Fresh Focus: Charlie’s 5:2 Diet Plan Blog

Fresh Focus: Intermittent fasting – The flexible diet plan to suit every life style!

Welcome to week 1 of my Fresh Focus blog! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Charlie and I am part of the marketing team here at New You HQ. This year we’ve launched our new Fresh Focus Plan which is perfect when TFR might not be suitable for your lifestyle, or if you would like to structure your diet for maintenance after you’ve hit your goal! Last year I lost 2 stone and 6lbs through healthy eating and then my weight loss plateaued – I just couldn’t shift the extra weight and I was beginning to feel hopeless that I would never feel confident in my own skin. When I started working at The New You Plan I was absolutely AMAZED with the results of our Secret Slimmers and just knew that I had to give the plan a go! And to my amazement in 2 weeks I had lost 15lbs, I was so overjoyed with my result. This year I have decided that there is no more fooling around, I need to make positive changes to my health and lifestyle. 2016 is going to be MY year and I can already feel it. I’ll share a little more about me each week and about how I have broken my emotional attachment to food!

What is Fresh Focus? 

Our brand new Fresh Focus plan is a diet in which you take 4 TFR products at least 2 days a week and eat health, fresh foods on the other days. You can decide which days you would like to use as your fasting days. I have decided to follow a 5:2 approach by and this week I decided to use Monday and Thursday as my fasting days (i.e. taking my 4 TFR products), however you can do your days back-to-back if this suits you. I love how flexible our Fresh Focus plan is – if something comes up then you can simply swap the days and change them each week. I do quite a lot of travelling most days and have a busy social life so I love being able to take a Bar or a Shake with me and know that I’m getting all the nutrition I need.

I love all the products from our range, so sometimes it’s difficult to only pick 4 that I will have. Above are some of my favourite meals and I also LOVE drinking our Shakes hot, especially on frosty mornings with a little pinch of coffee. For those of you who have followed our Fast Focus plan before you may know the importance of planning your meals ahead of time, but if not here are my top tips to stay in control whether you are following Fast Focus or Fresh Focus!

My Top TFR Tips:

– Set your products out for the day ahead – I always make sure I know what I am going to be eating the night before so I can look forward to each meal
– Create a good routine – This is vital! Routine helps us stay focused, which is key to TFR
– Drink 4 litres of water – Hydration is key – drinking water throughout the day will stop hunger pangs and will ensure you stay clear headed. Measure out your water beforehand if it helps and you can always use our Water Flavourings that come in 5 delicious flavours

and here is…

My secret weapon – Start your fasting days with a Pineapple Fat Burner! These little babies are the perfect way to kick start your metabolism and keep you buzzing all day. You can even drink them hot and they are simply delish!

So now you will want to know what to do on the other 5 days, right? Simple, it’s all about eating fresh, healthy foods! I am a big foody but my biggest downfall was always portion size. I found it really hard to judge how much food I should be eating and my brain didn’t know how to say NO to bad foods or too much food. TFR has helped me understand how much food I should be eating and has helped me change the way I think about food. I no longer see food as my downfall, I now see it as fuel for my body and I am learning to understand what my body needs to be healthy.

Eating healthy is all about balance, it’s about making sure you know exactly what is going in your body and how much you should be consuming. I aim to eat around 1200 – 1500 kcals per day and am hoping for a loss of around 2lbs per week.

My Top Fast Focus Tips: 

– Portion control – I use a small bowl and a small plate, I know that I shouldn’t eat more than what is in it!
– Stay hydrated – We recommend that our slimmers should drink 2.5 – 4 litres of water per day and this is really important to keep up, even when you’re not fasting 
– Move – Going out and being active is something that I aim to do 3 -5 times a week, even if it’s just a quick run with the dog or leaving the car at home on shorter journeys 
– Attitude – One of the biggest things I have learnt, and trust me it’s taken me to know it realise, but attitude is EVERYTHING. A positive outlook is key – I have started a Mindfulness Course to help me focus on remaining positive but even just being kind to yourself will make the world of difference! 

Finally I will leave you with a two healthy recipes I tried this week, one is perfect for breakfast or lunch and the other makes a delicious dinner!

Courgette & Ham Omelette – High protein & Low in carbs! 
2 Eggs
1/4 Cup of courgette (or another vegetable of your choice)
2 Slices of smoked ham (chopped)
1 Cup of spinach
1 tbsp 0% Fat natural yogurt
Salt & Pepper
1Kcal cooking spray

1. Chop your vegetables and ham and fry these on a medium heat using 1kcal spray until the vegetables are tender.
2. Beat the eggs with the salt & pepper and add this to the pan.
3. Ensure the eggs full coat the vegetables and cook on a medium heat for 3-5 minutes.
4. You can either fold your omelette and continue to cook in the pan or you can grill the omelette to crisp up the top.
5. Serve with the natural yoghurt and the spinach (fresh or wilted).

Paprika Chicken & Quinoa Salad- Filling and nutritious! 

1 Cooked Chicken Breast
40g of Quinoa (cooked)
3 Baby tomatoes
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Lemon juice
1tsp Raw honey
Fresh Coriander
1. Chop the tomatoes and the coriander roughly and place in a bowl with the quinoa.
2. Shred or chop the chicken and add to the bowl.
3. In a small bowl mix the paprika, lemon juice and honey.
4. Add the paprika mixture to the bowl and coat everything evenly.

Next week I’ll update my weight loss and share some more recipes and tips with you! If there is anything else you’d like to know about Fast Focus or if you’ve got a recipe suggestion that I should try then leave me a comment – I’d love to try them! Also you can add me on Facebook and I’ll see you in Secret Slimmers & Momentum Maintainers!

Charlie x