The Lunch Box Diet: Eat all day, lose weight, feel great. Lose up to a stone in 4 weeks.. Simon Lovell
like ‘a way of life’ and ‘the best diet I’ve ever done’ (Elle magazine, January 2008). I knew that the plan worked because I used it myself and my clients were telling me it worked for them, but it was an unbelievable feeling when top-rated women’s publications were shouting it out to hundreds of thousands of people. That’s what led us to where we are now – the printed book.
‘I don’t want to be remembered for helping people to lose weight by drinking liquid diets and eating only one type of food’
I don’t want to be remembered for helping people to lose weight by drinking liquid diets and eating only one type of food, leaving them with no energy or zest for life. Instead, I want to help people to gain increased energy, improved concentration, better skin, no hunger pangs at work and improved overall health – the list goes on.
The great thing about the Lunch Box Diet is that after just a few days, you start to learn more about your body and it all happens quite naturally. If you are too strict about dieting or healthy eating, you will rebel. Of course, we all need an element of willpower to succeed but because you’re reading this I assume you’re ready to give it a go – so again, well done!
What Lies Ahead?
‘Don’t run away! If you’re not a vegetable lover, I’m going to teach you how easy it is to retrain your taste buds so that you will no longer want to hide your veggies’
So what is this Lunch Box Diet? I’ll go into depth later but as a very quick summary, the Lunch Box Diet is a fantastic, easy way of eating that lets you eat a normal breakfast and dinner and shows you how to ‘graze’ your way through the rest of the day. ‘Grazing’ means nibbling small quantities of food all day long, whenever you’re hungry. The diet is based on some very simple principles, one of which you’ve known about since you were a child: eat your veggies. Don’t run away! If you’re not a vegetable lover, I’m going to teach you how easy it is to retrain your taste buds so that you will no longer want to hide your veggies in your napkin or feed them to the dog under the table.
I’ll explain the low-down on healthy, effective, lasting weight loss. I’ll guide you through the effect metabolism has on your ability to lose weight. I’ll show you why you are far better off eating little and often than starving yourself. All those girls who starve themselves down to size ‘negative-two’ thin are asking for a heap of trouble in the future. At the very least, they’ll simply gain the weight back (usually plus some) and find it more difficult to maintain an ideal body weight. In the worst case, they may end up with a serious, life-threatening eating disorder. I don’t want that for you. I want you to be healthy and vibrant…that’s what sexy is.
Speaking of which, we’re also going to look at the emotional aspects of eating. I’ve been in the personal training business long enough to know that issues surrounding weight gain go beyond what you put in your mouth. Sometimes it’s a lot about why.
Once we’re through all of the basics, I’m going to instruct you on how to follow the diet. I can’t wait to show you all of its wonderful components and start you on the path to looking and feeling fabulous. I’ll take you through the rainbow of vegetables and tell you all about the wonderful options when choosing lean protein (which go way beyond chicken). The Lunch Box Diet is easy to use if you don’t eat meat, because you’ll learn about other types of protein and how to incorporate them into your day.
I believe that ‘sauce’ should live up to its name by being ‘saucy’. I’ll show you how breaking up with those creamy dressings and heavy cheese sauces will be just as good for you as it was to dump that dreadful ex! Healthy sauce is anything but dull. My lunch boxes are delicious and yours will be too. I’ll give you plenty of fabulous recipes to get you started.
Many diets today are based on reducing your carbohydrate intake. We’ll talk about carbs and I’ll show you why the low-carb craze is neither completely wrong nor completely right.
You’ll be eating a normal breakfast and dinner in addition to the scrumptious contents of your lunch box – but what does ‘normal’ mean? I wish I could tell you that you can eat a monstrous stack of toast with bacon for breakfast and a 12-ounce T-bone steak, butter-stuffed baked potato and half a chocolate cake for dinner and still lose weight. Of course, I could say that – but then I’d be telling you a big fat lie! Don’t worry. Conversely, I’m not going to tell you that all you can have is a carrot stick and a cup of hot water. What I will do is talk a bit about portions and provide you with some healthy ideas so we can gradually build you up to a healthier new you, forever!
Unexpected Benefits
Don’t you just love it when you get an unexpected bonus on your salary? You may have bought this book because you want to lose weight, but there’s a hidden bonus because this diet goes way beyond weight loss. I didn’t even realise how much so until I did some research. I’d simply chosen what I believed to be a healthy way of losing weight. When I looked into the food choices more deeply, I found out all sorts of things about what they can do in terms of your general health and I’m going to share that knowledge with you in chapter 8.
As well as getting a beautiful new body, your skin will improve and your hair will be healthier. Even more importantly, your heart will be healthier and you will be reducing your risk of developing disease. That’s just a little bit of what goes on with your body when you eat the way I’m going to show you.
The best news of all is that you are going to feel better than you ever have in your life. You’ll soon discover that this isn’t merely a ‘diet’ – it’s a revolutionary way of eating well that you will want to follow for life. Just give it seven days.
So, what are you waiting for? Welcome to your Lunch Box Diet.
Chapter 2 Weight Loss: the Easy Way
You’ve tried and failed and tried and failed again. I’m sure you’ve blamed yourself
I don’t want to eat flavourless foods. I don’t want to give up my favourites. I don’t want to starve myself. I don’t want to measure things or count calories or anything of the sort. And I’m sure you don’t either.
Why? Because all of that is extremely stressful, as if life weren’t stressful enough all on its own.
And guess what? All that stress could actually be making you heavier. We all react to stress differently. Since I began exercising, I tend to take out my frustrations in the gym. It wasn’t always that way, though.
I used to let the pressures in my life affect me negatively. A long day in the office then a trip to the pub after work led to a sore head in the morning, followed by cravings for stodgy foods that would slow me down yet again, causing a snowball effect that left me with the movement and motivation of a sloth. Not a nice feeling.
Mind and Body
Reducing Stress
Learn a relaxation technique. Practising relaxation isn’t difficult. All you need is five minutes in a quiet setting. Close your eyes, breathe in deeply through your nose and feel your belly fill up. Exhale through your nose feeling your belly empty. If thoughts come to mind, just let them go with the breath. Concentrate on the breath – that’s it!
Listen to music. Keep music in the car, in the kitchen, in your bedroom, in the study, at the treadmill, in your gym bag…everywhere! Choose the background music to your life. Music can relax us, it can fire us up, and it can touch