Red Lentil and Coconut Soup 280 cals Serves 4 A tasty, aromatic soup packed with fibre and protein. 3 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed 2 tsp cumin seeds 1 tbsp olive oil 2 leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced 3 garlic cloves, crushed 140g red lentils 400ml tin light coconut milk juice of ½ lime 600ml vegetable stock 2 tbsp flaked almonds, toasted

When you do the Fast 800 you will, like Dick, begin to lose a lot of weight, fast. Some of it will be fat, but initially you will also be passing a lot of urine. Unless you keep topping yourself up with fluid this may leave you feeling light-headed, tired, headachy.

Dark Rye Bread with Egg and Spinach 240 cals Serves 1 2 eggs 1 tsp butter or olive oil 2 handfuls of spinach 1 slice of rye bread, toasted

the regular dieters had lost an average of 9kg, while the intermittent dieters had lost an average of 14kg.

He did these measurements in a lab, but you can get an estimate of yours by putting your resting heart rate into an online calculator, such as fast-exercises.com/fast-exercise-calculator. This calculator will also tell you how you are doing for someone your age. For reasons we don’t fully understand, VO2 max is an incredibly powerful predictor of

Miso Aubergine ‘Steaks’ with Roasted Carrots and Cashews 315 cals Serves 2 Please don’t be tempted to reduce the amount of olive oil in this recipe – this wonderful healthy fat gives this dish its rich taste and texture and will help keep you satiated for longer. 200g yellow and orange carrots, cut into batons 3 tbsp olive oil 30g cashews 1

Enjoy healthy fats in foods such as olive oil, salmon, tuna, full-fat dairy, avocado, nuts and seeds. These natural fats are good for the waist and the heart, and will keep you feeling full for longer.

As well as cutting down to 800 calories a day, I recommend adding in a Time Restricted Eating (TRE) programme. This means, from the start, aiming for a 12-hour overnight fast. More on how to do this on page 139.

The menus at the back of this book offer plenty of filling and tasty recipes for making up 800-calorie days. They are all based on a low-carb, high-protein Mediterranean-style approach. The reason I am so keen on this way of eating is that it will help you maintain your muscle mass and stop your metabolic rate from crashing as you lose weight.