This is how I do it: with know-how,
effortlessly – and totally upbeat!
Losing weight isn’t about magic. It’s about knowledge: knowing how different foods stimulate thermogenesis – the way your body sheds calories in the form of heat through your skin – and knowing about fat burners: the foods that contain vital substances that stimulate the burning of fat. And while you’re at it, remember to enjoy your “diet.” Going hungry is not an option. Nor are you allowed to starve yourself, otherwise you’ll lose muscle, reduce your metabolism, and quickly regain any lost weight. Staying upbeat is just as important because frustration only hampers lipolysis: fat reduction. If you want to lose three kilos of pure fat in ten days, you’ll need a few simple tricks to start you off and to make sure you remain in good spirits – which you will, because once you’ve shed those real fat kilos, the water kilos will soon go, too.
Enjoy Yourself!
If you’d like to know more about how your body works, lose more than three kilos, or find out more about healthy, enjoyable eating and drinking, read Die neue GLYX-Diät, published by GU-Verlag.
This is me. Nutrition expert and author. I enjoy eating – and I’ve just lost three kilos. The hat? A chef’s hat.
Recipes by Martina Kittler, nutritional expert
Holle Bartosch, sports scientist
Is it really possible to lose weight without making any real effort? Without feeling that you’re on a diet? Of course it is! With Martina Kittler’s recipes, which are fantastically fast, don’t necessarily involve cooking, and are simply delicious. With exercise tips by Holle Bartosch. And with the knowledge I’ve acquired in almost 30 years of studying the subject of healthy eating and drinking. I also benefit from my little tricks … like frothy milk with cocoa, or berry ice cream. The “slimming pills” I take are provided by Mother Nature, such as grapefruit and small radishes – or if necessary, homeopathic globules. And, of course, I always wear sneakers and think happy thoughts.
Try it out and enjoy yourself!
Here’s a short summary – before we go into the details!
1. Begin the day with a glass of water that should be on your bedside table.
2. Now spend 30 minutes burning fat, by power walking or jogging outside – or on the trampoline – followed by a few stretching exercises. If you can’t manage all this on an empty stomach, then drink your coffee or tea with a little milk first, or have a bit of pure protein: a few spoonsful of plain yoghurt or a protein shake (without carbohydrates).
3. Your choice of breakfast – carb or no-carb – will depend on whether or not you had your carbohydrate meal (pasta, bread & Co.) the previous evening. Drink coffee or tea – but without sugar. A dash of milk is OK of course, but you should always add a pinch of cinnamon!
4. Before you start your day, recharge your batteries with the energy exercise page 50.
5. If three meals just aren’t enough for you, pick one of the snacks on page 35 – or have some crudités, an egg, half a mozzarella ball, a slice of turkey breast, or a bowl of vegetable soup. It’s also OK to have an unsweetened latte macchiato.
6. Drink two to three liters of water a day. With lemon and mint (what I call a “Marionade”), ginger, or a tea bag. Coffee’s also allowed.
7. Before your main meal, have a mixed salad with the GLYX salad dressing from refrigerator, or a bowl of fat-burner soup (page 26).
8. At lunchtime, pick one of the all-you-can-eat recipes starting on page 26 and combine it with one of the side dishes. Many of the recipes are suitable for the office. You won’t have to cook. On page 36, you’ll find a list of the provisions I keep in store.
9. If you start feeling stressed, please don’t eat anything sweet! You’ll need to get rid of the stress quickly, because it will raise your blood-sugar level and hamper fat reduction, and that’s the last thing you want. If you get stressed, do the little breathing exercise on page 53. Or get onto the trampoline or run up and down the stairs in your office. If these distractions are no help, you’ll find two instant recipes on page 29 to curb your sweet cravings.
10. The best time for growing muscles is late afternoon. Simply integrate ten muscle-minutes into your day. You’ll find three clever exercises on page 45.
11. In the evenings, pick one of the instant recipes starting on page 27 and do without carbohydrates three to four times a week. On the other days, you’re allowed to eat pasta, rice & Co. as a side dish – but then don’t have any bread and sugar the next morning. You’re welcome to have a glass of wine – red or white, as long as it’s dry – but drink plenty of water with it.
12. If you need anything to eat before going to bed, make sure it’s protein. Eat a slice of turkey breast, half a mozzarella ball, a piece of smoked fish, an egg, a piece of feta cheese, or have a glass of buttermilk.
When I finally noticed the kilos that had crept up on me over the past year, I wasn’t too unhappy about it at first. After all, the first three had smoothed out a few wrinkles … and didn’t actually feel all that uncomfortable. But then suddenly, a nasty little monster decided to tighten my jeans overnight – well, let’s say during my vacation – and there they were: another three kilos, chubby and sluggish right on my hips. And I couldn’t fasten the zipper any more.
My jeans were brand new Replays. Not cheap, either. Now, my patience with the little rolls of fat that had slowly and quietly settled on my hips suddenly melted away like ice cream on the tongue. I began to feel slightly panicky, for just the day before, I’d read in the paper: “Latest studies reveal that vacation pounds stick around for two years.”
For those of you who don’t know me: I studied ecotrophology (nutritional and domestic science) at the Technical University in Weihenstephan, in Bavaria, Germany. For almost 30 years now, I’ve been studying the subject of healthy eating and drinking. I also write about it. My GLYX (low-glycemic) diet, fat burners, or magic cabbage soup are well known in Germany. There was a time in my life when I was fat, but that was a long time ago. Thirty years ago. As an adult I was able to eat whatever I wanted and suddenly my hormones and metabolism came up with something new. I even know why . But I’ll tell you about that in my next book. This one is all about shedding pounds. Right now. Because right now we’re going to deal with that study about vacation pounds that won't go away. That’s why I came up with this clever instant diet – which will also make short work of any Christmas pounds!
The annoying thing is that as an expert, I know the fat won’t disappear just by snapping my fingers. The good thing is that by following my own diet, I don’t have to wonder about whether or not it’s good for me, which means I avoid the kind of worry that hinders the fat-burning process. I know how things work. And I want to get rid of those three kilos – without starving myself or getting stressed. I’m talking about real kilos, by the way. I’m talking about fat. I don’t want to lose precious muscle or mistake water for fat. Three kilos of pure fat will have to go – and go for good. The only thing is: I really don’t have time for dieting right now. It has to work without too much effort. And work it does …
Let’s See What Happened
After one week, I’d lost 2.5 kilos.