Lose 5lb in 7 days
Lose weight with Angela Dowden’s easy diet plan Say goodbye to any excess weight fast with our simple menu
Why it works
A 48-hour kickstart that combines low carb and 5:2 diet principles helps maximize weight loss. The following five days of light eating allows you to continue losing weight sensibly.
How to do it
Follow the two-day kick start, then pick your meals from the mix-and-match menu for the next five days.
Keep it going
Continue eating healthy foods that satisfy but don’t overfill you. Base meals around fruit, veg and whole grains, with some protein at every meal, too (meat, fish, nuts, pulses or dairy).
Days 1& 2 Your 48 hour kickstart
Try to stick to the menu exactly, but you can snack on berries or crunchy veg, such as cucumber or celery.
Day 1 Breakfast
Two medium poached eggs served on two grilled large flat mushrooms.
Lunch
Salad made from 125g drained canned tuna (in spring water), 15g black olives, 50g shredded little gem lettuce, 7 cherry tomatoes, 50g blanched French beans and 1tsp olive oil.
Dinner
125g courgette ‘spaghetti’ topped with bolognese sauce: 100g 2%-fat turkey mince stir-fried in 1tsp oil and a 125g jar of bolognese sauce.
Day 2 Breakfast
2 grilled chicken sausages and one halved large tomato, grilled.
Lunch
Salad made with 75g mild soft goat’s cheese, spooned over a big handful of watercress, rocket and mint leaves.
Dinner
120g jumbo prawns and a 140g (raw weight) steamed cod fillet served with half a can of ratatouille.
angela recommends: Whole grains aren’t just more filling – they are high in fatigue-fighting iron, too
Days 3-7
(1,200 calories a day) Choose one breakfast, lunch and dinner daily from the lists below. Also add 300ml semiskimmed milk a day (which you can use in cups of tea and coffee), but no other calorie-containing drinks.
Breakfasts
(approx 250 calories) Two shredded wheat with semi-skimmed milk and a small chopped apple. 1 boiled egg with soldiers made from a slice of wholemeal toast spread with a tiny scrape of butter and Marmite, one kiwifruit. Half a tin of lower-sugar baked beans on a slice of wholemeal toast. One mashed banana served with one crumbled Weetabix biscuit and 100g 0% fat Greek yogurt. Porridge made with 40g oats and 140ml semi-skimmed milk. Top with a handful of blueberries
Lunches
(approx 350 calories)
Mix 150g leftover cooked pasta with 2tsp pesto, some crunchy red pepper strips, 1tbsp pine nuts and 1tbsp grated Parmesan.
One medium baked potato (175g before cooking) with 100g tuna in spring water, 1tbsp reduced-fat mayonnaise and a handful of watercress.
100g shop-bought tzatziki with one wholemeal pitta bread and vegetable crudités, an apple. Small tin sardines on one slice of wholemeal toast with a big handful of bagged green salad leaves.
Dinners
(Approx 500 calories) 1 baked salmon fillet served with 175g new potatoes in their skins, steamed spinach and one red pepper chopped and stir-fried in 1tsp olive oil.
150g raw prawns, sautéed in 2tsp olive oil with a big handful of broccoli florets and one minced garlic clove until the prawns are pink and the broccoli is tender. Serve with nutty rice made by adding 2tbsp chopped fresh parsley and 1tbsp chopped almonds to half a pouch of brown microwave rice.
Roast 200g parboiled butternut squash cubes in 2tsp olive oil with some vine tomatoes. Serve with a grilled lamb loin chop, fat removed.
Stir-fry 125g Quorn pieces with 160g (half a packet) stir-fry veg in 1dsp of olive oil. Meanwhile, soak a nest of dried wholemeal noodles according to the packet then drain and mix with the Quorn and veg, adding a little reduced-salt soy sauce to taste.
angela recommends: try to vary your Day 3-7 choices as much as possible to maximise your nutritional value