After being ill I researched some diets to find one which gave me more energy during the day. I was pretty wiped out and couldn’t exercise. Daytime lethargy was bringing me down so I wanted to be so careful with what I ate.

After two months on my diet I felt great and had lost 30 pounds which was not my intention. It’s a combination of many other diets and my own learnings. If you’re obese this probably isn’t for you but otherwise it’s got to be worth a try. You’re even allowed treats.

It works, everyone who’s tried it benefits from it. There’s just one thing, stick to it, the people who gave up on it didn’t lose any weight. Wonder why?

Here’s my simple diet

In the morning only eat fruit and drink fruit juice or black tea or coffee.
Then have two meals during the day. Each meal can be one of a food type such as a jacket potato, chicken breast, steak, portion of rice, some grilled fish, lots of cold meat. Anything just as long as it’s simple and plain. So no sauces over the chicken, no egg through the rice, no cheese on the potato. And serve each of those meals with a fresh salad.

That’s it. Simple. The fruit gives you energy for the day and the two other meals give you healthy substance. There are some tips to bear in mind.

- don’t have diary products. A little milk in coffee or tea in the afternoon is fine but lattes are out
- cut out bread
- don’t add sugar to your coffee or tea
- Have one small sizes treat a day. Mine is crisps, sometimes a small bar of chocolate
- You might feel a bit groggy the first couple of days while your body clears out
- Make the salads big, especially at the beginning to fill you up
- Listen to your body. Every now and then it’ll tell you it needs something, when it does eat it. Sometimes it tells me I need sugar or something stodgy. Your body knows best.
- If you’re out with friends try and stick to salads in restaurants if you can, most places do nice ones and your friends will be full of envy at your self control.

Try it properly for a week. What do you have to lose? Do it properly and you won’t go back to your old way of eating. I now allow myself more treats at the weekend as my health improved.