Snack & slim: Lose up to 14lbs eating treats!

Hands up who thinks nuts are off the menu when you slim? But what if we told you that adding them to your diet could actually power up your weight loss? Here’s why, and how you can use them to lose up a stone this month...

Studies have shown that people who eat a serving of nuts while they slim lose nearly twice as much weight as other folk.

This might surprise you as nuts are pretty high in calories, but they are also high in fibre, fill you up and, because our body finds them a bit tough to digest, we actually don’t absorb all the calories they contain. This combination helps power up your weight loss.

Our plan helps make this boost work for you. It sees you eating one meal with a serving of nuts every day – and a nutty-based snack.

For the plan to work though you do have to watch your portions – so remember a portion of nuts is 20g. That might not look like much so you can make them go further by chopping or crushing them – or, if you’re choosing a pure nut snack, pick pistachios as having to remove the shells slows down how fast you eat them, helping you feel satisfied with less.

Remember, as with any diet to get the best results you should stick to low- or no-calorie drinks and power things up with at least 30 minutes of walking or other exercise daily.

HOW IT WORKS

MONDAY

Breakfast: 150g no-fat Greek yogurt with 1 piece of chopped fruit, 20g chopped almonds or any other nut.

Lunch: 400g can or half a carton of any flavour of soup served with 3 oatcakes and green salad.

Dinner: 100g pan-fried steak with rocket, green beans and grilled courgette and red peppers.

TUESDAY

Breakfast: 2 Weetabix or 40g of any other breakfast cereal with 125ml skimmed milk and 2-3 handfuls of berries.

Lunch: 40g low-fat Blue cheese, 20g walnuts, celery sticks and 1 apple or pear. Dinner: 3 fishfingers or one piece of fish, grilled and served with 150g new potatoes and a portion of broccoli.

WEDNESDAY

Breakfast: 3 oatcakes topped with mashed banana. 125ml pot of low-fat fruit yogurt.

Lunch: Any 350-calorie sandwich served with crudites, celery sticks, carrot sticks and cherry tomatoes.

Dinner: 25g (dry weight) pasta topped with a sauce of 200g tinned tomatoes, onions and aubergines. Add 20g nuts on top.

THURSDAY

Breakfast: 2 pieces of toast topped with 1tbsp each of peanut butter. Any piece of fruit.

Lunch: 100g of ham or prawns with 3tbsp of low-fat coleslaw and green salad.

Dinner: 125g salmon steak, or any other oily fish, grilled served with 25g (dry weight) brown rice and spinach.

FRIDAY

Breakfast: 1 piece of toast topped with 200g baked beans.

Lunch: Salad of chopped celery, tomato and green pepper with 60g low-fat feta or 150g low-fat cottage cheese with 20g walnuts.

Dinner: 125g chicken breast with peri-peri sauce.

25g (dry weight) brown rice and lots of grilled peppers.

SATURDAY

Breakfast: 1 egg poached or boiled, sliced tomatoes or mushrooms, 1 slice of granary toast.

Lunch: Salad of rocket, courgette and red onion. 50g chorizo (pan-fried) and 100g canned kidney beans.

Dinner: 100g chicken stir-fried with red pepper, mushrooms and beansprouts with 20g cashews.

SUNDAY

Breakfast: 40g porridge oats, or other breakfast cereal with 125ml skimmed milk, 1 chopped apple, and 20g nuts.

Lunch: 100g roast lamb or beef with unlimited vegetables and a little gravy.

Dinner: 120g canned sardines in tomato sauce on 2 pieces of toast. Serve with spinach or green salad.

SNACKS

Choose one each day

1/ 2 an apple topped with 1 tsp nut butter

125g low-fat yogurt with 2-3 chopped almonds

1x oatcake with 1tsp peanut butter 20g Any nut

1x piece of fruit with 3-4 walnut halves