Healthy Five Day Weight Loss Diet

For some of us, each spring we’re faced with the inevitable truth of the mirror test – we need to shed a few pounds fast!

Here are the basics to a fabulous Five-Day Body Makeover plan put together for Harper’s Bazaar magazine by Cynthia Pasquella, an acclaimed LA-based nutritionist who (according to the May, 2012 article written by Alexandra Parnass) advises the likes of Charlize Theron and Sandra Bullock. And who wouldn’t want to be benefiting from a toned, healthy body??

Per Cynthia Pasquella, here’s what you need to CUT completely out of your diet:

• Sugar
• fried foods
• pasta
• baked goods
• cheese
• bread
• all packaged foods
• processed sandwich meats

Drinks that are OFF LIMITS: include soda, fruit juices, anything caffeinated and alcohol

What you SHOULD drink daily: decaffeinated tea and at least 8-10 glasses of water + 2 cups of detox tea (Cynthia recommends SoCal Cleanse Organic Detox tea, which runs $30 @ socalcleanse.com)

FOODS  you can eat…

Breakfast:

• Strawberry & banana quinoa (1/2 cup cooked quinoa with 4 strawberries & 1 banana cut up)
• Berry Clean Detox Smoothie (4 tbsp SoCal Cleanse Organic Protein + Detox powder (which costs $48) blended with 1 cup organic almond milk with 1/4 cup blueberries and 1/4 cup cut up strawberries

Lunch:

• grilled turkey or veggie burger wrapped in lettuce with a splash of dijon mustard and large garden salad (spinach, tomatoes, carrots, cukes, 1/4 avocado and 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup lentil and veggie soup + 1 cup garlic-sauteed zucchini and carrots

Snacks:

• 1 small apple with 3 ounces coconut-milk yogurt
• 1 banana sliced mixed with 1 tbsp almond butter
• small handful (just one!) of raw almonds and 1/4 cup dried apricots

Dinner:

• Lentil and quinoa salad (1/2 cup each cooked quinoa and cooked lentils + 1/4 cup chopped onions and 1/4 clove of garlic chopped sautéed  in 1 tbsp soy sauce. Mix all ingredients, put on bed of arugula, top with 1/4 cup each of walnuts and dried cranberries and enjoy!
• 1 roasted sweet potato and 4 oz rosemary grilled salmon ( Marinade ingredients: Mix 1/2 tsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp lemon juice, salt and pepper, 1/2 minced garlic clove + 1/2 tsp rosemary, brush on salmon before grilling)

I’ve been following this diet with some minor adjustments for 5 days now and I’ve lost 4 pounds and feel fabulous! I am using regular decaf tea instead of the cleansing  tea and my regular soy protein powder (purchased at Trader Joe’s) instead of the SoCal choices. I’m drinking lots of water, having one cup of caffeinated coffee in the morning and eating something 4-5 times a day. Per Alexandra’s article – Cynthia says “you should never go hungry on this diet” because you’re allowed to eat as many raw veggies as you want, and it’s true!

What I want to know, though, is what happens after 5 days?? I know there will be many of you wondering the same thing, so I’ve contacted Cynthia and hope to do a follow-up post next week with her long-term healthy diet advice.

NOTE: I’m taking all the vitamins featured in the photo, including a multi, calcium, fish oil, D, 2 fiber gummies, glucosamine/chondroitin and a B-complex. It’s a good idea to consult with your doctor before embarking on any kind of new diet regimen, to make sure it fits with your lifestyle and your doctor’s recommendations.