Seven Day Post-Holiday "Cleansing" Diet

For many of us, the scale is not our friend right now -- all those holiday parties can really pack on the pounds.

But you can start the new year with the "CarbLovers Cleanse" - a weeklong plan to shed the extra weight without feeling like you're starving yourself.

It's the brainchild of Ellen Kunes and registered dietician Frances Largeman-Roth, co-authors of "The Carb Lovers Diet: Eat What You Love, Get Slim For Life" (read an excerpt), which shot to the top of The New York Times' best-sellers' list a week after its early August debut. It is Health magazine's first diet book.

The CarbLovers Cleanse is a seven day detox diet for the New Year to help shed those calorie and fat-laden pounds gained over the past year, and especially during the holiday months.

Some keys:

• Pair down, but don't set yourself up for failure
• This next week can set the tone for the rest of 2011. Don't be too hard on yourself. If you hold yourself up to unattainable standards, you risk going off your diet altogether.
• On The CarbLovers Diet, you will feel full without eating as many calories. That's because the type of carbs you eat on The CarbLovers Diet -- especially those high in Resistant Starch -- are filling, satisfying, and will keep you from feeling deprived.

During Week One, avoid alcohol, salt and soda.

But there's something you SHOULD drink to get rid of the full, bloated feeling many of us have had for the last few weeks, while losing weight at the same time:

Fat-Flushing Cocktail (p. 64)

DRINK 8 CUPS OF OUR FAT-FLUSHING COCKTAIL PER DAY
• This is our all-natural diet-aid which tastes great
• The tea can help you burn off an extra 80 calories per day
• The citrus gives it an all-natural sweet taste

Go on the CarbLovers' kick start plan to lose up to six lbs this week

• On our kick start plan, you'll consume about 1,200 calories per day, but these will be a filling and satisfying.
• Many of our dieters lose up to six pounds in the first week on CarbLovers, and they tell us they don't feel hungry. This diet is all about eating carbs high in Resistant Starch in a sensible way.

Sample day on the CarbLovers kick start plan

ADD RESISTANT STARCH AND FIBER TO YOUR BREAKFAST.
Breakfast: Banana Nut Oatmeal (p. 96) - By combining two Resistant Starch power-houses, oatmeal and banana, this breakfast gets you more than halfway to your RS goal of 10 grams per day

COMBINE LEAN PROTEIN WITH FIBER.
Lunch: Chicken Pita Sandwich (p. 102) - This sandwich fills you up with lean protein, plus 5 grams of fiber from the whole-grain pita and veggies

ADD APPETITE-SUPRESSING BEANS TO YOUR DIET.
Dinner: Black Bean Tacos (p. 104) - This is a consistent favorite of our dieters', the black beans provide plenty of RS, along with appetite-suppressing fiber and protein

DON'T SKIP MEALS; SNACK ON SOMETHING WITH CRUNCH
Snack: Trail Mix (p. 68)

During the kick start program, dieters are allowed one snack per day; don't skip it, as these snacks will keep you satisfied and can provide that much-needed crunch in the middle of the afternoon or even after dinner.