Diet Blues? Diet books that work.

I doubt that there is anyone that doesn't have a bit of an expanding waistline after the Christmas overindulgence.

'I think that I'll have that extra chocolate as it is Christmas after all.'

Is there anyone that hasn't said this? I know that I'm as guilty of this as the next person. The trouble is, that the extra chocolate leaves extra pounds on our waist line. So, what to do?

Well, I've tried the Fast Diet and it really does work for me. In fact I find it the easiest of all the diets that I've tried over the years. Some days you eat and some you don't. The thing that I find it lacks, is really good things to eat on the non fast days. There really is no point in eating a skimpy 500 calories on the fast days only to eat far too much calorie heavy food on the non fast days.

So, my solution to this is to use the fantastic books by our almost national treasures of food: The Hairy Bikers. I have made recipes from all of these books and I am so impressed with them that I even make some when I'm not dieting.

The one above is the first one that sets out the diet. It's the one that accompanied the television series and the recipes are wonderful because they are the sort of things that you might want to make every day, but with the calories reduced. I don't know how they do it but they manage to make these foods that you usually associate with lots and lots of calories, into tasty but lower in calories. You can eat them and not put on weight.

My favourites are:
Old-fashioned chicken and vegetable stew
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Chicken Korma

By the time that they write the next two books they are concentrating on the recipes rather than the site and boy, oh boy do they get better at what they create. can anyone imagine it possible to make a low calorie Scoth Broth? I didn't hink it possible but the bikers have managed it.
My next favourite is the creamy Chicken and tarragon pots. How can anything creamy be diet food? Make it and you will see that it satisfies every craving with our pounds and pounds on your hips.

From the last one you might want to delve into the Meals with Mates section. Chicken provencal is super good and easy to make. Just in case you think that I'm only going to go for chicken, you might want to try the beef goulash. Fragrant with paprika, it's perfect for this time of the year.

On a healthy note. the bikers make sure that everything has a good dose of vegetables to go with all the meals.

All of the nutritional information can be found at the bottom of the recipes. Can't wait fot he next one.