We must put ourselves through it every year after the festive season. Christmas ends, and we welcome the New Year in (usually by getting drunk and wearing something that resembles a glitter ball), then, as we tidy away all our Christmas presents, it dawns on us; we can no longer fit in our skinny jeans, and the two empty boxes of Celebrations and bin full of wrappers confirms why.
So what do we do now?
We want to look like this:
But instead we look/feel like this:
We curse all those people who were lucky enough to have some kind of flu over the Christmas period and therefore did not eat a third helping of turkey and Yorkshire pudding (followed by a full selection box). We then promise ourselves we will make use of our gym membership this year and scour the internet for the latest fad diet.
I am no different, and after hearing the horror stories from people on the cabbage soup diet, I decide on the Cereal Diet. That means breakfast and lunch for the next 12 days, at 241 calories a bowl, will be my favourite cereal: Shreddies.
Day 1
At 5 foot 2 inches, I am a healthy weight and fluctuate between 8 and a half stone and just under 9 stone. But like everyone, I over indulged at Christmas and now feel huge.
So day 1, I weigh myself, coming in at 8 stone 8 pounds, and go downstairs for my first bowl of Shreddies. The whole point of going on any of these Special K or cereal diets is an increase in fibre within your system which will then speed up your metabolism. It’s simple science really and I want to see if it works.
Breakfast and lunch pass quite easily but dinner becomes a challenge as I am meeting the girls at Nando’s. I order chicken on the bone, thinking it must be healthier than eating anything with bread, and sacrifice my usual two sides for just one. (I did consider ordering a salad but after all the rubbish I’ve eaten over Christmas, I fear my body may reject anything too healthy!)
Day 2
I’m still quite happily munching away on my Shreddies although by the time it gets to dinner I am actually starving and wolf down my jacket potato.
I also found out my Body Mass Index. If you watch any programs such as The Biggest Loser or Supersize vs Superskinny they constantly refer to this. Body Mass Index is the calculation of fat on the human body. A healthy body mass index is between 20 to 25% and anything over 30% is considered obese. Click on the link below to find out your Body Mass Index by entering your height and weight.
http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/
Day 3
My tummy is starting to feel flatter, and after Shreddies for breakfast and lunch, I head to the gym. By doing just twenty minutes on the cross trainer I burn 300 calories. However, as I dismount I feel slightly lightheaded. I’ve only had an intake of 482 calories so have probably burnt them all throughout the day and after my ‘gym sesh’ I am probably running on empty.
Day 4
A difficult day for me. I work in a coffee shop which means I am constantly around cakes and other delicious sweet things which make me want to cry now I know I can’t eat them! Serious temptation ensues but I resist. It’s my friends 21st in the evening so I head round to hers to find a full buffet in the kitchen. I try to be good but end up eating a full bowl of cheese and onion crisps and lots of mini chicken nuggets. I’m finding that one of the hardest things about this diet is by eating so little through the day; I pig out of an evening as I’m just so hungry. I slap my wrist and promise myself I will be good tomorrow.
Day 5
Shreddies are no longer my favourite cereal!
Day 6
I reach half way through the diet and am beginning to get into the swing of things. I now weigh 8 stone 7 and have therefore lost a pound. Going to the gym after work also becomes part of my routine again and I’m feeling much healthier.
Day 7
Today I am low on funds and do not get paid from my part time job until tomorrow. There are perks to being a student, but being skint isn’t one of them. Because of this and the low amount of fuel in my tank I can’t go to the gym. However, out of pure commitment, I do a 30 minute workout in my bedroom, incorporating sit ups, leg raises and squats for which I do not need any equipment. This also means anyone could do a workout in their own home without spending a penny!
Day 8
My tummy feels a lot more toned after working out this past week and I no longer fear returning to uni to find my course mates wondering if someone has eaten me. A legs, bums and tums class at the gym also makes me feel even better. Gym classes are often very good ways to lose weight or tone up; we are much more likely to do that extra press up when a gym instructor is telling us we have to. There’s also a certain aspect to classes where the panting and sweating forms a unity among the twenty women in the room trying to do a thirty second plank without collapsing. An hour passes by very quickly too!
Day 9
Very frustrating as I weigh myself today and find I am once again 8 stone 8, looks like I found that pound I lost! Shreddies for breakfast, but I have a hand- in at university during the day and whilst meeting up with my uni friends (who I haven’t seen for 6 weeks), I may have accidently slipped and eaten a Terrace speciality; the BLT bagel. Whoops!
Day 10
I continue the diet although I am now losing all enthusiasm and find myself accidently dribbling when I get offered a Hob Nob with my cup of tea.
Day 11
I tried a new class at the gym today; Spin! It’s like a class on exercise bikes but the pedals move really quickly. So sweaty but so good! I am definitely going to make it part of my weekly routine. I could literally feel the weight dripping off of me as I pedalled at 90 mph to Lady Gaga’s ‘Edge of Glory.’
Day 12
Hurrah, the final day! Weigh- in shows that I am still 8 stone 8 pounds and have therefore officially lost nothing! I realize that I could have tried to make my evening meals a bit healthier but ‘que sera sera , whatever will be, will be.’ The diet may not have worked but my tummy does feel flatter and a lot more toned.
Remember, women only need a daily intake of between 1800 to 2200 calories, although it varies from person to person. So I did actually find that at lunch I wasn’t always hungry and was simply eating for the sake of it especially if breakfast had only been eaten around three hours before.
Overall there were two main things I learnt from this diet:
1. It’s a cliché but exercise really is the best way to feel fitter and healthier. By fitting it in whenever you have the time, you’re much more likely to end up with that bikini body you want for the summer.
2. I will never eat Shreddies again!