46 PRIMA.CO.UK | February 2019

Iwalked out of the doctors’ surgerywith the nurse’s words ringing inmy ears. ‘You could do with losinga stone,’ she said as I stepped off

the scales. Her words stung: I felt angryand shocked. With my self-esteem atrock-bottom, she’d really hit a nerve.At the time, I was in my mid-30s with

two young daughters – Emily, now 26,and Sara, now 23 – and working as aproject coordinator for a large toycompany. I was firmly stuckin a ‘Mum tunnel’, withlooking after myselflow on my list of priorities.Like many working mumswith young children, I hadlittle time and ate food thatwas quick and easy duringthe week, tucking into wineand crisps at the weekend.I knew this wasn’t great,but I didn’t have the energyto tackle it.

THE BIG CHALLENGEWeight had always been an issue for me.I was a chubby teenager and fearedbeing overweight and unhealthy like mymum. So when I went to university I didwhat made logical sense to my immature,exercise-averse mind – I dieted. Life wasall bran flakes and cottage cheese.

After reinventing her own diet to lose her ‘mumbod’, Annie Deadman, 58, devised The 21 DayBlast plan to share with everyone

Shift yourmid-life middlein 21 days

‘As a workingmum in mymid-30s, I

ate food thatwas quickand easy.’

l Women are emotional aboutfood in a way that men aren’t. Likeyou, I’ve opened the fridge ata time of crisis – it’s an automaticreflex. But I remind myself that I’llfeel worse if I hit the chocolate!l Most people think that cardiois the only way to lose fat. In fact,resistance work is crucial. Do moresquats, lunges, weights work, ortough yoga. This makes for firmmuscle (which will burn energywhile you watch the telly!).l Once people hit their 40s, theycan think that it’s too late to turnthings around. It isn’t. I’ve seen ithappen time and time again.l You’re more likely to stick toexercise if you do things you like.I mix things up. I go power walkingone day with a friend, a class thenext, or go for a bike ride.l It’s easier to break bad habits ifyou keep a food diary of what youate, and how you felt when you ateit to identify your emotional triggers.

WOMEN ANDWEIGHT LOSS

My top tipsAs long as I was thin, I was happy.But, I can see now, I wasn’t healthy.

I avoided exercise like the plague,and had no idea if what I was eatingwas good or bad, as long as it didn’tmake me fat. That’s when, faced withexhaustion, full-time office work andtwo young children, the weight wenton. But after that nurse’s appointment,I was shocked into doing something.I love a challenge and started devouring

books about nutrition, andmade changes to my owndiet, experimenting all thetime. I gave up alcohol fora month and stoppedeating processed foodand sugary snacks. TheJane Fonda workout videowas my company afterthe girls went to bed.Not only did my weightstart to shift, so did my

mindset. I felt calmer and happierabout life.After that, I managed to squeeze

in a sports nutrition course, and joineda body conditioning class. To mysurprise, I loved it. I found musclesand contours I never knew I had. Ibegan to ditch my leggings andbaggy T-shirts, and swap them forfigure-hugging fitness gear instead.

PRIMA.CO.UK | February 2019 47

Healthy-living plan

‘Whenpeople hittheir 40s,they think

it’s too late toturn thingsaround, but

it isn’t! ’

My confidence soared:I never weighed myself,instead I just enjoyedmy new body shape.I was so amazed I

wanted to share what I’dfound out with others. I dida personal training course,then started running anevening aerobics class.I felt renewed motivation

at being able to help others and thatexercise had given me that passion.

WEHAVE BLAST-OFFFast forward 15 years and I’ve leftmy desk job behind. I now run a wholeraft of group training sessions includingcircuits, bootcamp and boxing witha team of fantastic instructors. Iunderstand how hard it is to breakbad habits – as well as find time toexercise. I still do my workout classesin the same church hall in south westLondon, and most start at 6am sopeople can fit exercise into their daybefore work. Even at that time theclasses are packed.Six years ago, I developed The Blast

programme for my class members tohelp them feel well and lose weight,largely based on cutting out foodsthat can play havoc with your gut.The results were amazing. Two yearsago, after one of my class memberswrote about The Blast in The SundayTimes, I took it online. These days,there are people all over the worlddoing squats and refining their dietsbecause it really works. My newbook, The 21 Day Blast Plan, is fullof everything I’ve learnt over the past15 years, summed up in 288 pages!While helping others and getting their

amazing feedback is the best reward ofall, my own health still motivates me.Obviously, I don’t know what’s aroundthe corner, but I want to give myself thebest chance of staying well, withoutbeing a total goody-two-shoes.The day the first copies of the book

were delivered was one of the proudestof my life. I couldn’t believe how far I’dcome – personally and professionally.My 20-year-old-self would choke on herbran flakes if she could see me now!’

Top tip!The 21 Day Blast planis designed to helppeople feel greatand lose weight.

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48 PRIMA.CO.UK | February 2019

The 21-DayBLAST PLAN‘T his is not a diet,’

Annie explains. ‘It’sa programme ofbetter eating and

exercise that will soothe yourgut, boost your energy levelsand your mood, creating a bodythat is harmonious inside as wellas out. It’s a plan where you playabout with food which may causeintolerances, to help give asmooth-running digestive system.Carbs, fats and proteins are allencouraged as is exercise.Why 21 days? It’senough time tobreak bad habits,like thatwind-downwine and TVchocolate!’

THE APPROACH When trying tolose weight, people often focuson eating too little and watchingthe scales. My approach differs:in fact, I threw away the scaleslong ago. Instead, I want peopleto understand how our bodiesmetabolise muscle and fat to getenergy, and how we can preservemuscle by feeding it more protein.Blast helps establish great habitsfor life like more protein, lesssugar, more water, less alcohol.

A HEALTHY GUT Givefoods that are bad foryour gut a wideberth. Over three

weeks of cutting out most dairy,wheat, processed food andminimising caffeine, you canexplore which foods leave youfeeling lethargic or bloated.

ANYTIME FOODS Meat, fish,eggs, pulses and beans, all vegapart from starchy ones, berries,peaches, watermelon, soyaproducts, unsweetened high-protein natural yogurt, nuts andseeds, nut butters, tofu, oils,

milk alternatives.

WHAT TO EATPOST-WORKOUTCarbohydrates such

as oats, potatoes, rice, sweetpotatoes, wheat-free pasta,bread made without wheat,other fruits including pears,apples and bananas (you caneat these fruits any time on aworkout day).

WHAT YOU CAN DRINKOne caffeinated drink a day,three litres of water or herbal teaa day, decaffeinated tea orcoffee (with non-dairy milk).

WHAT TO AVOID Wheat, cows’dairy products (except naturalyogurt), sugar, processed foods,caffeine (one cup a day).

Small changes, big differenceAnnie’s secrets for everyday good living

" Increase the amount ofprotein you eat and theexercise you do. This willprompt the body to takeenergy from your fatstores instead of yourmuscles. Good sourcesare fish, chicken, redmeat, tofu, pulses, beans,

eggs and yogurt."Don’t be frightenedof eating fat, just eat

the rightkind. Get

somegood fats

(avocado,

nuts, oily fish) into yourdiet to improve yourmood and your skin." Fill your plate withvegetables, especiallygreen ones. Broccoliis my go-to greenery."As life gets tougher, it’seasy to comfort eat. Try tostick to three meals andone snack a day, all withan emphasis on protein." You don’t have to avoidcarbohydrates totally ifyou love them. Just realisethat they’re not necessaryat every single meal.

"Accept that there willbe times where yourresolve is pushed to itslimit. You’ve got a new joband your friends bringround fizz and cake, andyou’ve been so ‘good’all week. So eat, drinkand enjoy, then returnto a good routine thefollowing day." If you don’t fancy aworkout, then go foran energising powerwalk instead. Just stickon a podcast and awayyou go in the fresh air.

FRIDGEESSENTIALS

High-proteinyogurtEggs

Almond milk orcoconut milk

TunaSpinachBroccoliAlmondsBananas

Turkey mince orsteaks

Blueberries

The food philosophy

Carbs, fats and proteins are all encouraged as is exercise.Why 21 days? It’s enough time to break bad habits,

wine and TV

are fi sh, chicken, red meat, tofu, pulses, beans,

eggs and yogurt."Don’t be frightened of eating fat, just eat

the right kind.

some good fats

(avocado,

The food philosophy

PRIMA.CO.UK | February 2019 49

Healthy-living plan

Exercising four time a week is part of The 21 DayBlast plan. These exercises form part of your workoutand are great for targetting a lot of muscles at once.

key exercises3

" Lie on the floor on yourback with your legs bent, feetflat on the floor."Dig your heels in so yourtoes point upwards." Lift hips slowly off the flooras high as you can, squeeze

the glutes as you go."Drop them back down butnot all the way to the floor.Make this more challengingby elevating your feet on toa chair or bed to give youmore range of motion.

"With feet slightly widerthan shoulder-width apart,and toes facing forwards,lower your hips slowly to thefloor, keeping your back

straight and your chestforwards (as if you are sittingon the toilet!)." Squeeze your glutes a littleto bring yourself back up.

" First level: Start on allfours, hands slightly widerthan shoulder-width apartand lower your upper bodyto the floor, keeping yourhead beyond your hands, notin between. To come backup, exhale and push the flooraway from you. This willrecruit those chest muscles."Next level: The samemove, but knees are further

back and your hips forward alittle so there is more weightover your upper body. Keepyour spine level and tightenyour abdominal muscles asyou come back up." Full-on ‘get you’ version:Knees off the floor, loweryourself slowly, breathing in.Then, push the floor awayfrom you to come up. If youonly do a few, that’s terrific!

Hip raises

Squats

Press-ups

Top tip!Eat moreprotein topreserve

your muscle!

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50 PRIMA.CO.UK | February 2019

Healthy-living plan

Nut and berrybreakfast jarSERVES 1 CALORIES 414 PROTEIN 23.4G

• 100g raspberries• 2tsp chia seeds• 175g Greek yogurt• 60g strawberries, hulled and sliced• 10g pecan nuts, chopped• 10g Brazil nuts, chopped• 10g pistachio nuts, chopped• 1tsp cacao powder• Mint leaves, to garnish (optional)

1 Put the raspberries and chia seeds ina small blender and blend to a paste.Stand for 2min to thicken slightly.2 Spoon half the yogurt into a jar, thentop with half the strawberry slices.3 Spoon over the raspberry mixture,then top with the remaining yogurt.4 Put the nuts in a small frying pan andcook over a medium heat, making surethey don’t burn. Remove from the heatand stir in the cacao powder.5 Spoon the coated nuts on top ofthe yogurt; top with the remainingstrawberry slices. Serve immediatelygarnished with mint leaves, if using,or chill in the fridge until needed.

For the recipes, the workouts and full details, check outThe 21 Day Blast Plan by Annie Deadman (HQ, £18.99).

Thai prawn cakesSERVES 2 CALORIES PER SERVING205 PROTEIN 25.8G

• 300g cooked prawns• Juice of 1/2 lime, plus extra to garnish• 2cm piece of fresh ginger, peeledand grated

• 2 spring onions, trimmed andthinly sliced

• 1/2tsp fish sauce• 1 medium egg yolk• Small handful of coriander leaves• 1/4tsp black pepper• 1tbsp olive oil• Rocket salad or stir-fried vegetables,to serve

1 Put the prawns, lime juice, ginger,spring onions, fish sauce, egg yolk,coriander and black pepper in a smallblender and blitz until well mixed.2 Use your hands to shape into 8small fishcakes. Chill for 30min.3 Heat the oil in a frying pan andcook the prawn cakes for 2-3minon each side until slightly golden.4 Serve with rocket salad or stir-friedveg. Garnish with extra lime.

SERVES 4 CALORIES PER SERVING326 PROTEIN 42.5G

• 200g Greek yogurt• 1/2tsp smoked paprika• 1/2tsp ground turmeric• 1/2tsp garam masala• 1/2 green chilli, deseededand diced

• 1 garlic clove, crushed• 1cm piece fresh ginger, peeled

and grated• 1tbsp chopped coriander• Juice of 1/2 lemon• 4 x 150g salmon fillets• 1/4 cucumber, grated• Small handful of mint leaves,chopped

• Tomato and red onion salad orgreen veg, and lemon, to serve

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°Cfan) mark 6.2 Pour half the Greek yogurt into abowl. Stir in the spices, chilli, garlic,ginger, coriander and lemon juice.3 Spread over the salmon fillets,cover, set aside for 20min.4 Meanwhile, mix together theremaining yogurt, grated cucumberand chopped mint to make the raita.5 Put the salmon fillets on a bakingtray and bake for 8-10min until thesalmon is cooked through.6 Serve with salad or cooked greenveg, the raita and a lemon wedge.

Try Annie’s recipes

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The Blast plan uses ‘Anytime’ and ‘After Workout’ healthy mealchoices. Here are three of her lighter ‘Anytime’ suggestions

Salmon tandoori with cucumber raita