Your get-lean principles

Strict. Strict. Strict. This is your mantra for the next 40 days. There's just no way around the diet, says Charles, and eating clean is the name of this get-lean game. Charles diet plan is filled with fresh, clean foods that are as unprocessed as possible. Here are his three simple principles to shed fat fast.

The plan covers options for the low carber, paleo and carnivore that wants to get lean.

Can you spot the differences between the four approaches?

Paleo – reasonably low carbohydrate medium to high protein / no dairy/ can do fruit/ all vegetables / no legumes / no grains / no artificial sweeteners
Banting – low carbohydrate medium protein high fat / limited dairy / no fruit/ vegetables that grow above the ground / no legumes / no grains / artificial sweeteners
Keto - very low carbohydrate low protein high fat / limited dairy / no fruit / vegetables that grow above the ground / no legumes / artificial sweeteners
Carnivorous zero carbohydrate very high protein/ dairy/ no plants / no artificial sweeteners

All the above seek to first stabilize blood sugar and reduce insulin activity. Nutritional factors that impact additionally on low insulin include histamine and dairy intolerance. While the differences between the various nutritional fundamentals do not seem great at first you may find that your metabolic condition reacts very differently to the various approaches.

Eat at least 1g of protein per kg of bodyweight, daily
Keep your carbohydrates low to moderate when trying to lose weight.
Drink when thirsty

How to stay on track

Habits and cravings are the devil when it comes to dieting. Let's first deal with habits. The hardest thing is to develop the new habit of preparing your meals. The first week is the most difficult, so prepare yourself for some challenges as you abandon your usual routine. For example, you might usually go out for a sub sandwich or burger at lunch. You'll now have to bring your food with you and resist the temptation of spicing up your meal with the Doritos in the vending machine or your usual can of Coke. It can be a real mental battle to stick to your food plan.

To stay motivated and deal with cravings, Charles has a couple of great recommendations. First, schedule a cheat meal on every seventh day. "Many of my clients have their cheat meal on Sunday, so then they're ready for Monday and the week to come," he says. If you feel deprived during the week, concentrate on the cheat meal to come, knowing you can eat absolutely anything you want to—pizza, lasagna, doughnuts, beer, chips, you name it. Remember, though, it's just one cheat meal, not an entire day of cheating. Afterward, get right back on the wagon with your next scheduled meal.

Second, take a few photos of yourself to keep your motivation up. "Most of the people who come to me are doing it for a reason," he explains. "They're going on vacation, competing in a bodybuilding show, or maybe going to a reunion. I always have them strive for that goal. I take front, side, and back pictures of them at the beginning and have them post the photos on their mirror at home. I tell them, just keep looking at that picture and think of what you're going to look like in a few weeks."

The focus is to eat balanced and nourishing meals, eliminating the junk food and processed ingredients which often hold us back from our goals..

“You need to eat enough for your weight and height. So if you weigh 90kg then you should eat roughly no less than 90g of protein a day. You may need to add more protein to the meals below and limit carbohydrate based on activity levels.

Before you start, eliminate these immediately from your diet

Milk
All bread
Sugar
Alcohol

The guidelines

Wait 6-8 hours between meals
Eat 2 pieces of fruit a day including any used in meals
Always snack on protein if hungry between meals e.g two boiled eggs
Have protein at every meal
Variety is key, use different sources of meat/fish/vegetables throughout the day
Steer away from refined carbohydrates – stick to whole vegetables
Eat all vegetables except beetroot, carrot, sweetcorn and parsnips
Avoid vegetables and fruit high in histamines if you have anmy tummy issues. More about this in the book.

INITIAL MEAL PLAN

You can interchange lunch and dinner but never skip breakfast
2 litres of water a day minimum
No caffeine except for green tea
Eat as soon as possible after waking
Try not to eat after dark