Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas? I was in Dubai with my family for the New Year and have to ‘fess up – it was the first time EVER that I didn’t go the hotel gym on holiday – not even once! I know some of you will be reading this thinking ‘big deal’ but that’s unheard of for me. I seriously couldn’t be bothered and for once I didn’t feel guilty! Back home now and I am on a mission as I know I have been over indulging, and can feel the muffin top creeping up on me.

Considering 90 per cent of the population will be trying to lose a few pounds this month, I thought I would share a few of my favourite weight loss tips with you. If you are new to the clean eating world, aim for just one or two tips to begin, and once the clean eating becomes second nature, you can try incorporating more into your life. If you would like to learn more about these 10 tips then don’t forget to sign up for my 14 day Cook Clean and Get Lean Weight Loss Plan starting Wednesday 13th January. For more information please e-mail me.

Weight loss tips-

1. The first rule is to consume protein with every meal. Protein raises the metabolism through a process called thermogenesis. It takes more calories to digest a gram of protein, than it does to digest a gram of fat or carbohydrate. Protein plays an important part not only in building muscle, but in maintaining a strong immune system.

2. Eating regularly is a BIG secret for losing body fat. Not only does it keep your metabolism revved up, it stops insulin levels dropping too low, which can lead to random snacking. Try to eat before you get too hungry as this will prevent you from over eating and consuming double the portion size required by your body.

3. Include organic coconut oil into your daily diet. Coconut oil is easily digested and converted into sugar, great news for anyone trying to lose weight. It is rich in antioxidants, whilst being high in medium-chain fatty acids, which have been proven to lower the risk of heart disease. The body uses these fats for a fast burst of energy, and it never stores them as fat. It’s also full of anti-fungal properties, great for killing off bugs!

4. Increase your consumption of green vegetables. Where do I start?? Dark green, leafy vegetables are high in iron, vitamin K and calcium. They are important for blood purification, improved circulation and a strong immunity system. Iron is essential for the formation of haemoglobin and enzymes, cell growth and liver function. Green veg are loaded with nutrients that help boost immunity, accelerate fat loss and fight diseases due to their high levels of phytonutrients, chlorophyll, antioxidants and enzymes. All in all, a true super food!

5. Reach for some blueberries! These are high in fibre, and help you lose that hard to shift abdominal fat. The polyphenols in blueberries inhibit the formation of new fat cells and help in the process of breaking down stored fat.
6. Grab a grapefruit. Eating half a grapefruit before each meal three times a day can help you to lose three pounds over 12 weeks! They contain ‘phytochemicals’ which help to reduce insulin levels and increase the flow of digestive juices into the stomach.

7. Drink green tea. It helps to boost the metabolism and the catechins found in green tea have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and fat oxidation benefits!

8. Try to buy organic produce when you can. I know it is expensive, but with organic food being toxin free it’s going to mean your liver has to do less work in terms of removing toxins and therefore has more energy to work on burning fat. Toxins from non-organic foods get stored in your fat cells. I can’t stress enough how important it is to buy organic meat and eggs. Not only are the nutrients higher, but animal welfare is better and essential fat levels are much higher.

9. Sleep well and keep your hormones in balance. Sleep is needed to help heal your body. Physical and mental repair happens over the course of the night due to your built-in body clock (the circadian biological clock) which is connected to the sun’s rise and fall.  So, get to bed earlier because metabolism is controlled by the nervous and hormonal systems which affect the amount of cortisol (stress hormone) that we produce. Once cortisol becomes depleted, thyroid dysfunction can occur which can cause weight gain.

I hope these tips inspire you to make a few changes.  I thought that I would share this healthy, high-protein, low-fat recipe for Cod With A Moroccan Twist to help keep you on the straight and narrow!

Love Kate x