A weight off your mind

What began as an act of charity became a way of life for chef Iain Hewitson, as he watched the kilos disappear from his portly body. He has revealed his dieting secrets in his new book Huey's Diet.

It all started a year ago when two big men decided to do something for charity.

Mr Hewitson and social worker Les Twentyman arranged a sponsorship deal that saw money paid for each kilo they lost.

"I lost 20 kilos and that only took a couple of months," Mr Hewitson said.

"Then we got into the habit and I lost another ten kilos, which I kept off for 18 months," he said.

"That's more important than losing the weight - keeping it off."

The secret to Mr Hewitson's diet is now available to everybody, via his book "The Huey Diet", although it is probably directed at a more specific audience.

"I'm a fatty, always have been, always will be, so it's for a person who is generously proportioned - needs to lose a bit of weight, but it's not a skinny diet," he said.

So how does the diet work?

"The basic thing is you have to have one main meal per day, which involves meat or vegies," he said.

"Your other meal is much lighter which involves vegetables - (it) could be a stir fry - and breakfast is mainly fruit."

Deserts, fried food, butter, cheese and beer are all taboo in the diet, but Mr Hewitson does admit he has cheated from time to time.

"The basic principle of this diet is I now eat heaps of fruit and vegies - only 30 per cent of my total intake is meat, poultry and fish and 70% is fruit and

vegies," he said.

Mr Hewitson said the mistake he thought most people made was that they were too tough on themselves.

They were too insistent upon sticking to calories and boring food, which always resulted in putting the weight back on.

The Huey Diet is available at bookstores.