I managed to lose 5 lbs in nine days following a deliberately short, experimental approach to dieting, and I’ve included the Leek and Mushroom Gratin recipe that saved me on one of the low-carb days.
Warning: this is a long post.
Like many people, I started the year a little heavier after the Christmas season. My husband and I are terrible at sticking to diets. In the past we’ve sometimes tried to slim down before our anniversary in late November, but last year we didn’t manage it. Our usual “healthier” attempts mostly mean cutting out naughty snacks while keeping large, generally balanced meals.
This year our New Year’s resolution was to stop strict dieting and adopt mindful eating instead:
- Stop eating when we’re not hungry
- Reduce portion sizes
- Recognise cravings and decide whether to satisfy them, but avoid mindless overeating
- Avoid late-night snacking; have something small after tea if necessary
- Cut back on takeaway lunches
- Save treats like cake for weekends
I believe those principles are sensible and sustainable, but three weeks into January I realised I hadn’t been sticking to them. Weeks one and two were mostly okay, though we ate more chocolate than planned and I made a late-night pudding a couple of times. Week three was a disaster: my husband was away for work, I comfort-ate chocolate and pasta, and even took the kids to McDonald’s midweek. When I finally weighed myself I still had the post-Christmas weight I’d hoped to shift. I felt uncomfortable in my clothes and demotivated at the gym.
So I paused my mindful eating plan and decided to go on a short, strict push to lose 5 lbs. I picked a quirky approach to keep myself motivated: try a different diet each day for up to ten days. The idea came from a story of someone who cycled through multiple diets; I adapted it to nine days because I thought varying daily rules would stave off boredom.
I only told a few people about the plan. I’m not recommending this method as a long-term strategy, but documenting the experiment helped keep me accountable. The short version: it worked. I lost 5 lbs in nine days, and stopped early. Now the challenge is maintaining the loss.
Here are the diets I tried:
- Day 1 – The 5:2 diet (one 500-calorie day)
- Day 2 – Atkins (Phase 1, very low carb)
- Day 3 – Slimming World (Extra Easy plan)
- Day 4 – Nutriblast (smoothie-based day)
- Day 5 – Special K (cereal-based)
- Day 6 – NHS 1400-calorie plan
- Day 7 – Slimfast (shakes and snacks)
- Day 8 – Weight Watchers (points-based)
- Day 9 – My mindful principles (the New Year’s approach)
- Day 10 – Not needed, but would have been Paleo
Summary of the nine days and how I felt:
Day 1 – 5:2 (500 cal day)
This day felt surprisingly doable. I split calories across two light meals: coffee with milk in the morning, spicy breakfast eggs with kale for lunch, and Thai prawns with cauliflower rice for dinner. I even managed a short gym session. Weight change: -2 lbs.
Day 2 – Atkins (Phase 1)
High-fat, very low-carb foods should have been effortless, but I was hungry and grumpy all day. The day’s highlights were Parmesan courgette fries and a comforting leek and mushroom gratin. I wouldn’t have continued Atkins past a day. Weight change: -0.5 lb.
Day 3 – Slimming World (Extra Easy)
This plan encouraged plenty of veg, lean protein and controlled treats. I enjoyed a filling breakfast of porridge with fruit, a syn-free egg, bacon and quinoa salad at lunch, and salmon with courgette and regular pasta at dinner (made lighter by skipping cream and oil). I allowed myself one of the homemade granola bars as my syn. Weight change: -0.75 lb.
Day 4 – Nutriblast (smoothie-focused)
A smoothie breakfast kept me satisfied until lunch. Some of the prescribed snacks weren’t to my taste (banana “ice cream” didn’t work for me), but plain popcorn and a small cacao nib mix helped. Dinner was plain chicken breast and salad. This wasn’t palatable long-term. Weight change: -0.75 lb.
Day 5 – Special K
A simple cereal-based day was easy to follow and flexible enough to feed the family. I had Special K for breakfast and lunch with snack bars in between, and a sensible, vegetable-rich dinner. It was convenient but I wouldn’t want cereal for too many days. Weight change: 0 lbs.
Day 6 – NHS 1400-calorie plan
Calorie counting allowed flexibility. We treated the kids to sushi and a cinema trip; I estimated calories at the restaurant and could still enjoy a chocolate bar. The day felt balanced and pleasant. Weight change: -0.5 lb.
Day 7 – Slimfast
Shakes and snack bars left me feeling a bit silly, especially when my daughter asked why I was drinking milkshakes instead of eating a proper lunch with her. I used the plan to keep dinner nutritious for the whole family, but I wouldn’t repeat this approach. Weight change: 0 lbs.
Day 8 – Weight Watchers (points plus)
This points-based day encouraged fruit and veg and felt reasonable. The main downside was the time required to look up points for some foods. The day was enjoyable and family-friendly. Weight change: 0 lbs.
Day 9 – Mindful eating (my New Year’s principles)
I finally returned to the approach I want long-term: sensible portions, pausing for hunger cues, and balanced meals. Eating at my mother-in-law’s felt normal and social. Breakfast was homemade granola with Greek yogurt and berries, lunch was poached eggs on toast, snacks were fruit and vegetables, and dinner was chicken tikka with spiced potatoes and vegetables. Weight change: -0.5 lb. Total lost: 5 lbs in nine days.
Overall favourites were Day 9 (my mindful eating day) and Day 6 (NHS 1400-calorie plan). The least appealing were Atkins (too restrictive for me) and Slimfast (awkward for family meals and felt odd in front of my child).
Had I continued to Day 10 I would have followed Paleo principles: whole foods like grass-fed meats, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts and healthy oils, while avoiding grains, legumes, dairy, refined sugar and processed foods.
As promised, here is the Leek and Mushroom Gratin recipe that featured on my Atkins day:
The Leek and Mushroom Gratin Recipe:
A ridiculous diet
Nicky Corbishley
10 mins
10 mins
20 mins
2 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil — 0g carbs
- 200 g (2 cups) leek, thinly sliced — 13.6g carbs
- 100 g (1 1/3 cup) mushrooms, thinly sliced — 3.6g carbs
- 1 clove garlic, chopped — 0.9g carbs
- 2 tbsp double cream
- 60 g (about 1/2 cup) cheddar, grated — 0.8g carbs
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped — 0.1g carbs
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium frying pan. Add the leeks and mushrooms and fry over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until leeks are wilted and mushrooms softened.
- Add the chopped garlic and the cream, stir and cook for one minute. Stir in half the grated cheese.
- Transfer the mixture to a heatproof dish, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and a little black pepper. Grill until the cheese melts and turns golden.
- Remove from the grill, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 9 g |
Protein: 10 g |
Fat: 22 g |
Saturated Fat: 10 g |
Cholesterol: 52 mg |
Sodium: 215 mg |
Fiber: 2 g |
Sugar: 5 g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
Reaching my 5 lb goal in nine days felt encouraging. The short, varied experiment reminded me that a sustainable, mindful approach is the best long-term plan, but brief focused pushes can help reset motivation. Now the goal is to keep the weight off by sticking to the mindful principles I outlined at the start.