Part 1 (1/2)
The Biggest Loser Cookbook.
Hamlyn Hamlyn.
Foreword.
Faith Toogood, Biggest Loser diet.i.tian.
Congratulations! Whether you are in the middle of a weight-loss programme or just starting out, you are on track to make a real difference to your life.
Previous winners of the Biggest Loser TV series all talk about how much they hated being seen as a 'big girl' or 'big guy'. They may have disguised it with humour, but other people's negative att.i.tudes hurt. One of the best things about getting down to a healthy weight is that people will see you as yourself, not as 'the fat person' - and that feels special.
The Biggest Loser Weight-Loss Programme is so successful because it is easy to follow and the foods you can choose are delicious and filling. Biggest Losers keep the weight off because they learn how to eat healthily - and exercise - for life. This is not a 'diet' and it is not about denying yourself your favourite foods. This is about making good choices, enjoying food and learning to cook healthy meals without compromising on flavour.
This cookbook has more than a hundred recipes that taste so good you'll never believe they're low calorie, and they're all so simple to make. There are healthy versions of family favourites, such as Steak with herby, healthy chips, and there are some exotic dishes, such as Spicy North African prawns with rice and Moroccan lamb ca.s.serole with apricots. There are desserts, healthy snacks and also a treats allowance so you can still have that gla.s.s of wine or chocolate bar.
There's no counting of calories - we've done it all for you. You can follow a two-week plan with a generous calorie allowance so you don't go hungry, or you can use the recipes to add a bit of spice to your menus if you are already following the Biggest Loser programme online or using one of the previous books.
You won't have to eat healthily for long before you start to feel amazing. You'll soon find you have more energy as the pounds start to drop off and the compliments start flooding in. Your digestion will work more efficiently, your clothes will fit better, and you should feel very proud of your achievement when you weigh yourself each week. We're proud of you!
Set yourself a clear goal at the beginning of your weight-loss journey, or if you have already started, reset your goals if you have lost sight of them. Focus and allow yourself to move forwards.
Enjoy the recipes in this book - and enjoy the new slim you that is about to be revealed!
INTRODUCTION.
Introduction.
It is possible to be overweight because you eat too much healthy food - but in our experience fat people are fat because they eat too much junk. What do we mean by junk? They are foods that are not only high in calories and fat, but also provide few (if any) of the proteins, vitamins and minerals we need for good health.
The first step on any weight-loss programme is to cut right back on these 'empty' calories. That means limiting your intake of: sugar.
sweets and chocolate.
cakes and biscuits.
pastries and pies crisps deep-fried foods.
oily takeaways, such as pizza, fish and chips, burgers and curries ice cream.
desserts with whipped cream and custard alcohol.
Does that sound like your staple diet? If so, you've got some BIG changes to make.
The most important rule on the Biggest Loser Weight-Loss Plan is to eat fresh, healthy foods, and learn how to prepare them yourself.
That way, you can avoid all the fattening additives that are routinely added to shop-bought products. It may take a little time to cook for yourself but the benefits to your health will be enormous. Besides, it's almost always cheaper to make your own food, and if you cook meals for a partner or family you'll be boosting their health as well.
Think you can't cook? You haven't tried our Biggest Loser recipes. They're straightforward and foolproof, with no fancy equipment or mysterious chefs' techniques. If you can boil a kettle and make a cup of coffee, we guarantee you'll manage these recipes just fine.
Now we're not saying that you should sprout wings and become a saint in order to lose weight. If you denied yourself all your favourite foods, your halo would slip before long. That's why we give you a daily 'treats' allowance, so that you can still have a pint with your mates, or a couple of squares of chocolate while watching the TV. What's more, you'll be able to choose your own treats, so long as they fall within your daily allowance (see here for more on this).
There's a two-week menu plan here to get you started, but once you understand the way the Biggest Loser Weight-loss Programme works, you can mix and match the recipes in this book to suit yourself. We want you to get used to eating healthily for life, not just for two weeks - so that you keep your brand new figure and enjoy the new you!
INTRODUCTION.
Our Top 10 Biggest Loser Guidelines.
1 Buy food in as natural a state as you can - fresh fruit and vegetables rather than canned; raw chicken, fish and lean meat, rather than pre-cooked in a sauce. That way, when you cook meals yourself, you'll know exactly what's gone into them.
2 Choose low-fat options whenever there's a choice: skimmed milk, low-fat spread for bread, light mayonnaise, 0% fat yogurt and low-fat creme fraiche. Remove the skin from chicken and cut visible fat off meat before cooking. It makes a huge difference to the calorie content of a meal.
3 Buy a set of scales and measures, and stick to the quant.i.ties given in recipes. It's easy to be over-generous, particularly with the more fattening ingredients, such as cheese and oil, but you will have to be strict if you want to see results on the scales.
4 Buy non-stick pans so you can use minimum quant.i.ties of oil for cooking. Just 1 tablespoon of cooking oil has 120 calories while 1 teaspoon has only 40 - but a 'glug' can have several hundred.
5 Don't be tempted to skip meals. Your blood sugar levels will drop, causing cravings for sweet, stodgy foods that can be hard to resist. And if you keep starving yourself, you could find your metabolism slows down so it gets harder to burn off calories.
6 Remove temptation from your kitchen. If you don't have cakes and biscuits in the cupboard or ice cream in the freezer, you're less likely to succ.u.mb to late-night munchies.
7 Don't cut whole food groups, such as carbs, or you'll make yourself unhealthy in the long run. Try to include some fruit and vegetables, protein, carb and a little fat in every meal.