Have you been struggling to keep up with healthy eating over the festive season? Do you think the only way to make up for indulgence is to eat salad and vegetables for the next few months? Wrong!
Now you can make up for bad eating days with a simple, science-based one-day smoothie diet. Shift gained fat and give your body a boost to make it even more efficient at burning kilojoules.
Starving yourself? Don’t do it!
Starving yourself may seem like the best idea after a weekend of excess. But doing this is incredibly unhealthy and puts your body under a large amount of pressure. In the long run, it will slow down your metabolism and make it even harder to stay in control of your weight. When losing weight, you have to be sure it’s fat you’re losing, and not muscle. Muscle tissue is what makes a difference when burning kilojoules.
Starving yourself means you lose muscle tissue and that slows down your metabolism. Be gentle on your body.
Sticking to healthy smoothies for 24 hours can be a good idea. But remember: before following this 24-hour diet, it’s important to consider your own health needs. If you have any concerns, consult your doctor before embarking on such a plan. Don’t forget, not all plans suit everyone.
ALSO SEE: The Mediterranean Diet: The Key Benefits And What To Eat
The low-down
Our one-day shake diet, devised by dietitian Nigel Denby, feeds your body with protein and nutrients to make sure you don’t lose any muscle tissue. It can also make you even more efficient at burning fat. You can use our plan every week to regularly lose about 1-1.5kgs.
The 24-hour smoothie diet
The rules:
- Decide which day you’re going to use as your smoothie day and get all the ingredients you would need.
- Don’t be tempted to skip one or more of your shakes. Starving yourself is counter-productive.
- On your shake day, only have your three shakes and two litres of water – no tea, coffee, alcohol or snacks.
- Don’t kid yourself. You can’t eat whatever you want all week and then use this one-day shake diet to put everything right. You need to eat healthily six days a week and use the one-day shake diet to boost your weight loss. You can use the one-day shake diet occasionally to make up for an indulgent weekend.
- Don’t be tempted to buy in smoothies. They can be full of sugar, and you need all the nutrients and protein in the homemade shakes to help maintain your muscle tissue.
How to get going: One day a week, choose three different shakes – one for breakfast, one for lunch and one for dinner. That’s it!
ALSO TRY: Green Smoothie Recipe
One-day shake recipes for the smoothie diet
To make all the shakes, put all the ingredients into a blender and blitz for 30 seconds until smooth.
Green extreme
- 200g low-fat plain yoghurt
- Handful of ice cubes
- ½ cucumber
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 1 kiwi, peeled
- 2 handfuls of washed baby spinach
Breakfast booster
- 30g protein powder
- 1 banana
- Handful of sultanas
- Handful of almonds
- Handful of porridge oats
- 200ml skimmed milk
Mediterranean magic
- 30g protein powder
- ½ avocado
- 2 large tomatoes
- 1 red pepper, deseeded
- Handful of fresh basil
- Handful of ice cubes
Blue velvet
- 200g low-fat plain yoghurt
- 2 handfuls of blueberries
- 2 stoned plums
- 1 banana
- Handful of spinach
- Handful of ice cubes
Summer cooler
- ½ cucumber
- 1 stick celery
- ½ avocado
- 30g protein powder
- Handful of fresh parsley
- Handful of ice cubes
Berry bliss
- 1 kiwi, peeled
- 200g low-fat plain yoghurt
- 2 handfuls of strawberries, hulled
- 2 handfuls of raspberries
- Handful of porridge oats
- Ice cubes
For the rest of the week, maintain healthy eating habits by…
- Eating at least five servings of veg, like lettuces and spinach, tomatoes and beans. Avoid potatoes and starchy veggies.
- Three servings of fruit.
- Two servings of whole grains: 1 thin slice wholemeal bread, 2 cracker breads, 4tbsp porridge oats, 2tbsp wholegrain pasta or brown rice, or 2 oatcakes.
- Two servings of 200ml low-fat milk, a non-dairy alternative or low-fat yoghurt, 150g hard cheese or 200g cottage cheese.
- Two servings of 150g chicken (skinless), 200g fish or shellfish, 1 egg, 200g beans or pulses, 50g unsalted nuts, or 150g lean red meat (no more than twice a week).
- Have no more than 200ml wine, ½ draught of beer or one measure of spirits per day, and always have two alcohol-free days per week.
ALSO SEE: 10 Healthy Snacks You Should Always Have In Your Kitchen
