Retrain your metabolism the Ian Marber way
Timing is everything. Eat every two-and-a-half to three hours, even if you don't feel hungry.
Food combination is key — breakfast, lunch and two snacks should be equal thirds of complex carbohydrate, protein and fat. Supper should be half protein and half fat.
Mix textures — combine something smooth like yoghurt with the crunch of an apple and you get what Marber calls "mouth feel". This is the key to feeling satisfied after eating.
Alcohol, caffeine and sugar will hinder your attempts to balance blood sugar levels, so have a little of each but never binge.
Phrases to remove from your life: "I'll have it now and start again tomorrow" and "I'll just work it off in the gym later" are symptoms of being in the diet trap.
A TYPICAL COMMUTER'S DAY
Breakfast: Poached or boiled eggs with wholemeal toast or natural yoghurt, fruit and seeds.
Snack: Last night's salmon flaked onto a couple of oatcakes from a packet you keep on your desk.
Lunch: Buy a takeaway sandwich but remove half the bread and buy some extra cooked ham or chicken from the supermarket to have with it. Or try soup with wholemeal pitta, plus the extra protein again.
Snack: Three-bean salad from the supermarket at your desk, or unsalted mixed nuts and olives if you're in a bar for post-work drinks.
Supper: Stir-fried chicken with vegetables or buy a non-creamy curry on your way home but skip the rice and have extra vegetables instead.
Snack: Almond butter on oatcakes before bed if you eat supper early.
