Puddings to help you lose pounds WITH WEIGHT WATCHERS

A DELICIOUSLY HEALTHY WAY TO SHED LOCKDOWN POUNDS WITH

ANYONE who has a sweet tooth might worry that embarking on a health and weight- loss programme will also entail waving goodbye to desserts and treats.

‘But luckily that’s not the case with WW; no food is off-limits and we believe it’s totally fine to love desserts!’ says Julia Westgarth, head of programme at WW, formerly known as Weight Watchers.

‘our flexible programme myWW+ gives you the control to spend your SmartPoints however you want, whichever plan you choose to follow; so you’re free to enjoy a sweet treat from time to time.’

What’s more, research shows that crash diets and programmes that require you to cut out whole food types are counter-productive; they can cause you to feel deprived so it’s easy to slip back into old habits, triggering cycles of guilt and yo-yo dieting, says Julia Westgarth.

‘This is why we encourage you to enjoy food, including sweet treats, at WW, but to make some healthy changes so you stay on track with your weight loss and health goals.’

So today, as we continue our exclusive WW series, we’re focusing on delicious ways to indulge in tempting puddings and desserts, and still watch the pounds melting away.

If you start this week, you could shed up to a stone — and drop a dress size — in time to enjoy the freedoms of summer after lockdown.

Designed by nutritional experts at WW, our sumptuous selection of recipes features clever ingredient swaps to ensure they’re kind to your waistline. ‘For instance, some of our dessert recipes suggest you replace ricotta or full-fat cream with low-fat quark — reducing the calories (and SmartPoints value) without compromising the taste,’ explains

Julia. ‘you might also try adding some grated vegetables to a cake recipe. you could try beetroot or courgette instead of the more traditional carrot.’ (Avocado, featured in today’s chocolate cake recipe has a SmartPoints value of 3 on all programmes.)

other tricks to help you stay on track include using a low-calorie cooking spray instead of butter to cook with and using low-fat dairy products, including 0 per cent fat Greek yoghurt and low-fat soft cheese.

‘you’d never remotely associate a slice of lime cheesecake meringue pie with being on a traditional diet, yet the scrumptious version we feature overleaf today features caloriecontrolled cooking spray, low-fat spread, low-fat soft cheese and 0 per cent fat natural Greek yoghurt which all combine to make it lower in SmartPoints,’ explains Julia.

of course, there are occasions when only a particular cake or pudding will hit the spot. ‘Here the flexibility of myWW+ programme can help; this is where your Rollovers and Weeklies come into their own. Save them up for events like this,’ advises Julia.

And don’t forget you can always supplement your SmartPoints by earning extra FitPoints for any activity you undertake, from gardening to yoga or walking the dog.

And the myWW+ app can suggest a quick on-the-spot workout that will help earn FitPoints to stretch your SmartPoints Budget towards a slice of chocolate avocado cake or a luscious mini lemon and passionfruit cheesecake (both featured here).

If you stay within your SmartPoints Budget, these are just some of the delectable treats you can enjoy guilt-free.