Kate Harrison - The Dirty Diet: Ditch the guilt, love your food

Ditch the guilt. Love your food. Lose weight for good.

Do you want to lose up to 15 lbs (7 kg) in 28 days, without giving up your favourite foods or feeling guilty? Would you love a fuss-free plan that doesnt tell you food is bad or naughty, but focuses on how enjoyable eating well can be? An approach that gives you the benefits of the latest research on longevity, brain health and gut science?

Then the Dirty Diet is for you.

Forget clean eating, neurotic obsessions and unscientific rules, which have become all too familiar to weary dieters. Instead, enjoy all the foods you love: cheese, full-fat yogurt, carbs including bread and grains, fresh produce, meat and fish (if you like them), plus coffee and wine. Real, tasty food. Nothing banned. And no more guilt Because as Im about to show you, eating well is all about variety, not restriction, and about focusing on what makes you feel and look your best.

In only four weeks, people who tried out the Dirty Diet lost up to 15lbs (7kg); dropped two dress sizes; saw great improvements in their mood and gut health; and found a plan they can enjoy for life. And dont just take my word for it heres what our participants said:

I have lost 15 lbs (7 kg) after 28 days. The Dirty Diet is the best diet Ive ever been on, which sounds like hyperbole but is honestly what I feel. I like the fact that its not faddy. I like the expertise behind it. I love the fact that it doesnt preach. Ive failed at all other diets Ive tried before, including seeing a hospital dietitian. This is the first diet that made sense because there is so much emphasis on me as an individual. I dont have to fit into a one-size-fits-all way of living.

Bridget, 62, tutor and writer from Brighton, UK

Over the four weeks, I lost 14 lbs (6.3 kg), which I was really surprised and pleased by. I also noticed I slept better, had no acid reflux, and my psoriasis was much less itchy and annoying. I also have more energy. Best of all, its been easy for me to adopt as a lifestyle, and has really stuck.

Rose, 46, lecturer from Hertfordshire, UK

Im 10 lbs (4.5 kg) down in 28 days and I feel so much healthier; its working better than any other diet Ive ever tried. Not only has it allowed me to change my eating habits and expand the range of the foods I enjoy I really feel better about myself.

Quinton, 27, IT technician from Durban, South Africa

I lost 12.5lbs (5.6kg) in four weeks and Im over the moon I cant believe how much better I feel in myself. Im sleeping better, my IBS has settled down a lot, and Ive rediscovered enjoyment of food rather than just eating for the sake of eating, as well as a few new favourite recipes! It makes a lovely change to eat yummy food and not feel guilty about enjoying it.

Jenni, 36, office administrator from Warwickshire, UK

I lost 12lbs (5.5kg) in 28 days: I am proud of my achievements and feel that I can, for the first time in over 20 years, reach my ideal weight this way. I felt so lost, knowing I need to lose weight to be around for my eight-year-old daughter, knowing my eating was killing me, but feeling so overwhelmed by all the different diets. Should I eat clean, should I eat Paleo, or low-carb? Then I tried the Dirty Diet and I feel liberated!

Sarah, 42, deputy principal, Perth, Australia

I am beyond excited. Im down two dress sizes and have had compliments from my mother-in-law! After having tried so many diets of which many worked but were not sustainable this is the one for me. The diet (scratch that lifestyle!) is easy and, more importantly, sustainable.

Patricia, 52, translator from Quebec, Canada

Its a simple, personalised plan that will help you lose weight, improve your health, and ditch any guilt you feel for eating food you love. Its both flexible and sustainable: this book contains all you need for the first four weeks and the rest of your life. When you decide to eat dirty, you will:

Lose weight and feel in the best shape, physically and mentally;

Ditch the guilt and fall back in love with real food (including easy, quick options for busy lives);

Eat in tune with the latest nutritional research , reaping benefits from game-changing work on fasting and the gut microbiome.

Yes, if:

You want to lose weight in a sustainable, enjoyable way and keep it off;

You want to improve your diet without any faddy restrictions or half-baked theories;

You want simple, delicious meals that benefit gut health and mood;

Youd like to find practical ways to benefit from the latest nutritional research.

On top of all that, people who have already tried the Dirty Diet also reported improvements in digestion; better sleep; more energy; lower anxiety levels; improvements in acne, eczema and rosacea; fewer cravings and blood sugar fluctuations; and the pleasure of enjoying a more balanced, diverse and satisfying diet!

The Dirty Diet works by offering easy, flexible meal plans and simple guidelines you can stick to for life. The approach includes Plenty Days and Fast Days:

Plenty Days: 45 days per week

On Plenty Days, youll choose three delicious meals including easy-to-prepare recipes and ready-made options adding up to 1800 calories per day (with some flexibility depending on how quickly youre aiming to lose weight).

ON THE MENU : You could be tucking in to bubble-and-squeak with egg at breakfast, a vegetable balti at lunchtime, and smoked salmon and gruyre tart or mushroom and leek risotto for dinner, washed down with a glass of red wine.

Fast Days: 23 days per week

On Fast Days, youll enjoy lower-calorie meals, which are still nutritious and filling and include lots of veg, adding up to a daily total of 600750 calories . As well as producing weight loss, these lighter days help retune your appetite and benefit your health by encouraging cell renewal and recycling.

ON THE MENU : You could be eating a yogurt granola sundae with strawberries for breakfast, minestrone with pesto for lunch and Middle Eastern lamb meatballs or avocado Caesar salad for dinner.

Youll find vegetarian and meat/fish options for both Plenty Days and Fast Days. Nothing is banned , including alcohol and treats, but youll eat an increased variety of foods, with more vegetables, fruit, grains, fibre and whole foods including cheese, full-fat live yogurt, nuts and seeds. Snacking is strongly discouraged but with our super-filling dishes you wont need to eat between meals! And dont worry if time or money are short: your choices include ready-made, great value meals as well as home-made dishes.

The Fast Days help you achieve the calorie gap or deficit you need to lose weight while making you aware of how filling and tasty healthy food can be.

The Plenty Days are about balance, variety and flavour, with nutritious, tasty ingredients, plus a little of what you fancy including foods that other diets ban. The flexibility is what makes this plan so sustainable. You will want to live this way for good!

Because eating should be fun, pleasurable and messy not clean, sterile and obsessive. So many diets seem to want to punish us for having an appetite! Yet it makes no sense to ban the real, unprocessed foods weve loved for centuries, including fresh bread, salted butter, strong cheese, eggs, vegetables, plus tasty meat and fish if youre not a vegetarian.