Drop a jeans size in seven days How do Heidi Klum and Jennifer Aniston stay slim, beautiful AND retain a healthy glow? Apparen...
Drop a jeans size in seven days
Apparently these body beautiful celebrities swear by The Lemon Diet, one of the simplest and most effective diets out there!
Lemon can have staggering effects on weight loss, so if you want to increase your vitality, eliminate toxins, get
Here's our 7-day plan from nutritionist Dr Andre, with complete Lemon diet menus, recipes and daily targets.
All it takes is seven days on the lemon diet to cleanse your body, recharge your batteries and drop a jeans size!
Fancy trying The Lemon Diet - here's how.
The benefits of detox
- For weight loss, take a detox day to purify your system
Before you start your diet for real, you need to rid your body of the toxins that are hampering it and kick-start your digestive system.
This doesn't mean fasting!
Starving yourself puts your body into a state of deprivation, which, instead of cleaning you out, actually makes your body produce more waste.
So have a whole day eating lots of natural, foods which will aid the detox process, along with water to help the draining process and eliminate toxins.
Boost the cleansing process by drinking glasses of lemonade at room temperature throughout the day.
No tea, no coffee and no alcohol!
How to make Lemon Diet Lemonade
1-1½ Lemons - squeezed (2tbsp of lemon juice)
300ml filtered water
2 tsp Quality organic maple syrup (or cinnamon stick if preferred)
Pinch of Cayenne pepper.
To make your lemonade, mix 2tbsp freshly-squeezed lemon juice, 300ml filtered water and either 2 tsp quality (Grade B) organic maple syrup or a stick of cinnamon and a pinch of Cayenne pepper.
You can also drink herbal or fruit tea and home-made vegetable soup.
Home-made detox vegetable soup
1 carrot chopped
1 stick celery chopped
½ onion chopped
4 radishes
1 handful sugarsnap peas
½ fennel chopped
Chop up all your veg into small pieces. Add the carrots, celery and onion to a medium pan of boiling water. After 5 minutes add the radishes, peas and fennel.
Turn the heat down and simmer for 10-15minutes and serve.
At the end of your detox day, you'll feel light and energetic, and you'll have lost 500g to 1kg (depending on your weight and body shape).
Detox Sunday menu
- 24 hour detox programme
Wake-up drink (7:30)
Glass of lemonade
Breakfast (30 minutes after you get up)
Fruit salad (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and cherries)
An apple, a pear, an organic yoghurt and a handful of unsalted, ungrilled almonds
Morning snack
A glass of lemonade.
A banana.
A handful of sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
Lunch
Bean or lentil salad with lemon, vinegar and extra virgin olive oil dressing.
Afternoon snack
Glass of lemonade.
A helping of crudites (cucumber, radishes and celery) OR a handful of dried fruit.
Dinner
Grilled fish with lemon juice.
Steamed veg.
1 hour before bedtime
Glass of lukewarm or hot lemonade.
Monday: kick-start your digestive system
- Lemonade diet
Monday's target is to drink loads of lemonade, from the minute you get up to just before bed.
Why: Like water, lemon is excellent at kick-starting your digestive system, helping bowel movements along and eliminating toxins.
It's also a natural appetite suppressant.
How: As soon as you get up, have a glass of freshly-squeezed lemon juice and filtered hot water. For the rest of the day, focus on hydration!
Carry a bottle of water around with you if it helps, with your 6-8 big glasses' water in. Try and drink outside of mealtimes to help suppress your appetite.
Monday's menu
- Lemonade diet plan menu
Wake-up drink
Lemon juice and hot water.
Breakfast
Bowl of fruit salad, yoghurt and 2tbsp oats.
300ml organic or soy milk.
Snack
8 unsalted almonds.
Glass of fresh fruit juice diluted with water.
Lunch
Home-made or organic vegetable soup.
Brown bread grated cheese and spread sandwich.
Snack
2 oatcakes.
A few cherry tomatoes and a spoonful of cottage cheese.
Dinner
Grilled fish, chicken or tofu with lemon and olice oil sauce (3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice and half a clove of garlic).
Green leafy vegetables sautéd in a wok with 1tsp sesame seeds.
Cooked peaches and cinnamon.
Lemon juice and hot water.
TUESDAY
Tuesday's target: burn fat
- Eat Vitamin C to burn fat
Today, use the fat-burning power of Vitamin C to your advantage.
Why: Vitamin C is one of the most effective nutrients for fat burning and weight loss.
We mainly find it in fruit and veg, which just so happen to be the best low-calorie, high-fibre slimming allies out there...
How: Along with your morning lemon drink, get at least five portions of fruit and veg throughout the day.
To reach your target, mix fruit with cereal, use frozen or preserved fruit and veg, and snack on dried fruit and raw crudités if you're hungry.
Tuesday's menu
Wake-up drink
Hot water and lemon juice.
Breakfast
1 poached egg.
2 slices of wholemeal toast with a thin spread of butter and 1 grilled tomato.
1 apple.
300ml soy or organic milk.
Snack
2 fresh or dried apricots.
A few unsalted peanuts.
Blended lemon, apple and watercress juice.
Lunch
3 tbsp each of butter beans, chickpeas and kidney beans mixed with tomatoes and green pepper with lemon juice dressing.
1 wholemeal roll.
1 big plate of green salad with chives.
1 kiwi fruit.
Snack
1 oatcake, cottage cheese and strawberries.
Dinner
Vegetable stew (tomatoes, chickpeas, spinach, potatoes, raisins and whole grain rice).
Grilled banana with 2 squares of melted dark chocolate.
WEDNESDAY
Wednesday's target: regulate your blood sugar
- Control blood sugar
Wednedsay's target is to regulate your blood sugar levels.
Why: Because it's one of the best ways of losing weight!
If you have excessively low or excessively high blood sugar, you're more likely to comfort eat and you'll store the sugar you eat as fat.
How: First of all, drizzle your meals with 1-2 tbsp lemon juice, or mix lemon juice and zest into your cooking.
Like vinegar, lemon helps break sugar down gradually into the bloodstream.
To get your blood sugar under control:
Eat protein at every meal (protein delays the breakdown of carbs and fat).
Eat at regular intervals.
Don't skip breakfast.
Opt for low-GI foods whenever you can (rice, wholemeal bread and pulses) as well as high-fibre foods (fruit, veg and all things whole grain).
Wednesday's menu
Wake-up drink
Hot water and lemon juice.
Breakfast
Raspberries and strawberries mixed with 2 tsp oats and 300ml milk.
Nectarine.
Snack
Fruit salad with lemon juice.
300ml organic or soy milk.
Lunch
Hot dried bean salad (kidney, lima or any dried beans).
Wholemeal roll with a thin spread of butter.
Natural yoghurt.
Snack
1 tsp sunflower seeds.
Small bunch of grapes.
Dinner
Salmon fillet with lemon juice, baked in the oven with a large mix of steamed vegetables
Small scoop of chocolate ice cream with chopped nuts.
THURSDAY
Thursday's target: less sugar, more carbs |
Why: Sugar stimulates insulin production and increases your appetite for calorific foods like chocolate, biscuits and sweets.
It also encourages fat storage and makes the liver work harder, which disrupts the digestive process.
How: If you have to have a sugar hit, don't just binge on cake: opt for low GI carbs instead, such as a slice of wholemeal bread, rice cakes or oat biscuits.
Remember that processed food has the same effect as sugar on the body, so avoid it like the plague.
Fruit is also high in sugar, so eat a few walnuts, almonds or seeds with your fruit to minimize the effects. And sweeteners tend to make you crave sugar, so go for maple syrup or honey instead: they may contain more calories, but they're healthier.
Thursday's menu
Wake-up drink
Hot water and lemon juice.
Breakfast
Banana milkshake (blend 300ml organic or soy milk,1 natural yoghurt, 2 small bananas and 1tsp raisins)
2 slices of wholemeal toast with a thin spread of butter .
Snack
Seeds and dried fruit.
Lunch
Jacket potato and a small tin of beans.
Large salad with a pinch of grated cheese.
A pear or peach.
Snack
Vegetable dips with home-made hoummous (chickpeas, lemon, sesame pasta and garlic).
Dinner
Stuffed pepper: mix 4 tbsp wholegrain basmati rice, 2 tsp pine nuts, chopped chives, cherry tomatoes and 60g feta together. Chop a pepper in half, fill and serve with a large portion of steamed veg.
Baked apple sprinkled with cinammon and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Friday's target: eat good fat
- Dieting and fat: choose good fat
Today, make sure you don't neglect your fat requirements.
Why: Fat may be high in calories (1g fat contains 9 kcal), but it's essential for the body. For proof, we should get 25% of our daily calories from fat!
A very low-fat diet can cause mood swings, bad skin, joint pain and - yes - weight gain.
If you eat good fat, though, you'll actually lose weight because healthy fat slows down the passage of sugar in the blood.
How: Ideally, 20-25% of our diet should be made up of good fat, i.e. essential fatty acids (nuts, seeds, oily fish, rapeseed oil and walnut oil) and monounsaturated fat (extra virgin olive oil).
Reduce your intake of less healthy types of fat (found in dairy produce, butter and meat) to a minimum.
Eat oily fish at least twice a week, and have a few nuts and seeds (almonds, walnuts, sunflower, pumpkin and flax seeds) with every snack.
Today, make sure you don't neglect your fat requirements.
Why: Fat may be high in calories (1g fat contains 9 kcal), but it's essential for the body. For proof, we should get 25% of our daily calories from fat!
A very low-fat diet can cause mood swings, bad skin, joint pain and - yes - weight gain.
If you eat good fat, though, you'll actually lose weight because healthy fat slows down the passage of sugar in the blood.
How: Ideally, 20-25% of our diet should be made up of good fat, i.e. essential fatty acids (nuts, seeds, oily fish, rapeseed oil and walnut oil) and monounsaturated fat (extra virgin olive oil).
Reduce your intake of less healthy types of fat (found in dairy produce, butter and meat) to a minimum.
Eat oily fish at least twice a week, and have a few nuts and seeds (almonds, walnuts, sunflower, pumpkin and flax seeds) with every snack.
Friday's menu
- Diet plan menu
Wake-up drink
Hot water and lemon juice.
Breakfast
A hard-boiled egg and a sliced tomato on a slice of rye bread.
Half a dozen raspberries.
Snack
A handful of nuts.
300ml soy milk.
Lunch
Cucumber and salmon on toast.
A yoghurt.
Snack
A peach.
A handful of grape seeds.
A handful of sunflower seeds.
Dinner
Tuna and sweetcorn pasta: mix 6 tbsp cooked whole wheat pasta, half a tin of tuna in brine, 2 tbsp sweetcorn and a handful of chopped brocolli or small tin of tomatos. Serve hot, with steamed veg and lemon juice.
Fruit purée and dried fruit.
Wake-up drink
Hot water and lemon juice.
Breakfast
A hard-boiled egg and a sliced tomato on a slice of rye bread.
Half a dozen raspberries.
Snack
A handful of nuts.
300ml soy milk.
Lunch
Cucumber and salmon on toast.
A yoghurt.
Snack
A peach.
A handful of grape seeds.
A handful of sunflower seeds.
Dinner
Tuna and sweetcorn pasta: mix 6 tbsp cooked whole wheat pasta, half a tin of tuna in brine, 2 tbsp sweetcorn and a handful of chopped brocolli or small tin of tomatos. Serve hot, with steamed veg and lemon juice.
Fruit purée and dried fruit.
SATURDAY
Saturday's target: eat natural foods
Today, go wholemeal and whole grain.
Why: Whole grains, whole wheat and wholemeal foods are packed with nutrients that are essential for health and weight loss: fibre, vitamins and minerals.
They don't contain any hidden sugars or artificial substances that hinder digestion, overload your liver and stop your body from burning fat.
How: Cut out all refined, processed food in any form. Eat only whole grain or wholewheat pasta, rice, bread and cereals.
Make your own juice, soup and purée using fresh produce, and eat organic if you can (organic produce contains very little, if any, chemical substances).
Why: Whole grains, whole wheat and wholemeal foods are packed with nutrients that are essential for health and weight loss: fibre, vitamins and minerals.
They don't contain any hidden sugars or artificial substances that hinder digestion, overload your liver and stop your body from burning fat.
How: Cut out all refined, processed food in any form. Eat only whole grain or wholewheat pasta, rice, bread and cereals.
Make your own juice, soup and purée using fresh produce, and eat organic if you can (organic produce contains very little, if any, chemical substances).
Saturday's menu
Wake-up drink
Hot water with lemon juice.
Breakfast
A bowl of fresh fruit salad.
A natural yoghurt with 2tbsp oats.
300ml organic or soy milk.
Snack
A nectarine.
A handful of mixed nuts and seeds.
Lunch
A small avocado with prawns.
Salad with lemon juice, olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing.
An apple.
Snack
A slice of wholemeal toast sprinkled with grated cheese.
Dinner
Omelette made with 2 eggs, chopped mushrooms, 3 tbsp grated cheese and spray oil. Steamed vegetables.
A small banana.
A few strawberries.
Hot water with lemon juice.
Breakfast
A bowl of fresh fruit salad.
A natural yoghurt with 2tbsp oats.
300ml organic or soy milk.
Snack
A nectarine.
A handful of mixed nuts and seeds.
Lunch
A small avocado with prawns.
Salad with lemon juice, olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing.
An apple.
Snack
A slice of wholemeal toast sprinkled with grated cheese.
Dinner
Omelette made with 2 eggs, chopped mushrooms, 3 tbsp grated cheese and spray oil. Steamed vegetables.
A small banana.
A few strawberries.
SUNDAY
Sunday's target: be good to your digestive system
- Diet and digestion: look after your digestive system
On the final day of your diet, concentrate on helping your digestive system.
Why? Bad digestion deprives the body of essential nutrients it needs for metabolism and weight loss.
How? First of all, chew each mouthful slowly, coating your food in saliva to start the digestion process off well.
Eat in moderation, at regular times, taking your time, and watch what you eat when you're over-tired (mentally or physically).
Have a break before pudding, don't eat in front of the TV and don't carry on troughing during lengthy conversations after dinner - leave the table.
And make sure you get regular exercise to improve your digestion and keep you regular!
On the final day of your diet, concentrate on helping your digestive system.
Why? Bad digestion deprives the body of essential nutrients it needs for metabolism and weight loss.
How? First of all, chew each mouthful slowly, coating your food in saliva to start the digestion process off well.
Eat in moderation, at regular times, taking your time, and watch what you eat when you're over-tired (mentally or physically).
Have a break before pudding, don't eat in front of the TV and don't carry on troughing during lengthy conversations after dinner - leave the table.
And make sure you get regular exercise to improve your digestion and keep you regular!
Sunday's menu
Wake-up drink
Hot water and lemon juice
Breakfast
Whole wheat cereal with fresh fruit, seeds and organic milk
Glass of fresh apple juice diluted with water
Snack
Small pot of guacamole with carrot sticks
300ml organic or soy milk
Lunch
Vegetarian pizza: cut a loaf of wholemeal bread into slices 10cm long. Top with tomato sauce, chopped mushrooms and green pepper, 1 tbsp sweetcorn and a small chunk of mozzarella, cut into slices. Bake and serve.
Snack
Fruit salad sprinkled with sunflower seeds
Dinner
Risotto (chicken breast, rice, grated cheese, lemon juice, stock and tomato purée)
Fruits of the forest salad
Hot water and lemon juice
Breakfast
Whole wheat cereal with fresh fruit, seeds and organic milk
Glass of fresh apple juice diluted with water
Snack
Small pot of guacamole with carrot sticks
300ml organic or soy milk
Lunch
Vegetarian pizza: cut a loaf of wholemeal bread into slices 10cm long. Top with tomato sauce, chopped mushrooms and green pepper, 1 tbsp sweetcorn and a small chunk of mozzarella, cut into slices. Bake and serve.
Snack
Fruit salad sprinkled with sunflower seeds
Dinner
Risotto (chicken breast, rice, grated cheese, lemon juice, stock and tomato purée)
Fruits of the forest salad
