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SHAPE UP: I Am No Longer a Slave to Fad Diets ; BRING ON THE TURKEY AS GERI HALLIWELL PUTS THE ATKINS DIET BEHIND HER FOR A LIFE OF MORE SENSIBLE EATING BY JANE RIDLEY

Posted on: Monday, 20 December 2004, 09:00 CST

THIS year, after what feels like a lifetime of dieting, it will be turkey with ALL the trimmings for Geri Halliwell.

A few years ago, as a committed disciple of the Atkins diet, Geri could only look forward to a low-carb Christmas dinner of roast turkey, carrots and absolutely no potatoes.

But like thousands of other British slimmers, the ex-Spice Girl has abandoned Dr Atkins' controversial regime amid reports it may increase the risk of heart disease and cancer.

The self-confessed former diet junkie now takes a more down-to- earth approach to eating and has never looked better after regaining her hour-glass size-12 figure.

At 5ft 2in, she weighs just over eight stones, which is within the healthy range for her height and build, unlike the dangerously skinny six-and-a-half-stone of her yoga fanatic days.

Geri's latest formula for success couldn't be more simple - have three balanced meals and no more than two snacks a day to boost your energy levels.

The mantra is: "Everything in moderation" and no food group is banned.

It's a sensible, no-nonsense plan which top nutritionists have long advocated as an alternative to popular fads such as South Beach, The Zone and the Blood Group diet.

If, like Geri, you combine it with regular - but not excessive - exercise, it's guaranteed to slim you down and keep you at your ideal weight with practically no effort at all.

"I've always aspired to eat how I eat today," says the 32-year- old , who has gained as much of a reputation as a yo-yo dieter and one-time bulimic than she has as a singer.

She famously confessed how she rummaged through George Michael's dustbins for leftover chocolate cake and, on one Spice Girls' tour, survived on a combination of frozen peas and Slim-Fast shakes.

"I went through hell," she revealed. "I was going back to my hotel room and bingeing on cakes. It wasn't something I was very proud of." The turning point came after her 30th birthday when she realised how much her damaging relationship with food was overshadowing her life.

"When I turned 30 I stopped trying to control things," she says. "I stopped trying to be perfect all the time. I eat to be healthy now rather than to be thin.

"It's brought a balance to my life and that's really important.

"I've been a slave to buying into something in the past, but now it's quite different and liberating for me.

"I believe in learning from experience.

Generous portions of fruit and vegetables make up a large part of Geri's diet, but she also swears by an old favourite to get the day off to a good start.

"For breakfast, I'll have a really large bowl of porridge. It doesn't have to be skimmed milk; it can be semi-skimmed or full- fat," she reveals.

Lunch might be chicken risotto followed by fresh fruit salad while her dinner menu might consist of lemon sole, steamed spinach and new potatoes.

The odd high-calorie dessert is no longer forbidden territory and, as a treat, Geri is happy to enjoy a few glasses of wine or champagne when she's out on the town.

In the bad old days when she swung alternately between anorexia and bulimia, she would push her body to the limit with almost incessant exercise.

She went on daily six-mile runs and spent hours doing stomach crunches and vigorous Ashtanga routines in a bid to shed pounds which actually weren't there in the first place.

Now, as her spokesman points out, she "does everything in more moderation than she used to."

The star still runs occasionally around her local park and works out in the gym using free weights, but only when she feels like it.

In addition, she keeps trim working with her choreographer on various dance routines.

For someone who has been so hard on herself in the past, it is refreshing that Geri finally seems to be happy in her own skin.

"'Whether I'm as thin as a rake or round as a pudding, I have to walk in this body," she adds.

"I have to live in it, so I may as well appreciate it."

HOW GERI D0ES IT

Make breakfast the main meal of the day, giving you the whole day to work it off.

If you can't face exercising, take a rain check, but don't miss it altogether.

Dance is a great way to tone up, whether it's at a formal class or just down your local night club.

Carry a banana in case of a snack attack.

Drink plenty of water.

Source: Daily Mirror

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