You have lost a considerable amount of body fat during your Lipotrim regime, but you have also depleted your glycogen stores, along with their attending water. If you jump directly from Total Food Replacement into a high carbohydrate meal, your glycogen and water stores will fill up excessively, causing an immediate weight gain that may be as much as 7-10 pounds. This is not a fat gain - it is a fluid gain - but it is demoralising, nonetheless. That is why the transition plan introduces carbohydrates in a controlled way, so that such a weight regain should not occur.

During your Lipotrim programme, your palate, used to a steady diet of salty, fatty, oily and sugary foods, has had enforced rest.Your taste buds, reprieved from fat/salt/sugar entrapment, have undergone purification. This palate retraining is one of the most profound results of your Lipotrim regime. Do not waste this opportunity by eating your way into the same old problem foods again, just because you used to like them. Changes have to be made to previous eating behaviour and now is the time to take positive action. A refeeding guide will be supplied at the start of the programme.

The refeeding audio guide is available to borrow on CD (£5 refundable deposit) from the Clinic or can be Downloaded in the Members section of the website.

REFEEDING - THE CRUCIAL FIRST WEEK

Follow exactly - do not add extras and, more importantly, do not miss out any steps. You may have milk in your tea and coffee, if required, and you can now have diet drinks again. Avoid fruit juices (simple sugars) until the end of the week. No alcohol. Try to drink plenty of water. Most people do not drink adequate water and now you are in a habit, stick with it. At least 2 litres per day.

DAY ONE

Have 2 Lipotrim servings and one meal, as follows (men continue to have 2 servings as before, while women take 1 less serving of Lipotrim).
At lunchtime or evening mealtime you may have some skinless boneless chicken breast or white fish fillet, or some skinless turkey (about 4-6ozs / 115-170grams). The fish or chicken may be steamed, microwaved, baked or cooked with a little water in a non-stick pan. Season with salt and pepper. Or you may have tuna fish in water or brine (drained). Vegetarians may use tofu or quorn.
You may also have either a moderate serving of salad (small breakfast bowl) from any of the following: lettuce, onions, peppers, beansprouts, celery dressed with a little lemon or lime juice or wine vinegar (try balsamic vinegar), or if you prefer, a moderate serving (2 heaped table spoons - no more) of some cooked green vegetables. You may not have bread, grains (rice) or pasta until day 4, and fruit should wait until day 4 at the earliest (later if you have carbohydrate problems).

DAY TWO

DAY THREE

Same as day 2, but you may also have - at one meal only - an 8 ounce potato (225g), plain boiled, mashed or baked, but with no addition of any fat. You may like to top with some skimmed milk, plain yoghurt or very low fat fromage frais and a sprinkle of herbs.

DAYS FOUR THROUGH SEVEN

• Up to 3 servings of fruit (if you suffer from an insulin resistance problem, then eat these late in the day and do not snack on them during the day).
• Up to 2 slices of bread or 1 pita or 1 roll or 1 bagel (without fatty spread).
• Any vegetables you want except avocado, 1 or 2 servings with your meals (2 tablespoons per serving).
• Any of the skimmed milk products.
• Fish fillet (any size) or 6 ounces (170g) of chicken or turkey, as described before, or one tin of tuna in water or brine, drained. Vegetarians may use tofu, textured vegetable protein (TVP) or quorn.
• Lean meat with all visible fat trimmed off.
• Low fat recipes prepared with low fat sources - e.g. lean mince with tomato Bolognese sauce.
• Medium baking potato or 6 small potatoes or one serving of instant mashed potatoes (the kind with no added fat - read the label). Instead of potato, you may have 4ozs (115g) of rice or pasta (cooked weight).

This schedule may be continued for several weeks - especially if you have lost a lot of weight - 5/6 stones or more - as you will need time to adjust to a different eating behaviour and quantities. Check your weight every week at the Clinic; if it is going up, then action must be taken to address the types and quantities of foods eaten. The maintenance food products are advised during this time to add extra control whilst adjusting to your new eating behaviour.

The main point to understand in following the plan is not to have added fat in your food or in it's preparation.

There is more than adequate fat for daily requirements naturally occuring in a diet chosen from a wide range of foods. There is no benefit to adding fat in preparation - only to add weight back on.