The carb diet! Eat pasta, lose 14lb

There’s a new weight-loss booster in town. It’s backed by scientists, keeps you full and you find it in pasta! Here’s everything you need to know, and how our Super Starch Diet could see you lose up to 1st this month!

How it works

We’re talking about an ingredient called resistant starch. This is a type of fibre that your body can’t digest, yet it still has many positive effects in your body. It fills you up, reducing appetite, feeds good bacteria in the gut that beat bloat and burn calories and, lastly, it helps control levels of the fat-storing hormone, insulin.

Aiming for two to three portions of resistant starch a day can therefore help boost your weight-loss efforts.

Some foods contain lots of resistant starch. These include green bananas, oats, cornflakes, rye and pumpernickel breads, plus beans and legumes such as lentils, chickpeas and green peas. Others like pasta, rice and potatoes make the starch if you cook them and let them cool.

Our one-week plan uses both types of food – repeat it for four weeks, and it’s OK to swap like for like (so chicken for fish, broccoli for cabbage). Swapping to a diet high in resistant starch can cause bloating in some people. If that happens, cut back to one portion a day, substituting starchy foods like cooled pasta for ordinary warm pasta, or peas for green beans. Each week, add another portion per day.

MONDAY

Breakfast 40g cornflakes served with 125ml skimmed milk. 1 chopped pear, apple or green banana.

Lunch ½ a salad bag with extra cherry tomatoes, 3 slices of ham, 30g Cheddar cheese.

Dinner 125g grilled salmon fillet and 3tbsp ready-made potato salad with low-fat mayonnaise. Unlimited broccoli.

WEDNESDAY

Breakfast 1 piece thick rye bread spread with 1tsp honey. 125g low-fat yoghurt. 1 apple.

Lunch 2tbsp readymade potato salad and 3 slices of ham. Unlimited cucumber and red pepper.

Dinner 75g lean beef and 100g canned kidney beans simmered in 200g tinned tomatoes, served with 40g (dry weight) brown rice.

FRIDAY

Breakfast 40g cornflakes with 125ml skimmed milk. 1 chopped apple or 2 handfuls of berries.

Lunch 400g can lentil soup served with a green salad and 5 olives.

Dinner 1 piece breaded fish – or fresh fish – grilled. 150g new potatoes, cooked then cooled. 100g peas.

SUNDAY

Breakfast 1 boiled or poached egg with soldiers made from 2 slices thick rye bread.

Lunch 125g roast beef or chicken, 100g cooked new potatoes, cooled for an hour, unlimited vegetables, 1tbsp gravy.

Dinner 1 low-fat sausage, grilled. 2tbsp ready-made low-fat potato salad. Unlimited cabbage.

TUESDAY

Breakfast 40g porridge oats made with 125ml milk (hot or cold). 1tsp honey. 2 handfuls of berries.

Lunch Greek salad of tomato, cucumber, onion. 5 olives, 40g feta cheese. 1 slice thick rye bread.

Dinner 150g chicken breast, grilled. Serve with 200g mashed cauliflower and 200g peas.

THURSDAY

Breakfast Smoothie made from 1 banana (green if possible), 200ml skimmed milk, 3 handfuls of berries. 1 piece thick rye toast.

Lunch 1 small jacket potato, 200g baked beans. Green salad.

Dinner 50g penne, cooked, then cooled for an hour. Mix into sauce of 200g tinned tomatoes, 100g tuna, unlimited courgettes and mushrooms.

SATURDAY

Breakfast 40g porridge oats soaked overnight with 125g skimmed milk, 1 chopped apple, 25g sultanas.

Lunch 1 slice rye toast topped with 40g low-fat Cheddar, grilled. Sliced tomatoes and cucumber.

Dinner Stir-fry of unlimited vegetables (for example, courgette, pepper, mushrooms, onion), 100g prawns and ½ a sachet of black bean sauce.

SNACKS

Choose one each day 1x 125g pot low-fat yoghurt Any piece of fruit Piece of rye toast thinly topped with honey 5-6 olives 2x Oatcakes or Ryvitas with 20g cheese