I tried a fad diet and lost three kilograms in three days

I decided (after a lot of motivation from my mother and sister) that it was time for me to do a diet. University is a place of wonder and joy, however, it is also a place where you can easily put on half a stone in a term. This is due to the abundance of take-aways, alcohol and vending machines that make it all too easy to stop eating your five-a-day and start opting for the more delicious option of takeaway for three meals a day.

Hence the green juice.

I’m not the type of person that does diets. I am the type of person of occasionally gives up chocolate for lent and then caves as soon as a I get offered a chocolate digestive. My last meal before I started the diet was a chicken burger and chips with a pizza as pudding – I needed to do this diet.

I decided to try and do the Sirt Food Diet. This is because my mother has been doing it for over three months, can’t stop raving about it and to her credit she does look great.

It is easier to get on board with a diet when you know for a fact that it has results. Especially if the results occur in a short period of time.

the main principle of the Sirt Food Diet isn’t too eat less food and gradually lose weight. It is to change the way that you eat so that you lose weight and then keep it off. It also makes you super healthy.

Sirt foods are foods that allegedly activate our “skinny genes” or for the scientists out there the sirtuin genes. (which apparently are more active in slimmer people than people who are considered to be overweight).

Sirt foods consist of things like:

• Rocket
• Kale
• Strawberries
• Tumeric
• Celery
• Medjool Dates
• Cocoa
• Bird’s-eye Chili

As stated I am not one for dieting and the idea of fasting makes me go a bit mad. Therefore the 5:2 diet (or ones like that) is not really a viable option for me.

The one thing that really drew me in is that cocoa and red wine are classed as sirt foods. These two things are already virtually staples in my diet as is.

In the first seven days I am supposed to lose seven pounds. Sounds mad. Despite the limited amount of food that you are allowed the first three days really isn’t as bad as expected. It is also very effective.

Phase 1

Days 1-3

The first few days were the hardest days. Each day I drank three green juices, consumed one meal (it is a large meal) and I got to eat 20g of dark chocolate (85%).

The hunger was not ideal. But luckily I had a lovely essay to distract me. I could drink as much tea (peppermint or green tea) as I liked and I could still smoke (thank the gods).

I started this when I was at home revising for exams meaning that I had easier access to food and emotional support from my mother.

I wasn’t as cripplingly hungry as anticipated but the juices really do taste like blended grass.

The hardest point of these three days was when my parents decided on day two that it was the perfect time to have a dinner party. They cracked open the prosecco – I cracked open a green juice.

The last night of the three-day fasting I lay in bed and dreamt about eating bread. Just bread – I missed normal food so much.

Days 4-7

Day four came, and I’d finally finished the one-meal-a-day hell. But I did lose 3kg in the first three days which I feel is a real success considering all I was doing was sitting on my arse writing an essay.

When I woke up on day four I had the absolute pleasure of having breakfast. This was revolutionary to me now. I also had to have a green juice in the morning and evening but I can accept that as long as I can have breakfast.

The food is actually really yummy and there are strawberries and dates in my morning meal.

I am starting to really get on board with this whole losing weight and feeling really great thing.

As I am a stereotypical teenager I sleep till around midday anyway so that cuts out a large portion of the day where I could be feeling hungry.

So far I have had one slip-up. On day four I had a medjool date instead of the buckwheat with my dinner. But we didn’t have buckwheat and I really love dates.

The portion sizes are really big – which is a life-saver – but sometimes you just want some nutella at breakfast.

In my opinion this diet does work for students as all of the recipes are for one person. Making cooking on your own much easier (normally I have no idea what the quantities are for one person).

Also the food isn’t really difficult to get hold of. The hardest thing to find is buckwheat – and the quinoa-obsessed middle-class being what it is these days all you need to do is pop down to the shops and there it is.

Phase 2 – maintenance

This part of the diet is the good bit. It lasts 2 weeks and after that you are on your own.

You have 3 meals a day plus 1-2 optional snacks (which are called sirt-bites – which are mostly just chocolate and dates mixed together).

The meals are filling and are meant to help you continuously lose more weight but at a slower rate.

Also you are allowed wine at this point.

By day 8 I had lost 5kg – which is close to a stone. I was bloody impressed with myself.

Conclusion

This diet is worth your time.

Whilst I lost quite a bit of weight it also had other benefits:

• I had more energy
• I was more focused during my revision
• It has actually changed my attitude towards food – for better
• It makes me look like I have my life together when I am eating a salad instead of a chicken burger (as was my usual habit)
• and there were loads of great instagram opportunities (my food was really pretty)