Step into spring with Slimming World
For many of us, this summer will be the first time in three long years that we’ve had a proper sunshine holiday. And a lot of us are dreading the moment when we dig out our holiday clothes and find they don’t fit quite as well as they used to!
That’s why we’ve teamed up with Slimming World – the UK and Ireland’s leading weight-loss organisation – to provide you with this exclusive 5-day eating plan, filled with delicious and healthy recipes to help you kickstart your weight loss this spring. In fact, you could lose up to 7lbs in just two weeks!* Slimming World’s Food Optimising eating plan is based on sound scientific principles, which means you can lose weight without ever feeling hungry. Their generous, flexible eating plan is tailored to you and the way you like to eat. Enjoy a huge variety of healthy everyday foods like pasta, potatoes, fruit, veg and lean meats, with no need to weigh or measure and without counting a single calorie. These foods are relatively low in energy density (calories) and highly satiating, allowing you to satisfy your appetite and feel fuller for longer. However you and your family like to eat – if you’ve got picky eaters or big eaters, spice lovers or fans of hearty traditional meals, Food Optimising fits the bill. No need to cook or eat different meals to your family – Slimming World helps members make a lifestyle shift that works for life, for everyone. And with budgeting at the forefront of everyone’s minds at the moment, you’ll be pleased to learn that Slimming World’s recipes are purse-friendly, too.
If these recipes in today’s paper have inspired you to get started (or back on track!) with your weight-loss goals, then over the next week you can find even more delicious recipes to help achieve your weight-loss dreams. You’ll also be able to read about how members, like Paul Brimble on page 8, have not only lost weight but improved their health as a result. And there’s some fantastic expert tips to help you on your own journey too. And if these recipes have inspired you to learn more, there’s a fab offer to save you money when you join a Slimming World group, where they’ll help you understand yourself as a slimmer, and give you the know-how and confidence to build healthy new habits that last. See page 5 for more details.
■ Choose one breakfast, one lunch and one dinner every day. Feel free to repeat meals you enjoy and you’ll find more ideas at
www.slimmingworld.co.uk or
www.slimmingworld.ie
■ Slimming World’s eating plan, Food Optimising, is based on the scientific principles of appetite regulation and helps members to reduce their energy intake and lose weight without ever feeling hungry or deprived. It’s based on an understanding of how a food’s nutrient content and energy density (its calories per gram) affect satiety (our sense of satisfaction and fullness). ■ Free Food is at the heart of Food Optimising. Foods that are Free include, fruit, veg, pasta, rice, potatoes, pulses, lean meat (and some plant-based proteins e.g. plain Quorn and tofu), fat-free dairy, fish and poultry. These foods are relatively low in energy density (calories) and highly satiating, allowing you to satisfy your appetite and feel fuller for longer without having to count, weigh or measure. Base your meals around Free Food (printed in bold) and, to make meals flavoursome and tasty, stock your store cupboard with herbs, low-calorie cooking spray, oil-free tomato purée, seasoning, soy sauce, spices and stock cubes, most of which can be used freely to flavour meals.
■ For an overall healthy balanced diet, Slimming World encourages you to enjoy measured amounts of foods that provide calcium, like milk and cheese (two portions per day), and those providing fibre and other essential minerals and nutrients, such as wholemeal bread, high-fibre cereals, nuts and seeds (one portion per day). These can be part of your meals, in hot drinks or on their own as a snack. We’ve provided specific measurements where we’ve included them in the plan, and where you’re enjoying them separately:
● Enjoy 2 slices of wholemeal bread (from a small 400g loaf) or a 60g wholemeal roll/pitta, or 40g plain porridge oats or 2 wholewheat cereal biscuits. Or opt for 20 whole/plain almonds or 2 level tbsp chia seeds.
● Choose 350ml skimmed milk, 250ml semi-skimmed milk or 400ml plain unsweetened soya/almond milk with added calcium. Or opt for 30g full-fat hard cheese, like Cheddar or 40g reduced-fat hard cheese. Other options are available too, you’ll find out more when you join Slimming World. If you have dietary requirements, let Slimming World know when you join and you’ll get specific advice to help tailor the plan to your needs.
■ Treat yourself. Enjoy up to two options from the list provided on page 7.