Winter wellness STARTS HERE!

WHY WAIT TILL THE NEW YEAR TO START LOSING WEIGHT? THIS UNIQUE WW PLAN WILL HAVE YOU LOOKING YOUR BEST BEFORE CHRISTMAS...

With autumn upon us, it’s back to business for most in offices and classrooms all over the country, offering us a valuable moment to take stock of our lifestyles and reset unhealthy lockdown eating habits after the 18-month rollercoaster ride of the pandemic.

Naturally, catching up with family and friends has been the most important priority for many in recent months. You’ve possibly already enjoyed a lingering lunch or two with friends, or maybe you’ve even been to a summer party or festival, with good food flowing freely – not to mention wine and beer. So it’s hardly surprising that some of us have gained a few extra pounds while making the most of summer’s freedoms. For many, this also comes on top of a year of comfort eating to help cope with the pressures and loneliness of successive lockdowns.

If you’ve put on extra weight lately you’re hardly alone: a survey of 5,000 adults published by Public Health England in July 2021 found that 41 per cent had gained weight since the first lockdown in March 2020. For those aged 35-65, the average weight gain was 10lb, with snacking and comfort eating emerging as the chief culprits. But the events of the past 18 months have also underlined to all of us just how precious our health and wellbeing really is, which is why ensuring you’re physically and mentally fit for the winter ahead is now a vital goal for many.

This was echoed in a recent UK survey by WW involving 1,000 members of the public which found the top two priorities for the second half of this year were getting fitter and stronger (for 42 per cent of those surveyed) and losing weight (for another 42 per cent). Although we now have a highly effective vaccination programme, the virus is still with us – with the possibility of new variants developing. And being overweight remains a risk factor for suffering from complications from Covid if you do become infected.

‘Research shows that if you’re not looking after your health, then you’re much more likely to suffer badly with the virus,’ says Julia Westgarth, Head of Programme at WW. ‘Laying solid foundations of a healthy diet and lifestyle now will help us to boost our immune systems for winter and protect ourselves against all manner of other diseases in the future too.

‘There are many things we cannot control in life – but we can control what we put in our mouths and how active we are. If you prioritise your own wellbeing by eating nourishing food in sensible portions, with plenty of fruit and veg, moving more and taking time for yourself to relax and recharge you will find that weight loss also comes along naturally.’

And scientific research shows that losing weight and becoming more active can, in turn, bring numerous health benefits. This was certainly true for WW

members Charlotte

Mountain, a 31-year-old hair stylist from Spalding, Lincolnshire, and Zoe Fitzgerald, a 32-year-old council worker from Romford, Essex, who lost nearly 8st between them, with both reversing their prediabetes. You can read their inspiring stories over the page.

‘We often see members who’ve reduced their blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels – some to the point of putting Type 2 diabetes into remission,’ says Jo Measures, Head of Health Solutions at WW. ‘Others may see an improvement in chronic conditions such as asthma after losing weight and becoming more active. And most report enjoying a more positive outlook on life and better sleep and mood.’

WW’S pioneering holistic health and wellbeing programme is based on four key elements: a healthy eating programme that’s scientifically proven to help you shed excess weight, access to an extensive selection of in-app audio and visual fitness classes, techniques to help you sleep better and a mindset package underpinned by the latest behaviour-change strategies that have been clinically proven to help you change your outlook on life and develop a healthier way of living.

‘You don’t have to wait for the New Year to start making a real difference to your health and wellbeing,’ adds Julia. ‘Now is a great time to take stock of your health, to re-evaluate your wellbeing goals and to break any unhealthy patterns you may have got into lately. If you start now – a day at a time – you should find you’re more energetic and feeling more positive about life, not to mention quite a bit lighter on the scales, by Christmas time. And your immune system will thank you for it too.’

To get you off to a flying start, the Daily Mail has teamed up with WW to bring you a brilliant new

series packed with delicious ideas for comforting, seasonal meals that you can also enjoy with family and friends – so you won’t be missing out on your social life either. Starting today in Weekend magazine with a five-day meal plan packed with suggestions for scrumptious breakfasts, lunches and dinners, and continuing all next week in the Daily Mail, we’ll share expert tips on all aspects of healthy living as well as plenty more tried-and-tested, mouthwatering WW recipes.

Over the course of next week, we’ll share a delectable selection of easy ways to prepare warming autumnal stews and soups, ideas for quick nutritious lunches and – of course – a selection of tempting puds and desserts that won’t scupper your healthy eating goals. With simple yet tasty suggestions for family favourites and comfort food, not to mention home entertaining and Friday ‘fakeaways’, you won’t feel as though you’re scrimping on flavour or variety.

And your family and friends will be impressed! There will also be invaluable advice about how to create healthy new habits – including tips for tackling emotional eating (see box on p45) – what to do when willpower fails, how to sleep better at night and more besides.

No food is off-limits – and it certainly

won’t feel as though you’re depriving yourself as you sit down to a pumpkin pie pancake or a delicious bowl of apple and ginger overnight oats for breakfast, followed by a filling baked potato with tuna melt topping or a serving of squash and spinach frittata for lunch. Meanwhile you can choose from succulent sea bass with salsa verde or a spicy bowl of chilli crab pasta for dinner – these are just a few of the tempting WW recipes included in today’s exclusive pullout.

Of course, everyone’s needs are different when it comes to losing weight – and a regimen that suits one person’s lifestyle and tastes may not work for another. That’s why WW offers you three food plans to choose from – Green, Blue and Purple – depending on the kind of foods you like to eat and how you live your life (see panel, left, for more details). All are based on WW’S scientifi