're 'a happy accident' rather than a regular event that's guaranteed to happen.

Yet women still feel under incredible pressure to pretend they climax almost every time and are plagued with guilt and feeling 'not good enough/sexy enough' when it doesn't.

Men's orgasms are reliable and automatic; our are sporadic and dependent on a multitude of factors.

The mood we're in (fat/thin/bad hair/good hair/am I feeling desirable day), what's happening in our lives and relationships (he's being a b*****d again), the amount and type of foreplay and the amount we've drunk and eaten: all these factors affect whether or not we climax.

But - and it's a big one - more often than not, the main reason we don't orgasm is down to not enough foreplay, the wrong type, an ineffective foreplay technique or a terrible combination of all three.

Women have no need to be embarrassed if an orgasm doesn't happen - but if our partners are guilty of any of the above, perhaps they should be!

+3

She adds that men and women have different types of desire that are more noticeable at certain times

NOT WANTING SEX AS MUCH AS HE DOES 

'They're all over you in the beginning but stop wanting it at all once you've been together for a while.'

How many times have we heard this one? (How many times will it be written in the comments section by men?)

The claim: women only seem to like sex at the beginning. Once the relationship is serious, we lose interest.

Some men think it means we're just not interested in sex at all. We fake it in the beginning until we've 'got him', then drop the act.

But there's a far less sinister, more plausible reason, according to research findings.

Men are more likely to feel 'spontaneous desire': they'll feel like sex before they start having it.

Women are more likely to feel 'reactive' desire: we might not feel like sex at the beginning but get aroused and enjoy sex once we start having it.

(Though, again, this will only happen if our partner's sexual technique is effective and enjoyable.)

Both sexes feel more spontaneous desire at the start of a relationship because that's when love and sex hormones flood our brains, as Mother Nature tries desperately to get us to have lots of sex to conceive.

Between nine and 18 months later, those hormones (necessarily) dry up and we fall back to our natural libido resting state.

This is when mismatched sex drives become apparent.

It's not women pretending to like sex to hook their men that causes a drop in desire.

It's to do with the different types of desire each gender experiences becoming more noticeable with time.

What also becomes apparent the longer you're together is that it's rare that both of you will feel like sex at the same time anyway.

If we were all a lot less hung up on sex having to be 'spontaneous', most people's sex lives would be in a much better state.

Put in the same 'spontaneous' planning you did at the start - plan nice things to do together, make sure you both look great, think up new things to try together in bed - and you might just find there's more than a flash of 'just-met-sex' in the next session.

Source: dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3185738/Are-weight-worries-holding-bed-Tracey-Cox-reveals-three-fears-ruining-women-s-sex-lives-shouldn-t.html#ixzz3hwpTVTPj 

Healthy Herbs

HERBS CAN CHANGE YOUR HEALTH 

Melly Lou, naturopathic Doctor at Farm Girl and founder of Liquorice Lifestyle told FEMAIL:  'Adding medicinal and culinary herbs to your food and drink can drastically change your health.'

Herbs to incorporate include:  

Mint for calming your digestion.

Turmeric for anti inflammatory properties, building immunity, and having a positive effect on blood cholesterol, among many other things.

Nettle in Spring and Summer to reduce the effects of Hayfever.

Rose for calming the digestive system and cardiovascular health.

Cinnamon facilitates the movement of sugar from the blood into your cells by potentiating the function of insulin. This results in more stable blood sugar levels and less sugar cravings.

Coriander is a 'Metal Chelator', cleansing the central nervous system of unwanted heavy metals consumed mainly in large fish and canned food.

Juices and smoothies might appear to be a 'drink' but should always be viewed a meal. 

Adding herbal powders and different sources of plant based proteins such as chia seeds, spirulina, and soaked nuts, gives your body a huge dose of micronutrients which satisfies you. When you eat like this regularly your body is nourished by a lesser amount of food, as often hunger is actually the desire for vitamins, minerals, and what is commonly referred to these days as 'superfoods'.' 

Source:dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-3156251/FEMAIL-talks-experts-reveal-40-eating-habits-change-life.html#ixzz3hCLpCENU

Detox

For these days avoid all starchy carbs including wheat, potatoes, rice, bread and pasta. This will heighten your weight loss and limit bloating.

Eat plenty of green leafy veg like spinach and watercress, to keep your calcium intake up. You can also have soya or rice milk with added calcium.

The most important thing is to avoid wheat, dairy, sugar, alcohol and caffeine and fill up on vegetables (except root veg, unless raw carrots), fruit like berries, pears and apples and lean proteins like chicken, turkey, unprocessed ham, fish and eggs.

Eat small portions of seeds too, they are rich in healthy fats. Make salads big; not just leaves. Include sweetcorn, beetroot, olives, tomatoes and mushrooms.

Avoid shop-bought salad dressings, just use lemon juice and a teaspoon of olive or flax oil.

Tuna salad for lunch on Day One

DAY ONE

Breakfast: Smoked salmon and scrambled egg.

Mid morning snack: A pear and one tablespoon of pumpkin seeds.

Lunch: Tuna salad.

Mid-afternoon snack: A small bowl of prawns.

Dinner: Grilled chicken and vegetable stir-fry.

DAY TWO

Breakfast: Smoothie made with a handful of mixed berries, half a banana, half a glass of rice or soya milk, one heaped tablespoon of seeds.

Mid-morning snack: A hard-boiled egg.

Lunch: Ham salad.

Mid-afternoon snack: A punnet of blueberries.

Dinner: Roasted salmon with streamed green beans and curly kale.

DAY THREE

Breakfast: Natural soya yoghurt (about 150g) with fresh berries and one tablespoon of sunflower seeds.

Mid-morning snack: One hard-boiled egg.

Lunch: Avocado salad; slice up one ripe avocado and mix with onions, watercress, tomatoes, cucumber and salad leaves.

Mid-afternoon snack: An apple and one tablespoon of pumpkin seeds.

Dinner: Roast turkey with vegetable stir-fry

Drink detox tea to help the process

Source:dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-3162210/How-flat-stomach-just-24-HOURS.html#ixzz3g3pkL5PA 

Tips For A Flatter Stomach

TIPS FOR A FLATTER STOMACH

Eat 5 times a day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and mid-morning and afternoon snacks.

Have herbal teas and plenty of water. Drink six to eight glasses of water a day, sipping slowly, add a teaspoon of lemon juice to heighten the cleansing effects. If you normally drink a lot of tea and coffee and are worried about going ‘cold turkey’ then have just one to cups a day, but really dilute to lessen the caffeine.

Got a sweet tooth and worried about getting cravings when you cut it out? Eating regular healthy meals, with a steady intake of protein, should help reduce sugar cravings by keeping your blood sugar levels balanced. But if you need extra help try taking a supplement of the mineral chromium, it will help boost blood sugar level balancing. Take two 200mcg tablets a day, one 30 mins before a mid-morning snack and one 30 mins before a mid-afternoon snack

Eat your celery. Celery is an excellent diuretic, due to its high potassium content, so it can help with water retention. Add celery chunks to salad, look for a good recipe for celery soup, or use celery as one of the ingredients in a vegetable juice

Limit gassy foods. Foods like beans, pulses and root vegetables are notorious for causing bloating and wind.

Always chew food well and take your time when eating. Chew each mouthful until the food is almost liquid; not only will this help to ensure that the food is properly digested, but it will also help you to eat slowly and enjoy your food, so can prevent you over eating.

Avoid all fizzy drinks, even diet ones. Fizzy bubbles in carbonated diet drinks can cause gas to get trapped in your stomach and can cause bloating. Instead, drink water flavored with lemon, lime, or cucumber or try peppermint tea or a herbal tea like Pukka Detox, £2.09, with detoxing aniseed, fennel and licorice.

Don't chew chewing gum. It can lead to swallowing air, which can cause bloating. It can also stimulate your digest enzymes to expect food which can then stimulate hunger.

Watch your salt intake. Never add extra salt to your food as it increases the amount of water that the body retains and can therefore make you look more bloated and heavier.

Avoid sweeteners. Many people suffer from bloating because they consume too much sugar alcohol in artificially sweetened foods and drinks, and so it is important to avoid these sweeteners.  

Tips from NutriCentre nutritionist Shauna Wilkinson 

                                                   

                                               Detox easily with this tea 

Source: dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-3162210/How-flat-stomach-just-24-HOURS.html#ixzz3g3nf7jtP

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