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How many times have you been on a diet? Less than five times? Ten times? More than 10? Or are you always on a diet? If dieting is a routine part of your life, you’re not alone – 6 out of 10 women are actively trying to lose weight at any one time, and there are literally hundreds of different diet plans, pills, and potions out there, all promising stunning weight loss results with minimum fuss and effort. The sad truth is that 95 percent of these weight loss efforts are unsuccessful in the long term. Yet despite all the previous failed attempts, you read about the latest quick-fix approach and think to yourself “yes, this time it’s going to work” – only to find it’s just another, albeit heavily disguised, version of the “No Air” diet.

The No Air diet! Well, think what happens when you hold your breath for as long as possible. As soon as you can’t hold it any longer, you gasp in as much air as possible to make up for what you’ve been deprived of. It’s exactly the same with dieting and getting fit – I have seen it so many times with clients. Instead of taking moderate, steady action, we dive in headfirst and embrace a totally unrealistic lifestyle, only to find we go off the rails a week later. Quite simply, the No Air diet doesn’t work because it is unsustainable.

Here’s a typical example …

MONDAY 136lb – v. bad. But not for long – I’m on my fab new diet!

Felt really psyched up when I woke up. Had black coffee for breakfast, a low cal soup for lunch and a low-calorie pre-packed slim meal in the evening. Didn’t go out after work, what’s the point if I can’t have a few drinks? Went to bed stomach rumbling, but feeling incredibly virtuous.

TUESDAY 135lb – better. Had 1 cigarette (bad – but didn’t inhale).

I was exhausted today – hardly slept thanks to my rumbling tummy. Black coffee for breakfast again, a plum mid-morning, and a low cal soup with a rice cake for lunch – tasted like styrofoam. Succumbed to a cigarette at lunchtime just to stop myself pigging out. Feeling pretty irritable by the afternoon. Had a couple of lettuce leaves for dinner and went to bed feeling curiously close to murdering someone.

WEDNESDAY 133lb – good. Succumbed to 8 cigarettes, 1 bottle of wine, 2 chocolate bars, a burger and fries – disastrous. Oh dear! It was all going so well. I got through the morning on a couple of cigarettes with several large mugs of black coffee. Felt slightly spaced out and people at work were giving me a wide berth – I thought it was because I was a little irritable, but then Kate told me my breath reeked of coffee, yuck! Treated myself to two rice cakes with my low cal soup today, seeing as the weight seems to be falling off but then, about 4pm, I heard the candy machine calling me. Before I knew it I’d scoffed two chocolate bars. So disillusioned was I that I stopped off at the burger joint on the way home from work (well, I’d blown it for today, so I thought I might as well start again tomorrow). And since the liquor store was next door, I bought a bottle of Chardonnay to wash it down.

THURSDAY 135lb – v. bad. No cigarettes – good.

I feel so guilty – can’t believe I did that. Today I made up for the damage. Again, black coffee for breakfast, a slim shake for lunch and low cal soup for dinner (no rice cake). Went to bed feeling back in control but still annoyed with myself for yesterday’s pig out.

FRIDAY 135lb – v. bad. Had 25 cigarettes, 6 gin and tonics and a pizza – v.v.bad.

Can’t believe the pounds haven’t dropped off after I was so good yesterday – life’s so unfair. Went out after work and meant to ask for mineral water but it came out as G and T, and since I’d got through the day on rice cakes and diet coke, the alcohol hit an empty stomach and had me reeling. I felt better after the second one, but then, well, I don’t remember much after that.

SATURDAY 136lb – v. bad.

Woke up clutching a half-eaten cold slice of pizza. Ow, my head hurts, but I’m meeting friends for lunch today – no chance of dieting there, and I’m going to the movies tonight, and can’t possibly get through the movie without a large popcorn and a bag of chocolate-covered raisins. Ah well, Monday is less than 48 hours away and that’s always a good day to start …

Depressingly familiar, huh? Well, the good news is that this book is about helping you break free from the weight loss spiral and achieving a slimmer, healthier body that you can maintain for life. While the 14-day plan is low in calories, it is not a No Air diet. It’s nutritionally sound, it’s varied and it won’t leave you hungry. But best of all it does work – as our volunteers found out when they took part in our trials. Follow the 14-day Get a Grip plan in section one, and you’ll be slipping into a smaller size in no time. But wait! It’s all very well fitting into size 10 jeans or a hip-hugging wedding dress once – but if you want long-lasting effects, you need to make long-term commitments.

So here’s the deal. You follow the 14-day plan in order to drop a size for your own personal deadline – but once you’ve achieved your goal, you promise to read on to find out how you can take the lessons you’ve learned and make them fit into your lifestyle. Think of the 14 days as your launch pad to a healthier lifestyle. In section two, Habit Building, I’ll show you how to incorporate the strategies and practices you’ve learned into your daily life, without feeling as if diet and exercise have taken over every waking minute. It’s about taking things slowly and not trying to achieve everything all at once – it takes months for an action to become a habit, so you need to take it slowly and not try to do everything at once. Eventually, healthy living will become second nature. That doesn’t mean there won’t be times when you just can’t avoid a blow-out, resist a fattening indulgence, or squeeze in an exercise session. We’re all human, after all, and we have busy, unpredictable lives to lead. For this reason I’ve included section three, Damage Limitation, which shows you how to prevent the odd splurge from ruining all your good work.

Whatever your motivation is for losing weight fast, a forthcoming vacation, a family wedding, a party, or simply the thought of fitting back into your old jeans, it doesn’t matter. If it provides the impetus for you to take action, then it has got to be a good thing. But sustaining that action for the rest of your life is the real key. It’s not always easy, but you can do this, and there’s no need to put your life on hold in order to achieve it. To help you toward your goals, you need information, inspiration, and encouragement. You’ll find all three in this book – enabling you not only to lose weight in 14 days but also to keep it off for good.

DISCLAIMER: Please note that this diet and exercise plan is designed for people in good health and is not suitable for pregnant or nursing women. If there is any reason you think may prevent you following this diet and exercise plan safely, such as an existing health problem, something your doctor has told you, or feeling unwell, please consult your doctor before embarking on the program. The author(s) of this book cannot be held responsible for any health problems experienced as a result of following this diet or for any failure to lose weight. The plan is followed entirely at the participant’s own risk.