DIETS...DIETS...DIETS...DIETS....DIETS...DIETS...DIETS...DIETS...
"I couldn't wear sexy outfits like my co-stars"
'My dinner lady arms have gone and my waist is now 25in... what my thighs used to be '
"My body's as slim and toned as it can be"
CLICK FOR MORE DIET STORIES
AUG 31 SKINNY SECRETS OF THE STARS, JENNIFER HUDSON, JORDAN, BACK-TO-SCHOOL DIET
AUG 24 LOSE YOUR HOLIDAY HALF-STONE, RACHEL FLINTOFF, BANK HOLIDAY BBQ, BANK HOLIDAY FUN
AUG 17 MINISKIRT READY IN A WEEK, CELEB BODY BAROMETER, SKINNY-FAT SYNDROME
AUG 10 FAB AT 50, HELEN FLANAGAN, IT GIRL WORKOUT, SLIMMING TRICKS
AUG 3 ABI TITMUSS, ATKINS V GI, CELEB STAY-SLIM TIPS
JULY 27 NO-DIET WEIGHT-LOSS PRODUCTS, ALESHA DIXON, NIKKI GRAHAME
JULY 20 FRY-UP DIET, DENISE LEWIS, BODY SURVEY, STYLE-SLIM CELEBS
JULY 13 THE OPRAH DIET, LIZ MCCLARNON, SUN, SEA AND STARVATION
JULY 6 GET A WAG BEACH BODY, PATSY KENSIT, JAIME MURRAY, TUMMY TUCKS
JUNE 29 LULU, CELEB SCALES, KYM RYDER
JUNE 22 2 WEEKS TO A FLATTER STOMACH, NELL MCANDREW, THE CHIP DIET, ROXANNE PALLETT
JUNE 15 LOSE LBS, SAVE £££S, 10 DEADLY DIET SINS, JENNY FROST
JUNE 8 HALLE BERRY, PARIS HILTON, 'OUR BODIES ARE PERFECT', FEARNE COTTON
JUNE 1 EVA LONGORIA PARKER, VICTORIA BECKHAM
MAY 25 HEALTHY DIET MAKING YOU FAT?, 20 MINUTE DIET, TRINNY AND SUSANNAH
MAY 18 CHARLIE BROOKS, SPICE GIRLS' DIET SECRETS, GILLIAN MCKEITH, PLUS-SIZED AND PROUD, DAVID KIRSCH
MAY 11 GET A SEX AND THE CITY BODY, GLADIATOR BODY, FREEMA AGYEMAN
MAY 4 NATALIE CASSIDY, GISELE
APRIL 27 'I LOST 4ST THROUGH FABDIETS', SNACK ATTACK, MAKE-A-BABY DIET, MARTINE MCCUTHEON, DRIED AND TESTED
APRIL 20 FAT KITCHEN, KIRSTY GALLACHER, ANNA FRIEL, FAST LOVE, WACKY CELEB DIET TIPS, FAT-BURNING FOODS, LAXATIVE ADDICT
APRIL 13 JESSICA ALBA, FAB DIET SUCCESS, COLEEN MCLOUGHLIN, PREGNANCY HITS/MISSES, FAT AND HAPPY?
APRIL 6 ALEX CURRAN, CATCH OF THE DAY, SAMMY WINWARD, THE MEL B DIET, NELL MCANDREW
MARCH 30 SUZANNE SHAW, FEEL THE FEAR
MARCH 23 CHEAT TO SEX APPEAL, TUMMY BUSTERS
MARCH 16 CHOCOHOLICS DIET, VICTORIAN DIET, BIKINI BEAUTIFUL
MARCH 9 6 NEW STAR DIET SECRETS, CLICK TO GET FIT
MARCH 2 DEADLY DIET TRAPS
FEB 24 PUMP IT UP, LOSE WEIGHT - NO DIETING, THINK PINK
FEB 17 DON'T PIG OUT - EAT OUT, GYM'LL FIX IT
FEB 10 THE GREAT SEX DIET, iWORKOUT
FEB 3 5 HOT US DIETS, DIET PILLS
'I lost 4st and I've KEPT IT OFF'
DROPPING FOUR DRESS SIZES LAST YEAR WAS A HUGE ACHIEVEMENT FOR ACTRESS NATALIE CASSIDY – BUT STAYING IN SHAPE IS PROVING HARD WORK TOO
By Olivia Buxton
There’s no disputing that when actress Natalie Cassidy revealed her bikini-clad figure on a Portuguese beach in March, she looked absolutely amazing.
But unlike many celebrities who keep their weight-loss secrets close to their skinny chests, 24-year-old Natalie is refreshingly candid about the mammoth effort it took her to get slim.
“It was really tough,” she explains.
“I had to cut out all my favourite foods, like cheese and crisps, and I exercised like crazy.
"But what I’m finding really hard is keeping the weight off.”
Natalie, who’s 5ft 4in, reached her goal weight of 8st 1lb last August, so she’s already managed nine months of staying slim – a process she puts down to a strict eating plan and a seriously intense workout regime.
“There are no short cuts.
"I do up to two hours of exercise a day, on my own or with my personal trainer, Dee Thresher,” says Natalie.
“It was gruelling initially, but I’m not prepared to go back to how I was.”
This time last year, ex-EastEnder Natalie – who’s dating 40-year-old actor Ben Porter – was 4st heavier, a size 16, and very unhappy about the way she looked.
“I hated going to award ceremonies knowing that I couldn’t wear sexy outfits like my EastEnders co-stars,” she explains.
“And being called a ‘beached whale’ by a TV critic was absolutely devastating.”
But it wasn’t the insults that spurred Natalie’s weight loss.
Trying on a pair of jeans gave her the push she needed.
“The size 16s wouldn’t fit,”’ she recalls.
“I just couldn’t face buying a pair of size 18 jeans, so I walked out of the shop vowing to sort myself out.”
Natalie immediately ditched her old diet of takeaways, crisps, cheese and alcohol, swapping it for salads, steamed fish and lots of vegetables.
Soon the weight was dropping off, especially when she started working out with personal trainer Dee.
It wasn’t easy, but in just three months, Natalie slimmed down to a size 8.
She says: “I now feel sexy and confident.
"Every part of my body is as slim and toned as it can be.
"My dinner lady arms have gone and my waist is now 25in, which is what each of my thighs used to be!
“If staying in shape like this means exercising five days out of seven, so be it.
"The results are worth it.”
Natalie Cassidy’s Then & Now Workout is available from all major retailers, priced £19.99.
NATALIE’S OLD DIET
Breakfast: A big bowl of cereal with whole milk, two slices of white bread with butter, and a banana.
Mid-morning: Three digestive biscuits and a chocolate bar.
Lunch: Sandwich or jacket potato.
Mid-afternoon snack: A sandwich and more biscuits.
Dinner: Steak, vegetables, lots of potatoes and a slice of bread, or a Chinese or Indian takeaway. Four glasses of Pinot Grigio.
NATALIE’S NEW DIET
Breakfast: Special K cereal with skimmed milk or low-fat yoghurt.
Mid-morning: A pear or apple.
Lunch: Sushi, or chicken salad with red onions and gherkins, or a wholemeal sandwich (no butter).
Mid-afternoon snack: More fruit and a low-fat yoghurt.
Dinner: Steamed fish with veg, or wholemeal pasta with a home-made sauce. The occasional gin and slimline tonic.
NATALIE’S EXERCISE REGIME
“I use my own fitness DVD most days, even if it’s only for 10 minutes. If it’s sunny, Dee and I do moves from the workout in the park. If I’m on holiday, I do them on the beach.”
Photography: Nicky Johnston, Rex, Retna, Xposure, PA, Photolibrary.com; Stylist: Rachel Fanconi
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