Before you start

• Check whether the plan is right for you. If you have a health condition or take medication, ask your doctor first.
• Pick a week without exams, travel, celebrations or hard physical work.
• Prepare food in advance with the grocery list.

During the week

• Drink water regularly. Thirst is easily confused with hunger.
• Eat every few hours. Long gaps make it harder to stay on plan.
• Keep wonder soup ready as a filling fallback.
• Sleep well and keep activity gentle, especially on days 1 to 4.
• Avoid processed and packaged foods, which are high in salt, sugar and poor-quality fats.
• Weigh yourself no more than once a day, at the same time, if you weigh yourself at all.

When to stop

Stop the plan and eat a normal meal if you feel faint, dizzy, shaky, confused, very weak, or have a racing heart. Seek medical help if symptoms do not settle.

After the week

• Return to regular meals gradually. Build each meal around vegetables, a protein food and a portion of whole grains.
• Expect some weight to return in the first days. That is water, not fat, and it is normal.
• If you want to keep losing weight, aim for steady changes you can keep. A loss of 5 to 10% of body weight that you maintain brings real health benefits.

Frequently asked questions