Towie star Lucy Mecklenburgh unveils recipes and workouts to help you lose weight in February

But don’t be downbeat if you have slipped up. Instead, hop back on track with Get Fit Feb.

Lucy Mecklenburgh’s online fitness portal is the most popular in the UK.

The Towie star, 27, launched Results With Lucy six years ago and it now has hundreds of thousands of subscribers.

Lucy believes “all things in moderation” is the only way to go, not starvation diets and “quick fixes” that don’t last.

Lucy — who is dating former Coronation Street actor Ryan Thomas — says: “It’s never easy to start something new but it’s good to set a date and say, ‘This is when I’m going to start living healthier’.

“Yo-yoing between fad diets is no good and waiting until January every year to put yourself through daily gruelling gym workouts — and giving up three weeks later — won’t help either.

“You need to find a balance you can maintain, a lifestyle that works for you. Get Fit Feb is a good reason to start afresh.”

Lucy’s fitness journey started at 21, when her partying was taking its toll.

She says: “At school I wasn’t interested in sport and when I left and got my first job in London, I drank a lot more alcohol and ate fast food because it was easy.

“It wasn’t just a weight thing, although the pounds crept on. I felt sluggish and never woke up feeling like I wanted to start the day.

“I knew I had to do something, so I signed up to a gym. But I hated it! I was intimidated. Everyone seemed to know what they were doing — big guys in the weight corner, fit women on the treadmills.

“It was only when a friend recommended her personal trainer everything changed. I started training with Cecilia Harris for two or three half-hour sessions a week and loved it.

She taught me simple bodyweight exercises and motivated me to feel good about it. My skin got better, I had more energy every morning and I felt happier. I changed my diet, stopped skipping breakfast and ditched fast food.

“People would message me online asking what I’d done to get fit and happy so quickly — and that’s what inspired me to set up Results with Lucy. I posted little workouts I did and people loved it.”

Now Lucy shares new workouts each day. All can be done at home.

She says: “I love sharing my workouts with people. It keeps me motivated, too. I make sure I share my whole life, though. I still eat burgers and big stacks of pancakes at the weekend!

“I post about it to show people you don’t have to give up what you love. You have to find that healthy balance.

“Being in the public eye can be stressful. Sometimes I work out more when I’m stressed or anxious.
Other times I stop training and relax for a while to give myself some space.”

So what is Lucy’s secret to and making Get Fit Feb a reality?

“My main tip is to just change one thing at a time,” she says. “If you try to overhaul your diet and start working out every day, it will overwhelm you and you’ll give up.

“Also, don’t start off on a negative. So many people say, ‘What am I NOT allowed?’ and ‘How many workouts do I have to get through?’

“Instead, think about replacing foods with others rather than banning them. And think about smashing that workout rather than enduring it. Way more of what you achieve is what your mind allows, rather than your body.”

On hand to give you workouts you can do anywhere, any time — alongside simple, healthy recipes that will have you drooling — Lucy is here to get you fit . . . for February and for life.

  • You can find out more or sign up at resultswithlucy.com

Wide Leg squat pulshes

STAND with feet wider than hip distance apart. Drop down into a low squat by bending your knees and sending your bottom back, keeping your chest lifted.

Hold at the bottom and perform pulses up and down while staying low.

Curtsey lunges

WITH your right leg, take a side step behind your left leg and bend your knees so your right knee hovers above the floor.

Push off your right foot to return to start position. Repeat. Swap legs after each set.

Squat to side kick

STAND with feet wider than hip distance apart.

Drop down into a low squat by bending your knees and sending your bum back, keeping chest lifted.

Power through your left leg to bring your right leg out to the side as high as you can.

Drop back into the squat position. Repeat. Swap legs after each set.

Lunge to side kick

STEP back with one leg and bring your heel off the floor to lower your knee towards the ground.

Then power through the front leg to lift the back leg off the ground and directly up behind you.

Lower back to the lunge position.

Repeat. Swap legs after each set.

Fruity Porridge

YOU NEED:

  • 40g plain porridge oats
  • 15g linseeds
  • 330ml water
  • 10ml honey
  • 10g desiccated coconut
  • 50g mixed berries

METHOD: Combine the oats and linseeds in a small to medium-sized saucepan.

Pour over enough water to combine the ingredients but not so much that the mix is swimming in water.

Bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer ingredients, allowing the porridge to heat through.

Then add the honey and desiccated coconut and continue to keep moist by adding a little water if needed.

Add the berries and mix.

Serve when it is cooked through (usually after three to five minutes).

Steak & soy wraps

YOU NEED:

  • 10ml virgin olive oil
  • 150g rump steak
  • Half a white onion
  • 10g mixed nuts
  • 8ml soy sauce
  • Pinch of chilli flakes
  • 5 gem lettuce leaves

METHOD: Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat.

Add the steak and cook each side for three minutes for medium-rare, or four minutes for medium.

Slice the onion and add to the pan for the last two minutes.

Crush the nuts and add to the pan. Cook for 30 seconds, shaking the pan to stop them sticking, then take off the heat.

Remove the steak and cut into thin strips, put in a bowl and mix well with the nuts, onion, soy sauce and chilli flakes until it is all well coated.

Divide the steak between the five lettuce leaves, roll up tight and enjoy.

Sea bass & sweet potato wedges

YOU NEED:

  • 4 sea bass fillets
  • 400g cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 300g asparagus
  • 50g chorizo, skin removed and diced
  • 10 new potatoes, into quarters
  • 2 red onions, cut into large chunks
  • 3 tsp mixed dried herbs
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 lemon, sliced
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper (to taste)

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Add all ingredients to a non-stick baking tray apart from a third of the cherry tomatoes, the sea bass, olive oil and lemon slices.

Mix together well in the tray. Drizzle over the olive oil and mix again. Cook in oven for 20 minutes, turning as needed halfway through.

When the veg is tender, remove tray from oven and turn heat down to 180C. Place the fish fillets on top of the veg in tray, add lemon slices and season fish with pepper. Put back in oven and cook for a further 15-20 minutes.

When cooked, remove from oven. Sprinkle over the remaining uncooked cherry tomatoes. To serve, share the vegetables out on to four plates and add the sea bass fillets on top.

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