London - As she filmed her latest TV series this week, it seemed a newly sleek Nigella Lawson may have stopped sampling treats such as her famous decadent chocolate cake.
But despite slimming from a size 16 to a size 12, it appears this is not the case, with Lawson, 52, revealing that she is eating everything from fried egg sandwiches to roast chicken and chocolate truffles.
The food writer updates her 186,247 Twitter followers with her every meal, even posting pictures of her food, and a sample of her meals this week alone shows her penchant for eggs, smoked salmon and chocolate. She also dined on roast chicken – after having a small bowl of porridge to tide her over before dinner.
Earlier this year, Lawson revealed that her new size 12 shape was due to her loss of appetite following a painful foot operation.
Despite the star’s insistence that it was the bunion operation that did the trick, it was later reported that she had in fact been following an exclusive diet called the Bodyism Clean and Lean plan.
However, in May, Lawson stressed that she did not want to lose too much weight as she feared it would make her look older, adding: “Women find it very easy to persecute themselves over their weight and whenever I’ve said, ‘I ought to lose a bit of weight’, I can guarantee I’ll put it on.
“I love food and I love cooking so therefore I never deprive myself. Thinness is fantastic for clothes, but I don’t do fashion”.
She also admitted: “There are times when I want to lose weight. I suppose the difference is I don't want to be as thin. Greed always outweighs my vanity.”
But she still looked slimmer than ever as she was pictured on the set of her new BBC2 cookery series Nigellisima in London this week, which will follow her as delves into Italian food.
On Monday she tweeted: “A fried egg sandwich can’t be a bad way to start the week”, posting a picture of the fried egg lying between two heavily buttered pieces of white bread. Lamb and potatoes were on the menu at a photo-shoot, to which Lawson tweeted: “Lucky me.” And for dinner, she had smoked salmon and chocolate truffles, tweeting: “Oh joy is mine!”
Scrambled eggs, black pudding and more eggs and salmon were also eaten, as was roast chicken on spelt with parsley and toasted pine nuts.
Amanda Griggs, director of health and nutrition at the Balance clinic in Chelsea, said: “Overall, Nigella’s diet is more about a fat-burning diet than a calorie-counting one, with the emphasis on protein. But it is low in vitamin and mineral content because it lacks vegetables.”
Griggs, who counts supermodel Elle Macpherson, Spice Girl Emma Bunton and model Jodie Kidd and her sister Jemma along her star-studded clients, added: ‘But it is low in vitamin and mineral content as it does lack vegetables. For a cook this is surprising.
“There is some balance with the slow release carbohydrate in the porridge and spelt to add some fibre and the antioxidant quality of the cherries and a small quantity of salad greens, although I don’t get the white sliced with the fried egg and she could eat more fruit instead of cake.”
Award-winning dietician and nutritionist Dr Carrie Ruxton said: “It looks like Nigella is following either a low carb or low GI diet with lots of high protein foods, like eggs, salmon and chicken and plenty of veg.
“This type of diet certainly works, according to the research I’ve seen. Several studies have shown that eggs eaten at breakfast or lunch boost satiety, making you feel fuller for longer. The proteins in eggs are believed to alter the balance of gut hormones, thus reducing hunger over several hours.”
Even Lawson’s husband, multi-millionaire Charles Saatchi has lost weight. Back in 2008, he decided to shed some of his portly figure by embarking on a bizarre egg diet which saw him scoff three for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Many questioned the strange choice of the millionaire’s weight loss programme, but after a mere nine months the 69-year-old lost an impressive four stone.
Lawson has made around £15-million from her cookbooks and television presenting. - Daily Mail