Created with accredited practicing dietitian Geraldine Georgeou, the Kick-start Hunger Buster diet incorporates low GI carbohydrates and protein. It teaches you healthy lifestyle changes, keeping you full and happy.

Getting Started

Kick-start Hunger Buster begins with a week based on eating soup. This is based on portion-controlled, low-kilojoule meals designed to break bad eating habits and to motivate you with quick but safe weight loss. The key is to eat soup that is high in nutrition, vitamins and minerals. As the soup is low in energy, your metabolism will start using your fat stores for fuel, and the kilos will drop off.

To add variety and keep you motivated, four healthy soups have been especially created to choose from.

During the first week, you'll also enjoy fruit, vegies, lean meat, dairy and nuts. After Week One, it's time to increase variety. Focusing on low GI foods and enjoying lean protein such as beef, chicken and fish, controlled fat content, low-fat dairy and lots of filling fruit and vegies you'll eat more, feel satisfied and still lose weight.

Wholegrain bread, rice and pasta are back too, but they're introduced slowly in controlled portions so you have longer-lasting energy.

There is a three-week menu plan to get you started, with recipes and tips so you'll learn to cook and shop smarter, and continue to enjoy healthy weight loss.

Before starting the adventure of weight reduction it's vital to check with your health professional to make sure you have no medical conditions that need to be addressed.

One of the keys to the Kick-start Hunger Buster diet is having snacks. The right mid-morning and afternoon snacks make you less likely to binge or overeat. However, avoid high-fat, high GI snacks, such as crisps, cakes and biscuits.

Super Snacks

• 1 cup microwaved or home-cooked popcorn using very little fat.
  
• Small tub (100g-150g) low-fat yogurt or other low-fat dairy dessert.
  
• 2 wholegrain crackers with 1 slice low-fat cheese.
  
• 1 piece fresh fruit, 1 small can fruit in natural juice.
  
• Vegetable sticks with low-fat salsa or low-fat hommus.
  
• Small handful of unsalted nuts, such as cashews.
  
• 1 skim-milk strawberry smoothie.
  
• 1 slice wholegrain fruit loaf plus low-fat cream cheese spread.
  
• Small corncob, steamed.
  
• 1 skim-milk hot chocolate or coffee.
  

When soup is on the menu, you can have as much as you like! Make a big pot, freeze it and then defrost it as you need it. Day three begins a more structured eating plan to stay motivated.

DAY ONE

• All day: Choose one of the four Kick Start soups to have throughout the day. Eat the soup whenever you're hungry, as much of it as you like. Choose from the Original Kick Start Soup, Bean & Leek Soup, Chicken & Vegetable Soup or Lentil and Smoky Bacon Soup.
  
• Have fruit for snacks and breakfast. Choose low GI fruit such as apples, oranges, peaches and pears.
  

DAY TWO

• All day: Soup and low GI vegetables all day. Have soup, followed by a bowl of steamed vegetables, or eat them raw in salad. Cut vegies into sticks to snack on. Always aim to drink six to eight glasses of water a day.

DAY THREE

• Breakfast: Boiled egg with a microwaved slice of lean bacon and tomato. A peach.
  
• Mid-meal: Apple or pear.
  
• Lunch: Soup of your choice.
  
• Mid-meal: Small handful of nuts.
  
• Dinner: Soup of your choice.
  

DAY FOUR

• Breakfast: A punnet of strawberries with 100g low-fat yogurt.
  
• Mid-meal: A small handful of nuts and fruit.
  
• Lunch: Soup.
  
• Mid-meal: An orange.
  
• Dinner: Soup.
  

DAY FIVE

• Breakfast: Scramble 2 eggs with capsicum and shallots. No oil.
  
• Mid-meal: Small handful of nuts.
  
• Lunch: Soup.
  
• Mid-meal: Apple or pear.
  
• Dinner: 150g lean beef or skinless chicken, grilled, with salad, low-fat dressing.
  

DAY SIX

• Breakfast: 1/2 cup mixed berries and 1 peach with 100g low-fat yogurt.
  
• Mid-meal: Small handful of nuts.
  
• Lunch: Soup.
  
• Mid-meal: One peach.
  
• Dinner: Soup.
  

DAY SEVEN

• Breakfast: 2-egg omelette with tomato, parsley and mushroom; 1 slice lean bacon. No oil.
  
• Mid-meal: Small handful of nuts.
  
• Lunch: Soup.
  
• Mid-meal: Orange.
  
• Dinner: Repeat dinner from day five.
  

Go Low, Go Slow

Dietitian Geraldine Georgeou says: 'Choose two super snacks a day to keep up your energy levels.'

DAY ONE

• Breakfast: 2 wholegrain muffin halves toasted with 2 to 3 slices smoked salmon; 1 orange.
  
• Lunch: 1 cup Original Kick-start Soup; 2 Ryvita, 50g light ham, tomato and mustard; apple.
  
• Dinner: Beef & Vegetable Stir-fry.
  

DAY TWO

• Breakfast: 1 cup Special K with anned apple pieces and low-fat milk.
  
• Lunch: Pita bread with 100g low-fat cottage cheese and salad; fruit, such as 2 small peaches.
  
• Dinnner: Zucchini Slice.
  

DAY THREE

• Breakfast: 1 small can baked beans; 1 slice soy and linseed toast; 1 apple.
  
• Lunch: 2 slices wholegrain bread, 40g turkey breast, lettuce, alfalfa, cucumber, cranberry sauce; 2 plums.
  
• Dinner: Tandoori Chicken Kebabs.
  

DAY FOUR

• Breakfast: Porridge with low-fat milk; 150g canned fruit, drained.
  
• Lunch: 2 slices sourdough bread with 40g lean beef pastrami and tomato, 1 slice low-fat cheese and spinach leaves; 2 mandarins.
  
• Dinner: Baked Fresh Fish.
  

DAY FIVE

• Breakfast: 2 slices sourdough with low-fat cheese and tomato.
  
• Lunch: Bean & Leek Soup; 1 wholegrain roll; orange.
  
• Dinner: Pita grilled with low-fat tomato-based sauce, 30g lean ham, 30g lowfat cheese, capsicum, mushroom; salad.
  

DAY SIX

• Breakfast: 2 eggs scrambled with spinach, 1/2 tomato; 1 slice grainy toast; pear.
  
• Lunch: Low-fat cheese and asparagus grilled on 2 slices wholegrain toast; 2 nectarines.
  
• Dinner: Lentil & Smoky Bacon Soup.
  

DAY SEVEN

• Breakfast: 3 short-cuts lean bacon; cooked tomato; 2 slices wholegrain toast.
  
• Lunch: 200g baked lean chicken (no skin), 2 tblsps GRAVOX Brown Onion Liquid Gravy, 1 small baked sweet potato (no oil); steamed green vegies.
  
• Dinner: Beef Lasagne.
  

Tip: Week Four-Eight: Use the Week Two and Three menus to plan. Mix up days and vary meals. Each must have lean protein and a small serve of a low GI carb and vegies. The key is variety, regular meals and to have snacks on hand. It's OK to have two glasses of wine a week.



MIXING UP MEALS

Tip: Keep any added fats, such as olive oil, avocado, pesto, peanut butter or mayonnaise, to no more than four teaspoons a day. Use spray olive oil to cook with as you tend to use much less.

DAY ONE

• Breakfast: 2 VitaBrits with low-fat milk; 150g canned peaches.
  
• Lunch: 1 tblsp low-fat cream cheese; 1 wholegrain pita with 100g salmon, shallots, lettuce; apple.
  
• Dinner: Grilled Lamb Backstrap; extra greens.
  

DAY TWO

• Breakfast: 1/2 apple, 1/2 orange, 1 kiwifruit; small tub reduced-fat yogurt.
  
• Lunch: 2 sandwich-sized Vita-Weats with fruit chutney, 40g shaved lite ham; a side salad with beetroot; 1 pear.
  
• Dinner: Chilli Chicken Burger.
  

DAY THREE

• Breakfast: 3/4 cup wholegrain cereal with 250ml low-fat milk; 150g canned fruit, drained.
  
• Lunch: 2 slices wholegrain bread with 1 small can tuna in brine, chopped onion, salad; 1 bunch grapes.
  
• Dinner: Chicken & Vegetable Soup.
  

DAY FOUR

• Breakfast: 1 cup cooked porridge with low-fat milk and honey; 150g canned peaches, drained.
  
• Lunch: 2 slices sourdough with 40g lean leg ham, tomato, wholegrain mustard; apple.
  
• Dinner: Beef Lasagne.
  

DAY FIVE

• Breakfast: 1 small can baked beans with 1 slice wholegrain toast; 1 nectarine.
  
• Lunch: Wholemeal pita with 100g low-fat cheese, tomato, cucumber, lettuce; 2 mandarins.
  
• Dinner: Chicken Caccitore.
  

DAY SIX

• Breakfast: 2 slices wholegrain toast; 2 eggs, scrambled; orange.
  
• Lunch: Salad; 4 small slices smoked salmon.
  
• Dinner: Thai takeaway of sweet chilli basil pork with 1/2 cup steamed rice and vegetables.
  

DAY SEVEN

• Breakfast: 2 slices wholegrain toast, 1 slice low-fat cheese and 30g or 2 slices of lite ham.
  
• Lunch: 1 boiled egg, 150g grilled chicken breast, 1 tblsp shaved parmesan, cos lettuce; 1 slice soy and linseed bread; apple.
  
• Dinner: Salmon Mornay.