The Diet Plan for a Skinny New You

Fast weight loss

After January 1, calorie amnesia comes to an end—and you’re officially out of excuses for nibbling on tree-shaped cookies for breakfast and lunching on gift buckets of cheese popcorn. But when the season of splurging is over, you need more than good intentions to start eating right. That’s why we loaded this supersimple, mix-and-match, 1,300-calorie-per-day menu plan with magic ingredients that are satisfying and scientifically proven to boost weight loss. Get ready to lose 15 pounds in six weeks—without hunger.

Honey-Pecan Oatmeal With Raspberries

300 calories

Prepare 1 packet plain instant oatmeal with hot water, according to package directions. Top with 2 teaspoons honey, 2 tablespoons chopped pecans, and 3⁄4 cup fresh raspberries (or 3⁄4 cup frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed).

Skinny secret! Oatmeal helps you blast off belly fat. In a study, people who ate whole grains like oatmeal as part of a diet lost more around their middles than people who ate refined grains.

Fresh Tomato and Feta Frittata

300 calories

Whisk together 1 large egg, 2 large egg whites, 1⁄2 cup chopped tomato, and 2 tablespoons feta cheese, crumbled. Cook the egg mixture over medium heat (without stirring) in a small skillet coated with cooking spray for 4 minutes or until eggs are firm. Flip and cook other side for 2 minutes more. Serve with 1 slice whole-grain toast with 2 teaspoons trans fat–free margarine.

Skinny secret! Crack an egg. Eating protein in the morning will make you feel fuller all day long and help you lose weight.

Black Bean, Steak, and Avocado Salad

400 calories

Sauté 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper and 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet for 1 minute. Add 3 ounces steak, thinly sliced, and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1⁄4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained; sauté for another 3 minutes. Toss with 4 cups mixed salad greens, 1⁄4 diced avocado, 1⁄4 cup canned no-salt-added corn, and 1 tablespoon Italian dressing.

Skinny secret! Capsaicin, a compound in crushed red pepper, ups the calories you naturally burn after eating.

White Bean and Basil Penne

400 Calories

Cook 1⁄2 cup whole-grain penne pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside. Return pot to heat, and add 1⁄2 cup canned white beans, drained and rinsed, 1 cup chopped zucchini, and 1⁄4 cup spaghetti sauce; cook for 7 minutes. Stir pasta into sauce. Top with 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh basil and 1 teaspoon toasted pine nuts.

Skinny secret! Beans contain resistant starch, which triggers key appetite hormones that make you feel full.

Cashew-Coconut Shrimp Stir-Fry

400 Calories

Sauté 2 minced garlic cloves in 1 teaspoon peanut oil over medium heat for 1 minute. Add 2 cups of frozen stir-fry vegetables; cook for 5 minutes. Add 12 medium precooked frozen shrimp, 1⁄2 cup precooked microwavable brown rice, and 1⁄3 cup light coconut milk; sauté 5–8 minutes more. Top with 1 tablespoon chopped cashews and 1⁄4 teaspoon light soy sauce.

Skinny secret! People who bulk up on veggies lose 25 percent more weight than people who just trim the fat in their diets.

Southwestern-Style Chicken and Veggies

400 Calories

Heat 1 frozen meal, 300 calories or fewer (such as Kashi Southwest Style Chicken), and 2 cups frozen vegetables in microwave. Top warm vegetables with 1 tablespoon fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

Skinny secret! Women who regularly eat frozen entrées lose 30 to 35 percent more weight than other dieters (probably because the portions are controlled).

Tuscan Tuna Sandwich

400 Calories

Mix 3 ounces light tuna in water, drained; 5 chopped jumbo black olives; 2 chopped celery ribs; juice from 1⁄2 lemon; and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Place tuna mixture on 1 piece toasted whole-grain bread, and top with 1⁄2 cup mixed lettuce greens. Top with another piece of toasted whole-grain bread, and serve with 1 small orange on the side.

Skinny secret! Go for fish and other foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids. They keep you feeling full for long stretches.

Curried Lentil Soup With Pita

400 Calories

Stir 1⁄4 teaspoon curry powder into 1 1⁄2 cups low-sodium lentil soup (such as Amy’s Organic Lentil Soup-Light in Sodium), and heat in microwave. Top with 2 tablespoons low-fat Greek yogurt; serve with 1 whole-grain pita, cut into triangles. Enjoy 1⁄2 cup grapes on the side.

Skinny secret! Start your meal with soup, and you’ll eat 20 percent fewer total calories than you would if you skipped the soup. Why? Soup fills you up. (It could translate into a 10- to 15-pound loss in a year.)

Outstanding Animations

 

Artistic Collections

 

Creative Mosaics Of Sand And Shells

Ukrainian artist Svetlana Ivanchenko makes beautiful sand and shell mosaics using materials commonly found on beaches. Each portrait were carefully assembled by hand, and no colors were used. The element you see on these portraits come from a variety of naturally colored shells and pebbles, and an occasional plant root or bark of a tree. Svetlana was born and raised on the Black Sea in Yalta. She studied at the Art School of the famous Crimean artist Sergei Bokaeva. Later she graduated from the Pedagogical Institute Glukhovsky. Sergeyev-Tsensky specialty art. She currently lives and works in Dnepropetrovsk. Her works adorn private collections in Ukraine, Russia, Germany and Israel.

Beautiful Garden

The beautiful garden design ideas allow you to enjoy wonderful scenery in the backyard. People love to spend their leisure time in the outdoor space since they feel trapped inside the house. When it comes about landscaping design, they tend to be lazy since gardening is considered as daunting task.

Actually you can make it fun since you are the boss here to design and decorate the backyard. You can enhance the value of your property by applying the nice and beautiful garden design. You just have to concentrate on the selection of textures, colors and details.

Think about the perfect theme to imply in the garden. If you love with simplicity Japanese garden is nice to have. You just have to adorn it with small bridge, a koi pond, Zen statue or even a bamboo plant. The pathway can be adorned by using natural stones like flagstones or even river stones. You can set a nice focal point in the garden. The patio area can be used as the focus in thebeautiful garden design ideas. You can have it covered by using natural stucco, stones, river rock, brick or even pavers.

Then you can make it comfortable if you can set furniture pieces. If you want to block the sun light you can spread an umbrella or even a covered pergola. The furniture pieces should bring comfort and coziness. You can set a lounge chair, rocking chair and coffee table. The patio heater and the LED lamp should be presented too so that you can access the patio area at night without feeling cold. The dark air will never make you scared to spend time in the garden. If the patio is not used as the focal point you can install a big fountain on the middle of your beautiful garden design ideas.