HOW TO EAT OUT AND STILL LOSE WEIGHT

You might worry that starting a healthy-eating programme spells the end of your newly rediscovered social life. Well, luckily, that’s not the case with WW. ‘The flexibility of WW’S programme means you can eat out in restaurants and pubs and go to parties without scuppering your goals. All you need is a bit of forward-planning,’ says WW’S Julia Westgarth. ‘First, make space in your Smartpoints Budget for a big occasion or special meal. Come in under budget for a few days beforehand so you can gather rollovers to use along with your weeklies for a bigger meal on the day.’

If you’re going to visit a chain restaurant you could look at their menu online and decide in advance what you’re going to eat, so you’re less likely to order on impulse on the night. You’ll find the WW app invaluable for this – it’s packed with Smartpoints values for more than 9,000 meals from a huge range of restaurants across the UK including popular high-street chains such as Pizza Express, ASK and Nando’s. It also has some values for generic recipes such as spaghetti Bolognese or chicken jalfrezi which you could use as a rough guide – but it might be a good idea to also ask the waiter how it’s made as recipes can vary.

‘Otherwise, make your best guess: opting for vegetablebased meals with lean protein is likely to have fewer Smartpoints than a dish involving pastry or creamy sauces,’ says Julia.

Another good idea is to opt for salad or soup as a starter – this will fill you up for very few Smartpoints – and if bread is your thing, ask for a small roll instead of a big bread basket.

If you’re going to a buffet, offer to bring something. ‘This way you can ensure you have something that fits into your Smartpoints Budget to eat,’ advises Julia. ‘Another tip is to do an early recce of the buffet table before you dive in. That way you can select which dishes you’re going to eat. Remember that red meat and processed meats can have a lot of Smartpoints, so choose carefully.’

And don’t forget to log the Smartpoints values of any drinks. Some alcoholic drinks are much higher in Smartpoints than others – creamy cocktails and sugary mixers are particularly high in Smartpoints. You can easily check all this information on your WW app.

It also helps if you can focus on the occasion as a whole, with food as secondary. ‘But if it all goes wrong and you end up overindulging, the most important thing is not to beat yourself up and throw in the towel. Just get back on your programme the

next day,’ says Julia.