THE NO CARBS for dinner DIET

You’ll lose that stuffed, bloated feeling after eating your evening meal but will still feel full and satisfied. It’ll help you develop the breakfast habit as you’ll actually feel hungry when you wake up. Eating breakfast means you’ll be less likely to overeat for the rest of the day, too. There’s no need to count calories, fat or carbs - it’s only the inches you lose so the claim goes!
What’s the theory?
Also known as the carb curfew diet, this plan maintains that cutting carbs after 5pm helps cut calories without you having to try too hard. Ultimately, this lowers your overall calorie intake for the day so you lose weight. In addition, eating slightly more protein will help you to stay fuller for longer and cutting carbs can help you feel less bloated.

What does the diet involve?
This is a 28-day plan. You simply select one breakfast, lunch and Carb Curfew Meal each day, snack on fruit and veg and have 1pint of skimmed or semi-skimmed milk daily. There’s also an exercise programme that focuses on walking and tummy toning exercises.

What can I eat?
The diet encourages you to eat a carb-rich breakfast and lunch, based on low or moderate GI carbs. For dinner, you simply have a main meal without the carbs – this means no jacket potato with your chicken salad, no spaghetti with your Bolognese and no rice with your stir fry.

How much weight will I lose?
There’s no weight loss promise but Joanna Hall, diet expert and author of The No Carbs after 5pm Diet claims you can lose 5 inches off your waist in just 28 days.
Our Verdict
This could be an effective way to cut calories without having to count them and it will work if you prefer to eat bigger meals in the early part of the day. But if the thought of having a smaller evening meal leaves you cold, you’ll probably struggle. It’s really easy to understand and unlike other diets that focus on reducing carbs, it doesn’t blind you with science or talk in any great detail about blood sugar levels. After years of following high-protein, low-carb diets, most of us can’t wait to start eating bananas, toast and cereal again. And the good news is that The No Carbs for Dinner Diet let you do just that. Here’s how you do it?
Choose one breakfast, lunch and snack each day – and eat them all before 5pm.
Then choose one low-carb dinner each day from the choices given. It doesn’t matter what time of the evening you choose to eat this. Simply fit it around your schedule.
Have an extra 300ml/1/2 pint skimmed milk every day to use in tea and coffee or blend some of this milk with fruit to make a smoothie.
Pile your plate high with veggies and salad – you can eat most in unlimited amounts, except for potatoes, parsnips, sweetcorn, beetroot and peas, which are all high in carbs and calories. Include these with lunch only.
Drink eight glasses of water every day.
Some breakfast ideas - choose one a day

Fruity cereal
5tbsp branflakes with 3 dried dates, 1 tbsp sultanas and skimmed milk.
Muesli, fruit and yoghurt
3tbsp unsweetened muesli, a handful of strawberries and 1/2 small pot natural low-fat yoghurt.
Poached egg
1 slice wholemeal toast with 1tsp low-fat spread and 1 poached egg. Plus 1 small banana.
Toast and honey
2 slices wholemeal toast, 2tsp of low-fat spread and honey.

Some lunch ideas
choose one a day
Jacket potato with ham and coleslaw
1 jacket potato with 6tbsp reduced-fat coleslaw, 6 slices wafer-thin ham
Avocado and pitta
Peel, remove the seeds and dice 2 tomatoes. Mash 1/2 small avocado and mix with tomatoes, 1 clove crushed garlic, lemon juice and chilli sauce to taste. Serve with 1 warmed wholemeal pitta bread and carrot sticks. Plus one small banana

Tuna, sweetcorn and rice salad
Chop 1/2 small red onion, 1/2 green pepper and 2 celery sticks. Mix with 6tbsp cooked brown rice, 1/2 small can tuna in water, 1 tbsp sweetcorn and 1 tbsp reduced-fat mayo. Serve with mixed salad leaves.

Some dinner ideas
choose one a day

Steak supper
1 grilled or griddled lean rump steak with 2 grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, and salad with fat-free dressing. Plus 1 apple

Chicken salad
Top a large bowl of iceberg lettuce and curly endive with 1 diced tomato, 1 cooked skinless chicken breast cut into pieces, 1 small sliced avocado and fat-free dressing. Plus a handful of strawberries.

Eggs Florentine
Top some lightly steamed spinach with 2 poached eggs and 4tbsp grated reduced-fat Cheddar. Place under a hot grill until the cheese has melted. Plus 1 orange and 1 apple.

Snacks - choose one
a day, but eat it before 5pm
1 wholemeal pitta filled with salad and fat-free dressing.
1 grilled chicken breast, salad and fat-free dressing.
1 apple, 1 nectarine and10 grapes
4 tbsp branflakes and skimmed milk
1 slice wholemeal toast with 2tsp peanut butter

Top Tips
Stock up on low-carb ready meals for when you can’t be bothered to cook. Or simply grill some chicken, pork, lamb or fish and serve with steamed veg or salad.
Make sure you eat the right carbs during the day. White bread, pastries and sugary cereals will leave you craving for more. Go for carbs packed with fibre like wholegrain breads and cereals and pick those with a low GI.
Don’t think that you can cheat by filling up on low-carb versions of typically high-carb foods such as pasta , soup and chocolate. They may be lower in carbs, but they contain just as many calories than the standard products. If you want to lose weight with this diet, you need to avoid all carbs – including those foods that typically contain carbs – after 5pm!