Cheat smart on your food plan to reset your metabolism

Here are my rules to cheating smart:

• Make sure you have at least six days between your 'cheat' - it takes between four and six days for your body to recover from a sugar hit.

• Always have some type of protein at the cheat meal.

• The 'cheat' I tell my clients to have is a glass of Pinot Noir and two squares of dark organic 70pc chocolate on a Saturday night after your main meal.

• Always have your 'cheat' in the evening at your last meal, so that you don't keep cheating for the whole day.

Here are some recipes from my book The Synergise 14 Day Fat Loss Furnace Recipe Book. Both can be prepped in under 10 minutes.

Blueberry Carrot Smoothie (Makes 1 serving)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen blueberries

• 1 carrot (peeled and sliced)

• 2 tbsp cashews

• 1 cup spinach

• 1 serving protein powder

• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

• 1/2 cup ice cubes

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth.

Turkey Vegetable Meatballs (Makes two servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb minced turkey (or chicken)

• 2 medium carrots (or a handful of baby carrots)

• 1 red or green bell pepper

• 5 large mushrooms

• handful of fresh parsley

• 1/2 white onion

• 1 clove garlic

• 2 tsp garlic salt

• 2 tbsp Italian seasoning

• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 3 tbsp ground chia seeds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F / 180 °C

2. Combine carrots, bell pepper, mushrooms, onion, garlic, chia seeds and seasonings in a food processor and blend until well chopped.

3. Empty the food processor into a large bowl, add the ground turkey and mix together completely.

4. Form meatballs and place on a non-greased baking sheet (about 1.5in to 2in each). Bake for about 25 mins, or until cooked.

Gregg Marsh is a weight-loss coach and runs Synergise Fitness in Sandyford, Dublin 1. To get a free copy of Gregg's Synergise 14 Day Fat Loss Furnace Recipe Book, visit www.synergise.ie

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