How to burn fat with spicy foods and lose 7lbs in seven days
Looking to burn fat with spice and see results by the weekend.
Whether you want to kick-start a diet after a summer of indulgence or your slimming plan’s failing to shift those last few pounds, our spicy diet plan explains how to burn fat in just one week. This diet plan packed full of fat burning foods will boost your metabolism and blitz fat as it slims you down. Eating plenty of lean protein and fibre-loaded fruit and veg will boost the sluggish digestion that may be impeding your weight loss.
Add spicy chilli, cinnamon, peppers and ginger, and their thermogenic effect is the best way to burn belly fat and will help speed up fat burn by up to 200 calories extra each day. Start on Monday and you could be 7lb lighter by the end of the weekend.
UK celebrity trainer Jon Denoris ets his clients to plunge their feet into a bowl of iced water for 15 minutes first thing in the morning to trigger fat-burning. The body has to work harder to get back to normal temperature, and you’ll burn calories without even thinking!
Seven healthy snacks
Choose one of these fat burning foods each day to enjoy alongside your meals.
- Green pepper and carrot slices with 2tbsp hot salsa dip
- 2 cubes Cheddar cheese with 3 spicy olives
- 1 pear
- 3 sticks celery with 2tbsp of red pepper dip
- 1 banana
- 1 small tub natural yogurt with a handful of berries
- 1 small (25g-30g) bag of spicy vegetable crisps
The diet plan
The best way to lose belly fat is to start every day with a glass of warm water spiked with fresh lemon and ginger slices and aim to drink at least 2 litres of fluid each day. It can be water, herbal or fruit tea . Add 1tsp honey to sweeten it if you need to.
Monday
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- Burn-it-up breakfast: 2 eggs scrambled with ½tsp paprika, 2 mushrooms, chopped and grilled, and 2 cherry tomatoes, grilled. (Sprinkle with chilli flakes if you like.)
- Lose more at lunch: 1 small carton spicy parsnip or mulligatawny soup with 2 Ryvita thins.
- Nice ‘n’ spicy supper: Turkey chilli made with 30g lean turkey mince, 1 small can chopped tomatoes, 1tsp garlic purée, 1tsp chilli flakes and 2tbsp red kidney beans. Serve alongside 3tbsp cooked brown rice and a small green side salad.
Tuesday
- Burn-it-up breakfast: Banana and ginger smoothie. Blitz 1 banana with 1 tub low-fat yogurt, a handful of blueberries and 1tsp grated ginger.
- Lose more at lunch: Wholemeal pitta with lettuce, sliced tomato and red onion, plus 1tsp sweet chilli sauce.
- Nice ‘n’ spicy supper: Chicken and pepper curry. In a wok, cook 30g lean chicken, diced, ½ small onion, chopped, 1 green pepper, de-seeded and chopped, 1 small can chopped tomatoes and 1tsp each garlic purée and medium curry powder. Serve with 3tbsp cooked brown rice.
Wednesday
- Burn-it-up breakfast: 2-egg omelette, a handful of spinach, 1tsp hot pepper sauce.
- Lose more at lunch: Chilli chicken pitta. Combine 3 sliced cooked chicken breasts with shredded lettuce, cucumber and tomato slices, 3 chopped spring onions and ½tsp chilli flakes and load into 1 small wholemeal pitta.
- Nice ’n’ spicy supper: 1 tuna steak brushed with 1tsp red pesto, pan-fried for 5-7 minutes until seared on both sides. Serve with ½ bag rocket and 1tsp hot salsa.
Thursday
- Burn-it-up breakfast: 1 bowl of cinnamon-spiced porridge and a handful of blueberries.
- Lose more at lunch: 2 Ryvita thins with 1 peppered mackerel.
- Nice ‘n’ spicy supper: Spicy prawn skewers. Thread 6-8 king prawns on two skewers with red and yellow pepper chunks and cherry tomatoes, halved. Drizzle with 1tsp each olive oil and hot pepper sauce and grill for 3-5 mins until cooked. Serve with 3tbsp cooked couscous and a small green salad.
Friday
- Burn-it-up breakfast: 1 bowl of unsweetened granola with 1tbsp Greek yogurt, a handful of blueberries and 1tsp grated ginger.
- Lose more at lunch: Sandwich made with 2 slices rye bread, 2tbsp tuna in brine (drained) mixed with 1tsp each of mayonnaise and chilli sauce.
- Nice ‘n’ spicy supper: 1 medium steak fillet served with 3tbsp sweet potato mash and 2tsp hot salsa.
Saturday
- Burn-it-up breakfast: 1 slice wholemeal toast spread with 1tbsp nut butter.
- Lose more at lunch: Watercress and orange salad drizzled with 1tbsp olive oil shaken together with 1tsp lemon juice and sprinkled with sesame seeds.
- Nice ‘n’ spicy supper: Spicy sausage pasta. Combine 3tbsp cooked brown penne pasta with 2tsp stir-in tomato pasta sauce and 5 slices spicy sausage. Try Sainsbury’s Love Your Veg! Chorizo Style Shroomdogs (£2.50, sainsburys.co.uk) for a tasty, low-calorie chorizo sausage.
Sunday
- Burn-it-up breakfast: 1 poached egg, 2 slices grilled lean bacon, 2tbsp spicy baked beans.
- Lose more at lunch: 1 wholemeal roll filled with 3 slices chicken tikka, shredded lettuce and pepper slices.
- Nice ‘n’ spicy supper: Chilli cod. Bake 1 cod fillet with 1 can chopped tomatoes with herbs, 1 green pepper, chopped, and 1tsp chilli flakes for 15 mins. Serve with 3tbsp cooked brown rice, capers and tomatoes.
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Sibelle Mehmet is a Junior Digital Writer at Goodto.com. She joined the team in April 2019 and was her first job since completing a MA in Magazine Journalism at City, the University of London in the summer of 2019. Sibelle previously interned at a number of national titles including OK!, Heat, Closer, Mother & Baby, and The Times Newspaper magazine. She's written extensively about the latest celebrity, showbiz, and royal news.
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