Woman's Own: Energy-boosting diet

Food nutritionist Monica Grenfell shows you how to lose 5lb by next week and never feel tired again!

There's nothing worse than feeling drained. While it's natural to feel tired at the end of the day, if you regularly wake feeling exhausted, heavy and overweight, and you're refusing invitations because you feel so bad, this isn't normal.

Most people make things even worse by reaching for a strong coffee, energy bar or a drink, but this is only a short-term fix as their effects soon wear off. You want energy that lasts all week, not just for an hour, so I've devised an amazing seven-day kick-start diet that'll help you lose at least 5lb in a week, to get you up and running and keep your energy levels up all year round.

This diet is high in meat, fish and poultry, so while vegetarians can make substitute meals, they will not feel the same energy-boosting benefits.

Key features
- It's a totally natural, unprocessed diet, with no chemicals to drag you down. It also uses slow-release energy carbohydrates from fruit and veg, not sugar or starches.
- I've incorporated a substantial amount of unsaturated fat every day. As long as you're not eating starchy carbs with it, this type of fat is rarely fattening, just filling.
- Sugar has been removed from the diet. Use artificial sweeteners or honey if necessary.
- You only eat fresh meat, eggs, fish and poultry, supported by other allowed foods.

What you're NOT allowed
- Bread
- Potatoes
- Pasta
- Rice
- Sugar
- Sweetened cereal