Kristina Locke lost 14lb

Do we really need complicated time-consuming diets to lose weight? Not according to some experts, who insist you can shed pounds simply by excluding one food group. Bonnie Estridge spoke to four women who did just that. So could you, too, drop a dress size by following their diet?

LOST 14LB

DEBBIE GOMES, 31, a hairdresser, lives with husband Leon, 31, a designer, and daughter India, three, in Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex.

GAVE UP: Dairy products (milk, cream, cheese, ice cream, yoghurt and eggs).

WEIGHT BEFORE: 11st 7lb. AFTER: 10st 7lb. She says:

OVER the past two years, I had put on two stone for no apparent reason. I had not been eating any differently and even when I became vegetarian-six months ago, my weight stayed the same. My husband Leon never made any comment, even though I must have driven him mad moaning about my size.

I've always loved pasta with creamy sauces, as well as ice creams and yoghurts, so I knew I had to reduce the fat content of my meals.

I had read that soya was meant to be a healthy low-fat alternative, so I bought soya milk and yoghurts at the supermarket. They didn't taste that different - Leon and India didn't notice - and soya ice creams were delicious.

However I hated soya cheese, which was a pain because I love Stilton. I also missed thick, creamy soups which were better with a few dollops of double cream. But within two to three weeks I had lost 5lb, which gave me a fantastic incentive and from then on I lost 1-2lb a week.

Eating out on this kind of diet was surprisingly easy. Dairy products are simple to identify and avoid.

I'm concerned about my calcium intake, because dairy products are one of the best sources and I don't want to be put at risk of osteoporosis, but I know I'm still getting enough fat from foods such as nuts, avocados and soya.

Just over eight weeks after starting the diet, I have lost a stone and am thrilled. I'm going to continue until I get down to my goal of 9st.

I think it would be difficult to remain dairy-free for ever. I've come close to eating cheese on many occasions. And I think I may have a temporary lapse at Christmas, so I can celebrate with a slice of Stilton.

SARAH SCHENKER, nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation, says: Excluding dairy products is OK for the short-term, but definitely not for teenagers or those with a family history of osteoporosis.

Unless there is a medical reason to avoid dairy products, a normal low-fat diet is far safer because calcium is best absorbed by the body from dairy products. Soya substitutes can be acceptable, but only if they are 'fortified'.

A healthier way to lose weight would be to look for dairy foods that contain less than 3g of fat per 100g rather than cutting them out altogether.

LOST 9LB

GWENEIRA RAW-REES, 38, is a public relations consultant. She is divorced and lives in Aberystwyth with children Hedydd, 18, and Bleddyn, 13.

GAVE UP: Alcohol

WEIGHT BEFORE: 10st 10lb. AFTER: 10st 1lb. She says:

This summer, I realised I was about a stone overweight - it just seemed to have crept up. My eating habits had not changed - I've always eaten lowfat foods, plenty of fruit and vegetables, with the occasional takeaway.

I didn't drink much but had a large glass of red wine with my evening meal partly because I enjoyed it, partly because I'd heard it is full of healthy anti-oxidants.

I cycled and walked a lot, and I was trying to work out just why all my clothes were so tight. It then occurred to me that my extra calorie intake from alcohol had to be the problem.

After my divorce three years go, I wanted to go out and have fun with my girlfriends. Although I have never been a regular, heavy drinker I got into the routine of socialising at weekends.

I'd have as much as a bottle of wine followed by a couple of shorts in one evening. I always felt bloated afterwards, not to mention hungover, so one day I decided to stop drinking.

I didn't have any cravings, but it felt unsociable. I didn't want to go where the booze was flowing because all my friends were so unbearably cheery.

After a month, I had lost about half a stone. I lost around 3lb more in the weeks after that, but then had flu which left me so weak I couldn't exercise as usual. So I ended up losing just over half a stone. Instead of being a size 14, I can now get into a 12. I don't want to be a social outcast, so I may re-introduce a glass of red wine when I see friends - but just the one.

SARAH SCHENKER SAYS: There is nothing beneficial in the calories found in alcohol. There are practically no vitamins and minerals and if it's a choice between excluding alcohol for weight loss or drinking for health then you will achieve more by losing weight.

However, a couple of wine spritzers a night would not do any harm.

LOST 14LB

KRISTINA LOCKE, 31, is a sales director of a healthcare company. She is single and lives in Notting Hill, West London.

GAVE UP: Wheat (all products including pasta, bread, biscuits, cake and cereals which are not 'gluten-free').

WEIGHT BEFORE: 10st 5lb. AFTER: 9st 5lb. She says:

I HAVE always had a tendency to eat 'comfort foods' when stressed. As these tend to be stodgy and starchy - warm bread and pastries - they obviously show up on the scales.

My work also means that I go abroad a lot and it's hard to eat balanced meals when one is for ever in a plane, boardroom or meeting clients.

Being 5ft 10in I can get away with putting on a certain amount of weight. But having been a size 10 in my 20s I always wanted to get back to that.

I went to a nutritionist and they found that I appeared to have a wheat intolerance, which made me feel bloated. The first shock was just how many products contain hidden ingredients such as 'wheatflour'. I found myself spending ages examining labels on packets and jars.

In the end, I found a fantastic range devised by the actor Terence Stamp, who has a gluten intolerance himself. The downside was that these ' specialist' foods are more expensive. It was also hard going out for dinner and not being able to have a bread roll when I felt hungry, but I made up for that with big steaks and salads.

I was amazed to find that within two weeks I had lost half a stone. Snacking on fruit became a way of life which obviously helped.

The other upside is that I stopped feeling bloated and had a lot of energy. After six weeks, I had lost a stone and although I have not lost any more since, neither have I put any on. Now, I've got to start some kind of fitness regime to tone up.

I know many people are cynical about food intolerances and think having a wheat intolerance is trendy. But I think this diet has proved you really can make a difference.

SARAH SCHENKER SAYS: Unless one is diagnosed with a true wheat allergy or as having Coeliac disease, there is little nutritional benefit in giving up wheat. Even white flour is now fortified with vitamins and by eliminating these, one may miss certain nutrients needed.

Kristina has obviously cut calories if she's eating fruit instead of sandwiches as snacks - but I suspect her lack of feeling bloated and new energy come from the weight loss and have nothing to do with a wheat intolerance.

LOST 10LB

SUE CLARK, 40, is managing director of a marketing company. She is divorced and lives in Chelmsford with her son James, 11.

GAVE UP: Processed foods ( readymade meals, fizzy drinks, sweets).

WEIGHT BEFORE: 9st 10lb. AFTER: 9st.

She says: MY weight began to fluctuate wildly a couple of years ago when I started my own business. I spent all day every day at my desk and constantly ate convenience foods. I just didn't have time to cook.

Until then I was always racing around to meetings. That had helped keep my weight at just under 8st, even after my divorce four years ago. But after a year of being deskbound I had ballooned from a size 8 to a 14.

I felt frumpy, my skin, hair and nails were becoming dull and dry and it left me incredibly depressed.

In the summer, my 11-year-old son James told me I was getting tubby and I was appalled.

That was when I decided to eat more healthily, by banning all processed foods, from ready-meals to salad dressings.

After a couple of days I felt dreadful, with desperate sugar cravings. When I told a client, who runs a health retreat, he told me it was probably because I had been eating so much sugar in the convenience foods and was suffering withdrawal.

The cravings abated after a couple of weeks, but cooking without processed foods was hard work.

I didn't have a clue how to make tasty, slimming meals from scratch, until the chef at the retreat gave me tips such as making salad dressings with honey and organic oil and biscuits with honey and unrefined flour.

He told me to stick to organic food to avoid chemicals and I ate plenty of grilled fresh fish, wholemeal rice and pasta and lots of fruit and vegetables.

Inevitably, cooking took much longer, but I surprised myself by enjoying it.
What made it so much easier to stick to was that I could feel the weight coming off within the first week to ten days. After a month I could almost squeeze into my favourite size 10 jeans and for the first time in ages I felt happier with my body.

Now, I have lost almost a stone and my skin looks good, my hair is shiny and my nails have stopped splitting.

SARAH SCHENKER SAYS: This diet is certainly not harmful - far from it - although ready-made meals are not the 'villains', that they are made out to be. Additives are not all bad, for instance beetroot juice is a natural colouring.

You do have to look out for 'hidden' sugars and salt, but they are listed on the packaging and easy to spot.

These foods also often have a high amount of fat, which can make you put on weight if you eat them regularly. Eating organic has no bearing on weight.

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