Lose the festive belly fat (without feeling hungry). Here’s how.

Many people see the festive season as ‘blow-out’ time, when they don’t have to think about their health or their waistline until after the New Year. However, the average person puts on 5 to 10 pounds between November and January!

And while there is nothing wrong with throwing caution to the wind and over-indulging once in a while, the problem lies with the fact that the sugary foods and drinks we consume over Christmas are addictive – and most people find it harder than anticipated to go back to a healthier lifestyle come January.

If weight loss or dieting are at the top of your new year resolutions, then read on.

The big question is, what changes are worth making to your diet to have the biggest impact? I’ve spent years researching what works best for both weight loss and improved health. Here’s a reminder of the ‘Holy Grail’ of the five things you should do to succeed this year:

A low GL Diet a great way to eat both for weight loss and overall health. By following a low GL diet you balance your blood sugar, preventing insulin spikes, which both make you hungry and store carbs away as fat for a rainy day that rarely comes!

Alternate day dieting. To burn fat fast I recommend that you apply my low GL diet to alternate day ‘fasting’ by having a diet with 35 GLs on ‘fast’ days and 50 GLs on the ‘feast’ days. I explain exactly how on the burn fat fast page.

The fibre factor. One of the main factors that determines whether a carbohydrate food is high or low GL is the amount and kind of fibre it contains. Soluble fibres absorb water and as a consequence make you feel fuller. The king of soluble fibres is glucomannan fibre, found in the Japanese konjac plant and has consistently been shown to help with weight loss and is in Carboslow.

Exercise. For both all-round health and fitness and also for weight burning, you need a balance between muscle-building exercise, called ‘resistance’ or strength training and ‘aerobic’ or endurance exercise. That might mean a ‘strength’ session of alternate days and a 30 minute endurance exercise, such as a jog, brisk walk, cycle or swim. There are also clear advantages in short burst high intensity exercise called ‘interval’ training which can either be built into your ‘strength’ training routine or endurance session. I’ve built this into my Burn Fat Fast programme.

Supplementary benefit. There are a number of dietary supplements that assist weight loss and help to keep insulin levels down. One of my favourites is chromium, which in a study showed those who took it ate less, felt less hungry, craved fat less and also lost more weight than those taking the placebos. My formulation Cinnachrome combines Chromium with Cinnamon. Other supplements that have been shown to support normal blood sugar and insulin regulation and to assist weight loss are HCA (an extract from tamarind) and 5-HTP (a form of tryptophan).

Go Hybrid – My books The Hybrid Diet and The 5 Day Diet explain another way to help weight loss and improve health. There are two effective ways to regain health and lose weight: a high fat, ‘ketogenic’ diet and a slow carb, ‘low GL’ diet. Switching between the two is the best of all. Variation not moderation, is the key to health. The Hybrid Diet mimics the body’s evolutionary design. We are ‘hybrid’ and can run on glucose from carbs and ketones from our body fat. Alternating between the two is the hottest health secret.

Further Support

Join the Holford Health Club one month FREE trial to get a free health check and a personal health report.

HOLFORDirect offer my books and a variety of supplements that support sustained energy release and balanced blood sugar levels like the Blood Sugar Support Saver – all in the Metabolism range.