Kick on for summer

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With the holiday season almost upon us it's the time of the year when we all like to look our best. After piling on the kilos over winter it's time to take action, so we bring you Kick-Start for Summer.

Anna Romeo is one of tens of thousands who have followed our Kick-Start diet to get back into shape.

"I want to be able to look decent in a cossie," she said.

Now she's on our all-new Kick-Start for Summer plan, the latest program devised by our medical and nutritional experts to get you toned for the beach and the sun and it all begins with that amazing soup.

Already Ms Romeo has shed 8kg.

Mother-of-three Stephanie Petrevski is another on the new summer Kick-Start bandwagon, losing more than a dress size in four weeks, or 7kg in total.

"I want to be able to look good in a costume and be confident when I'm out there with my kids," she said.

She's been on the soup for two weeks and it's meant instant results.

"I saw the results in the first week and it was wonderful," she said.

"My goal is to get down to a size 12 - 10 to 12 - and I'll be happy."

Ms Petrevski is now on to phase two of summer Kick-Start, switching to low-glycemic-index (low-GI) carbohydrates, making simple changes and shopping smarter by looking for products with the "Low GI" symbol and absolutely no fat.

If you love a spud with your kick-start barbecue, go for smaller varieties and lower the GI levels by adding yoghurt or try a sweet potato instead.

Avoid salt and opt instead for plenty herbs for flavour.

Skinless chicken and lean red meat are ideal for the kick-start barbie.

As for dessert, on our summer kick-start there's plenty of tasty variety with lots of luscious fruit and vegetables.

Tropical fruit is high GI but that's not a problem; just mix and match it with other fruits for a healthy balance.

When it comes to protein, go for controlled portions - about the size of a deck of cards - of lean meats to cut the saturated fats.

While it's important to reduce your oil intake as much as possible on stage two of the kick-start, a small amount of olive oil in a salad is a great treat and by using a spray oil you can control your portions.

You can even have a small serving of low-GI bread.

And finally, every barbecue needs a bit of wine to wash the meal down so go for a drop of white.

Here's a sample of the Kick-Start for Summer meal plan.

Breakfast

• A banana smoothie with low-fat milk and yoghurt.
• Porridge with a low-GI cereal such as All Bran and tinned peaches.
• Poached, boiled or scrambled eggs with wholegrain toast.

Lunch

• A low-GI tuna and salad sandwich.
• A sandwich with salad and ham off the bone.
• Try a snack pack of pears for dessert.
• On Sundays, try a grilled lean steak.

Dinner

• Try grilled fish, skinless chicken or lean steak with low-GI vegies and a mini mountain of salad.

The complete meal plan and recipes for Kick-Start for Summer are in this week's New Idea.For more Kick-Start for Summer meal ideas click on the link below.''Disclaimer
The information on todaytonight.com.au is made available for information purposes only, and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Also, the accuracy, currency and completeness of the information is not guaranteed. AOL|7 does not accept any liability for any injury, loss or damage incurred by use of or reliance on the information. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health professional.''