Kate Ferdinand - Fitter, Happier, Healthier: The Ultimate 4 Week Body Transformation Plan

Any references to writing in this book refer to the original printed version. Readers should write on a separate piece of paper in these instances.

/ FOR: Rio, Lorenz, Tate and Tia you are my absolute world. Thank you for coming into my life at just the right time and changing it for the better. I cannot imagine life without you all x

I really want to help you get the kind of body you feel great about every day.

In this book Im going to show you how I balance living my life and having fun with staying in shape. No gimmicks, no fads and no misery eating. Youre going to eat lovely food, youre going to move your body and youre going to practise self-care, because thats what you deserve.

Let me start off by saying that Im a really normal person. I dont spend endless hours in the gym every day, I dont live on green smoothies (that would make me cry), and Im not that person who waves off the bread basket whenever I go out for dinner. I eat well and I work out regularly, but I also enjoy meals out and eating chips (just not every day).

I do what works for me while enjoying my life. Even when I was getting married I didnt go crazy and stop eating all the things I love. I was never going to be that person who starved themselves and got super-skinny for their wedding day. In the run-up I carried on eating and exercising the way I always have because thats what suits me and my body.

Everywhere we look were told what to eat, what not to eat, how we should exercise, and how we shouldnt. Its so confusing. In the past Ive tried everything. Ive been on juice cleanses and soup diets. Sometimes those things would work temporarily, but more often than not Id last a couple of days on a new regime, feel cross and hungry, and end up bingeing on rubbish. Or Id go on holiday, break the routine and put any weight Id lost back on again and then some. The problem is, I like eating food, and my body likes being fed the nutrients it needs, so the quick fixes never truly work. They never, ever fix anything; they just make me annoyed and frustrated.

Ive worked out since my early teens and thats always been a constant in my life. Through trial and error Ive learnt what I enjoy, what I dont, and what works for me. In that sense I feel like Ive had exercise figured out for a long time. My eating habits, however, were another matter.

Having tried every diet going, several years ago I realized that something wasnt working for me. So I went back to basics and began eating a balanced diet and listening to my body. It sounds simple, but it works. No crazy shakes, no getting up at 4 a.m. to do twenty-mile runs and no denying myself the things I love or skipping meals as that isnt the answer. And do you know what? Ive never been happier with my body, or felt healthier.

I think when we jump on and off diets, or were feast or famine, our bodies get confused, go into panic mode and they stop working as well as they should. Nowadays I would never deprive my body of what it needs, which is healthy, nutritious food.

Were all after a quick fix, and I understand why, because Ive been there, but its not sustainable. Slow, steady weight loss is the right approach, because then the weight stays off. I also think thats how your body learns to trust you again after years of deprivation.

You are going to lose weight almost straight away with this kick-start plan, but youre also going to learn lifelong habits. And if you have them, youll lose any fears you have around food because youll see how well your body works when you put the right things in.

/I went back to basics and began eating a balanced diet and listening to my body. It sounds simple, but it works.

This book isnt a diet; its a lifestyle plan, and by that I mean you can, without a doubt, follow it for ever, because its sensible and its achievable and it will work long-term. Im not expecting you to live on lettuce (which I hate, by the way), and I dont want you to be terrified at the sight of a packet of crisps. I just want you to take care of yourself by moving your body and putting good things into it.

My approach is simple. I exercise and eat well most of the time so Im able to enjoy myself and drink a few cocktails when I go on a night out. I would hate to be one of those people who are too scared of living life to the full in case they put on weight. I dont want my world to be really small because Im worried I may fluctuate by a pound or two here and there. Thats just not me. Imagine if being skinny was your sole focus in life but you werent having a good time because you couldnt ever let yourself go? Being slim is great, but so is seeing friends and family and having fun. This book is all about showing how you can look amazing and live your best life at the same time.

Im a normal woman and my weight does fluctuate. I know that feeling of panic when your jeans dont fit like they did the previous week, but that shouldnt lead to panic dieting. Youll only end up in a negative loop of starving and bingeing. Ive learnt not to panic because I know that once Im back on track with my eating and exercise my body will balance out again. I am proof that if you keep a good routine going and eat sensibly your body will stay on track. Its so much cleverer than you realize.

The plan is designed to help you get in shape and learn healthy new habits, and hopefully the things you will take away from it will last a lifetime. Im not claiming to be an all-round expert who has qualifications coming out of their ears; Im just showing you what works for me, and has done for years. Ive learnt how to stay at a healthy weight through trial and error, and now I want to pass that wisdom on to you.

Lets get started!

Kate x

Before we get on to the health and fitness sections Im going to fill you in on my diet and fitness background, so feel free to skip forward if you want to crack on right this minute!

I was brought up in Essex by my mum. My mum and dad split up when I was three and Im an only child, so it was just me and my mum living together in a small house in Hornchurch.

I was quite a naughty kid and a real chatterbox, so I often used to get into trouble at school. I was a bit cheeky but I still worked hard and did well in my exams.

Ive always been active and from Year Eight my mum and I used to go swimming three days a week before school. Later the same year we started going to the gym together, and aside from doing sport at school that was the first time I properly exercised. Some days wed swim and go to the gym, so from the age of twelve or thirteen I was working out pretty regularly and I loved the way it made me feel. I was only young then so it wasnt anything to do with me toning up or losing weight; it just felt really good for me mentally. I knew that I always felt better when I came out of the gym than I did before I went in.