Anything that is called ‘diet’ is normally doomed to failure for most people. But The Body Reset Diet is different. It’s not really a diet because you are not restricted to one food category and you won’t feel hungry.

The approach is to eat seemingly more than you would do normally – at least if you are a serial dieter who has sabotaged their metabolism by starving.

This weightloss plan by Harley Pasternak, a Los Angeles-based fitness expert (he holds an MdC in exercise physiology and nutritional sciences) – and he guarantees that if you stick to the three phases over a 15-day period you will not only loose weight from Day 1 but have rebooted your metabolism. Harvey’s approach is that successful dieters are those who get a quick result.

But if you hate smoothies and fresh fruit and vegetables then this isn’t for you. During the first five day phase, you consume 1,200 calories daily with three smoothies  and two snacks with fresh vegetables and even a hommous dip. When I tried it I was not at all hungry. The secret is in the protein – either as yogurt of milk whey that you add to the shake and the fact that you are filling up on liquid.

Also Harvey recommends that you temporarily give up your exercise regime during Phase 1 as this will over stimulate your appetite. Exercise is introduced later to build up muscles and get you fitter.

And its important that you don’t juice the fruits and vegetables – which has always seemed senseless to me as you remove all the good fibre and other nutrients. Well Harvey agrees that blending is the way to go as you get all the goodness.

Harley explains, “With so many crazy and extreme diets on the market, it’s hard to know what to eat and how to maintain a healthy regime. We have lost our way when it comes to diet and succumb to extreme measures that promise short-term rewards. In spite of our extreme attempts to get in shape, we are still unsatisfied with how we look. The Body Reset Diet is a healthy, simple formula for shedding pounds and produces instant results.”

Harley Pasternak

But as much as I like spinach (cooked) the thought of eating it raw in a smoothie was not at all tantalising – until I made one and tasted it and it was absolutely delicious. It’s so good I am going to repeat it here:

Sweet Spinach Smoothie

60g of spinach leaves
1 ripe pear
15 green or red grapes
175 g of Fat-free natural Greek yogurt
2 tablesspoons of chopped avocado
1-2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice

Nutrition Info
Calories: 315
Total Fat: 7g
Carbs: 43g
Protein: 25g
Fibre: 9g

The secret of the great flavour is actually the pear and also the lime juice.

Pear Spice Smoothie

1 pear (ripe and unpeeled)
1 banana
1 teaspoon of chopped fresh ginger or pinch of ground ginger
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons of vanilla or unflavoured protein powder

Nutrition Info

Calories: 300
Total Fat: 2g
Carbs: 55g
Protein: 25g
Fibre: 10g

I made mine without the banana and replaced the protein with Oatley milk and it was still fantastic tasting.

I spent five days on the smoothies and even if my weightloss was not that great my skin looked amazing.

In Phase 11, the diet is almost the same but you replace one of the smoothies with a healthy meal and start some circuit resistance training – the exercises are detailed in the book. Phase 111 is the rest of your life! And Harvey has lots of advice and tips to keep you on track. There are also lots of recipes for you to follow.

The actress Hilary Duff tells Harvey: “The Body Reset Diet proves that you don’t have to suffer, starve or make huge lifestyle changes to lose weight, feel great and look fantastic.”

The Body Reset Diet by Harley Pasternak, MSc is published by Simon & Schuster and available in paperback and costs £12.99.

Look out for our competition – we have five paperbacks of Harvey’s book to be won!

And if you can’t wait to get your hands on this great book and its recipes you can buy at Amazon.