# The autumn reset that undoes a summer of rosé > A nutritionist's ten-day plan to drop five pounds without a punishing detox. - Title: The autumn reset that undoes a summer of rosé · Dailymail - Summary: A nutritionist's ten-day plan to drop five pounds without a punishing detox. Steady blood sugar beats willpower: eat on a schedule, build every plate around… - Keywords: nutrition, weight loss, intermittent fasting, protein, healthy eating, news, entertainment, autumn, reset, undoes, summer, rosé - Source: Dailymail — https://dailymail.com/lifestyle/fitness-wellbeing/article-16127555/autumn-reset-ditch-holiday-weight-nutritionist-GABRIELA-PEACOCK.html?ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490&ns_mchannel=rss - Published: 2026-09-13T20:46:23+00:00 - Read time: 3 min - Topics: nutrition, weight loss, intermittent fasting, protein, healthy eating, news, entertainment ## Summer left its mark Barbecues, buffets, cocktails and rosé have a way of tightening the waistband by September. Nobody should feel guilty about a good summer. > Nobody should feel guilty about having a wonderful summer. ## Five pounds in ten days Gabriela Peacock, a nutritionist with A-list clients at her London clinic, says the drop comes from small lifestyle tweaks, not deprivation. > This isn't a miserable, punishing detox. ## Get your routine back Travel, childcare and late nights wreck eating times over the holidays. Bodies thrive on structure, and a plan makes healthy eating far harder to abandon. ## Try the 16/8 window Eat within an eight-hour window and fast for 16, sleep included. Water, clear liquids and tea or coffee with a dash of milk are fine. > Intermittent fasting is the easiest and most effective way to reduce weight. ## Two meals, two snacks Inside the eating window, aim for two balanced meals at roughly the same time daily, plus two good snacks. Stretch the fast to 18 hours if you can, or drop to 14 if you need to. ## Front-load your day Make the first meal of the day your biggest and the evening one your lightest. > Make your first meal your main one and your evening meal your lightest. ## Eat at peckish Peckish is when a rice cake with hummus or a protein bar would satisfy you. Let hunger run past that point and slip-ups follow. > Waiting until you are absolutely starving is a recipe for disaster. ## Mind the six-hour gap Long stretches between lunch and dinner crash your blood sugar, and the huge late carb dinner that follows gets stored as fat overnight. Keep meals no more than three and a half hours apart. ## Snacking is not grazing Grazing is the biscuit with coffee, the crisps in the car, empty calories all day. Snacking is deliberate protein that keeps you satisfied until the next meal. ## The mid-afternoon one matters most That snack is what stops you demolishing dinner, and it is essential if you are eating out. Hard-boiled eggs, full-fat Greek yogurt with berries, cottage cheese with tomatoes, hummus with crudités. > Your mid-afternoon snack is the most vital. ## Protein is the hero Build each meal around a palm-sized portion of lean meat, chicken, fish, tofu, eggs, dairy, pulses, nuts or seeds. Choose the protein first, then everything else. ## Blend it if you must Unflavoured protein powder mixed into a smoothie with nut milk and frozen fruit tops up your intake. Vegan powders sit easier on digestion than whey. ## Skip the beige carbs No food group is banned, but choose brown rice or quinoa over white rice and spelt pasta. For bread, rye, pumpernickel or sourdough. > They're not the bad guys provided you choose the right ones. ## Fibre keeps you full White toast with butter and jam vanishes in 30 seconds and you reach for three more. Toasted pumpernickel with avocado and smoked salmon stops you eating. ## Three colours per plate Vegetables are your main fibre source here, and more colour means more nutrients and phytochemicals. Aim for three different coloured veg with both meals. > Bring as much colour on to your plate as possible. ## Roast a tray and graze on it Peppers, red onion, beetroot and carrots on parchment, sprayed with olive oil, seasoned and roasted for 30 minutes. Dip them in hummus through the day. ## Fruit is not the enemy Autumn apples and pears baked with cinnamon and chopped nuts, with a dollop of yogurt, make a good breakfast. Chia and berries overnight bowls work too. ## Give the liver a week off A few alcohol-free days, ideally seven, speeds up fat-burning in the first ten days. After that, three or four dry days in a row, and savour the drink when you have it. > Don't glug down mindlessly as a stress reliever at the end of the day. ## Bad sleep makes you crave sugar Poor sleep spikes cortisol, which drives sugar cravings, slows metabolism and pushes fat storage to the belly. Fixed bed times, no screens for two hours, bedroom at 18 to 20C. ## Aim for 80 per cent Hit your targets and your eating window 80 per cent of the time and leave 20 per cent for pudding, a Sunday roast or birthday cake. Every positive change counts. > Above all, be kind to yourself. ## Key takeaway Steady blood sugar beats willpower: eat on a schedule, build every plate around protein, and snack before you get starving.