Diet to lose belly fat before wedding

Henwin wrote: »

Hi Im getting married in early October and i hav a belly tat i wud love to get rid of before then. Im reading a book at the moment called Fat around the middle, its written by Marilyn Glenville. Basically there are 4 components to losing fat in 3 months.
Stress and the hormone cortisol stores fat around the middle.
Diet- Lots of protein, fruit and veg, seeds, beans, and very little carbs.
Exercise and
Suplements- minerals, vitamins and amino acids.
They provide tests; adrenal stress test, insulin resistance test, food allergy test and yeast and parasite test. Id love to do these but they are well over 100 each.
My question is wud it be difficult to go 3 months with no carbohydrates. I play ladies football twice a week and I work in childcare. are carbs important, i grew up on bread and will be it tricky to come off it.
the website is www.marilynglenville.com

I would say impossible rather than difficult! The only carbs I take in for the last 2 weeks are intra and post workout. And from when I wake in the morning , until I train at about 6:30 , I'm possibly the worst person to be around. And on rest days when I have no carbs I'm practically impossible to be around. Lots of posters here that can give good advice, I hope it benefits you and Dsnt just turn into another session of handbags between posters. Best of luck !

I gave up carbs (bread, pasta, rice) about 5 weeks ago and I have to say that it's quite easy once you get your head around the fact that your meal won't have carbs in it. I eat eggs in the morning, a huge salad with a variation of meat, fish, cheese, avocado plus olive oil for lunch. For dinner it's meat/fish with lots of salad or veg preferably dark green ones. I'd have some Greek or natural yoghurt with berries every other day, a little bit of fruit (but a lot less than before) and a handful of nuts for snacks.

I've never felt hungry, I eat to fullness and I don't calorie count. I had a stubborn 3-4lbs hanging around and they've gone but I haven't bothered weighing myself to see if there's more gone.

It's actually a liberation after 20 odd years of calorie counting and fat/low fat obsessing. I eat a bit of chocolate, mostly dark, and I'd have a treat or two at the weekends just like before.

I don't necessarily follow any one type of 'diet' or paleo, hflc. I just feel much better in myself but I was always very sensitive to carbs and had a strong wheat intolerance for more than 10 years until I got pregnant. It magically disappeared when I was pregnant but carbs always bloated me.

Give it a go and see how you get on.

How Strange wrote: »

I gave up carbs (bread, pasta, rice) about 5 weeks ago and I have to say that it's quite easy once you get your head around the fact that your meal won't have carbs in it. I eat eggs in the morning, a huge salad with a variation of meat, fish, cheese, avocado plus olive oil for lunch. For dinner it's meat/fish with lots of salad or veg preferably dark green ones. I'd have some Greek or natural yoghurt with berries every other day, a little bit of fruit (but a lot less than before) and a handful of nuts for snacks.

I've never felt hungry, I eat to fullness and I don't calorie count. I had a stubborn 3-4lbs hanging around and they've gone but I haven't bothered weighing myself to see if there's more gone.

It's actually a liberation after 20 odd years of calorie counting and fat/low fat obsessing. I eat a bit of chocolate, mostly dark, and I'd have a treat or two at the weekends just like before.

I don't necessarily follow any one type of 'diet' or paleo, hflc. I just feel much better in myself but I was always very sensitive to carbs and had a strong wheat intolerance for more than 10 years until I got pregnant. It magically disappeared when I was pregnant but carbs always bloated me.

Give it a go and see how you get on.

+1 to all this.

I cut out bread, pasta etc about 3 months ago. Not due to any intolerances - I love carbs, they agree with me no problem.

I've always been fit - running, mainly in the winter, (25-35 miles pw) or cycling in the summer (200km+ pw).I've been lean at times (when things were going really well - cycling 300km + week usually with races thrown in) but the majority of the time I was 'skinny fat' - skinny to normal people but never quite happy myself due to bit of flab on the tummy. I was basically always trying to out exercise my diet and always loading up on carbs before and after - big plates of pasta after training.

When I think back on myself guzzling lucozade and taking energy gels for long cycles it's a bit embarrassing really.

Since the changes I've dropped from a plateau weight of 11'5 to about 11'1 - but more importantly feel far far leaner. (despite no exercise for 4 weeks in there post an appendix op) - the scales aren't everything - my work suit trousers have got loose.

I don't call it HFLC or paleo either as I'm not super super strict - no carbs is impossible and really low carb isn't for me - it's just far less carbs - i.e. once a day rather with every meal. To me it just makes sense - people seem to be eating carbs like elite marathon runners, with big bowls of pasta for dinner, only to sit on the sofa (often to eat a few more biscuits) and use no energy.

I never though i'd be able to give up cereal every day and my bagel for lunch but once you get your head around it it's fine. I have eggs maybe 4/5 mornings a week and porridge the other days. Then a salad for lunch (lidl pre made salad bowl is handy and I just add plenty of meat and cheese to this).

Like how strange I probably eat more then before - just significantly less carbs and sugar.

A normal day would be;

- 3 eggs scrambled (7am)
- Banana (11am)
- Massive Salad with meat (1.30pm) and greek Yogurt after back at desk
- Couple of Handfuls of nuts (Macadamia's & Brazils usually)
- 2 cod fillets & loads of veg or salad (or 3 chicken drumsticks/steak/3 pork chops etc)
- Dessert of small handful of blueberries, strawberries & raspberries covered in double cream and spoon of greek yogurt
- 2 pieces of Lindt 85% dark choc.

As you can see I hardly starve myself and the dessert and choc are nice treats so it's not totally restrictive either. Running only twice a week (<20km pw) and no other exercise of note.

Eating this way and cutting out sugar has been a revelation - previously everytime I was injured/inactive, though the scales would never move too much, I'd start gaining around my tummy. Myself & the wife had twins 8 months ago - I can't exercise even close to what I use to time wise, yet I've never felt leaner. She is the same - she'd plateued at 8'10 post baby for months (8'3 prior to baby) but now she's changed she's 8'5 but more importantly to her, her stomach is flat again.

Feels great to know I don't have to train 6-10 hours a week to stay lean and in shape. That alone is amazing.

How Strange wrote: »

I gave up carbs (bread, pasta, rice) about 5 weeks ago and I have to say that it's quite easy once you get your head around the fact that your meal won't have carbs in it. I eat eggs in the morning, a huge salad with a variation of meat, fish, cheese, avocado plus olive oil for lunch. For dinner it's meat/fish with lots of salad or veg preferably dark green ones. I'd have some Greek or natural yoghurt with berries every other day, a little bit of fruit (but a lot less than before) and a handful of nuts for snacks.

I've never felt hungry, I eat to fullness and I don't calorie count. I had a stubborn 3-4lbs hanging around and they've gone but I haven't bothered weighing myself to see if there's more gone.

It's actually a liberation after 20 odd years of calorie counting and fat/low fat obsessing. I eat a bit of chocolate, mostly dark, and I'd have a treat or two at the weekends just like before.

I don't necessarily follow any one type of 'diet' or paleo, hflc. I just feel much better in myself but I was always very sensitive to carbs and had a strong wheat intolerance for more than 10 years until I got pregnant. It magically disappeared when I was pregnant but carbs always bloated me.

Give it a go and see how you get on.

Did this 3 months ago, One day tried to close a shirt i bought end of last year and it closed fine but i looked like crap (if you get me)

Sitting in the car driving. i literally said out loud 'fk that', that was the start of it.

did exactly as above, I have wedding in two weeks (grooms man) It is now just coming up to 3 months since that faithful car drive exclamation and I am 17 Kilos down. Stomach is flat for the first time since my teens. And i am feeling much fitter.

Diet was key here, did pretty much as above. No silly business. Walk to work each day.

Bought a Suspension Trainer and used that also working out at home for 45 mins to 1 hour about 5 days a week. During the 3 months ive had 2 seperate weeks off from working out at all. (no impact just keep up the sensible eating)

I have had nights out as normal have the odd crap fry after a late night. But nothing exaggerated.

Used to have a bottle or two maybe twice a week watching the football , cut that out also. Might have a drink every other week or so.


Its just been plain sensible stuff.


Tried on the grooms suit last week and its perfect. It is a fitted suit most certainly and i would not have gotten in it 3 months ago.

down side to all this, had to feck out pretty much half my wardrobe as it is all literally hanging off me.



Bottom line - Plan for a long road. Minimum 2 months aim to be really really committed and then you should have a mind set change that sure breads dont need to be eaten everyday at breakfast and dont need to be eaten everyday for lunch.

Frankly i dont miss them, And i was a mad toast eater and love rolls.

not to say i havent eaten bread. Just not a stable of my daily diet.




good luck!