SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

TURNAROUND 20s: Aaron’s living life to the max after losing 14st 2lbs

magazine

NOV/DEC 2023

Claire’s 5st
confidence upgrade
‘New job, new
mindset, new me’

Celebrate & slim!
Your 11-page guide
to festive success

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REAL LIFE • REAL FOOD • REAL SUCCESS!

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SEASON’S
EATINGS!
ISSUE 176 NOV/DEC 2023

122 recipes,
tips and ideas

The trend that
could transform
your life
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in this
issue
Expert advice, tried-and-trusted
recipes and inspiring real-life
stories to help your winter
weight loss wishes come true

122

O on the cover

UP FRONT
11

Snowmen yogurt bark
Get into the festive spirit with our
super-cute sweet treats!

12

‘Life is going to feel so good’
A 17st 9lb weight loss and a future full of
positivity and self-belief lie ahead, says
Kelly Barker in a letter to her former self

BE INSPIRED
20

O Take a bite out of
activity snacking!
Boost your fitness with short bursts
of exercise you can slot into your day

22

‘The recipes that remind
me of Mam’
When John Cowe was lightening up his
favourite dishes, these dinners from
his childhood were top of the list

24

O Claire’s confident

new mindset
Claire Scott’s energy and self-esteem
are soaring after losing 5st

REGULARS &
COMPETITIONS
6

Recipe index

9

Editor’s letter

25

Win one of four £500
holiday vouchers

96

Subscribe & save

111

Win a spa break worth £1,000

119

Shop the issue

120

Terms & conditions

Ann-Marie
AnnAn
n Ma
M rie
riie
Pemberton feels
fitter, healthier
and happier after
losing over 2st

nov/dec 2023

90
36
EAT, LOVE & LOSE
36

Fill your freezer
...with our four simple get-ahead meals

55

58

OSlimmer for party season
Seven days, seven dinners, and one week closer
to your Christmas weight loss dreams

65

95

Food news

98

Stocking fillers
Treat yourself this Christmas for £10 or less

MIND, BODY & SOUL
108

The gift that keeps on giving
How supporting others on their weight loss
journeys can help get you to target, too

Switched-on slimming
Plug in and press start on the brand-new
Slimming World’s Air Fryers and Friends cookbook

‘ What’s a good homemade
present for friends?’
Spoil them with our chocolate-drizzled
meringue kisses

Kitchen secrets
Tips and tricks to boost your cooking confidence

49

93

OA season of celebration
From Halloween monster spaghetti to Christmas
Eve mustard-glazed ham, we’ve got showstopping
recipes for your special winter occasions

46

71

Find
the Syn
values of all
advertised
products
on page 69

112 ‘ Help! Night shifts are slowing
my weight loss’
Personalised advice to get those numbers
on the scales going down again

115

5 ways to reclaim your calm
Relax and refocus on your slimming goals

Our pick of the best Food Optimising buys

71

Happy hour
Our cheeky cocktail-inspired desserts are
sure to put a smile on your face!

CHRISTMAS ALL
WRAPPED UP
80

‘ I’ve put myself back in the picture’
Susan Renard is happy to pose for the camera
now she’s lost 2st

85

‘ I lost 14st and won my life back’
Aaron Walker is finally enjoying his 20s and
can’t wait to see what the future will bring

116 ‘ The slim, healthy me is here to stay’

95

How Slimming World’s Diamond Member of
the Year 2023, Alice Ingman, maintains her
8st 8lb weight loss

122

The things I know now...
Ann-Marie Pemberton has lost more than
2st – here’s what she learnt along the way

Your invitation to...eat, slim
and be merry!
Navigate those party nibbles with our practical
weight loss strategies and ideas

90

98

Moments of joy
Five members share their favourite things about
a Slimming World Christmas

83

EVEN MORE INSPO

Discover your sparkle
Don’t wait to make the decision that will change
your life, says Margaret Miles-Bramwell, Slimming
World’s founder and chair

COVER & CONTENTS CREDITS Cover and contents – photographs:
Paul Buller. Cover – styling: Sharna Valentine. Hair & make-up:
Liz Kitchiner. Claire wears: Dress, Karen Millen. Earrings, New Look.
Bracelet, Jon Richard. Left – styling: Rachel Fanconi. Hair & make-up:
Alice Theobald. Ann-Marie wears: Dress, Aidan by Adrianna Papell
at Debenhams. Shoes, Deichmann. Earrings, Dower & Hall. Ring,
Anayah. See p119 for stockists

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 5

37
63

73

61

Recipe index

Your at-a-glance guide to all the delicious dishes in this issue and Syns per serving

MEAT & POULTRY

VEGETARIAN & VEGAN

52
48
24

60
63

39

Beef & tomato hotpot
Butternut squash mac ’n’ cheese, 6 Syns*
Cheese, bacon, tomato & potato
no-pastry pie, 6 Syns*
Chicken & cauliflower tikka
Chicken curry noodles
Lamb & potato tagine
Mam’s mushroom & bean panackelty
Mustard-glazed ham, potato hash & herby
chilli drizzle
Paprika chicken with warm roasted roots
salad
Peppered steak & veg fried rice
Pulled chicken chilli with butternut
squash
Roast pork with traybake veg
Roast turkey & nutty sweet potato
casserole, 2 Syns
Slow-cooked banger & bean casserole

61

Tomatoey sausage pasta, 1 Syn

33
56
51
24
45
62
62
50
63
42

FISH & SEAFOOD
56
61
42

Chinese dragon aubergines, 2 Syns**
Fish & chips, 1 Syn
Potato latkes with egg, pickles & smoked
salmon

6 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

39

Baked pepper & rocket risotto
Bean burgers & sweet potato fries,
6 Syns*
Cheesy minestrone soup, 6 Syns*
Monster spaghetti with blood sauce,
2 Syns
Roasted aubergine & spinach biryani

53

Smoky red pepper & chickpea soup

65
37

SWEET THINGS
93
74
33
73
72
75
57
11

Chocolate-drizzled meringue kisses,
½ Syn
Espresso martini tiramisu, 4½ Syns
Filo plum tarts, 3 Syns
Irish cream mudslide mousses, 5 Syns
Margarita jellies, 1½ Syns
Piña colada Eton mess, 5½ Syns
Self-saucing chocolate pudding, 6 Syns
Snowmen yogurt bark, 4½ Syns

All of our
recipes have
been tried and
tested to make
sure they’re
bursting with
flavour, easy
to follow and
will keep your
weight loss
deliciously
on track!
Look out for these
symbols on our recipes:
Free when
Food Optimising
Extra Easy SP recipes
packed with Speed
Free Food and P Food;
perfect when you want
to lose a little more
in a little less time
Suitable for vegetarians
Suitable for vegans
Suitable for freezing
for up to 1 month
*Deduct 6 Syns if using the
Primula Cheese ’n’ Ham/
reduced-fat Cheddar/
wholemeal roll/Parmesan-style
cheese as a Healthy Extra
**Deduct 2 Syns if using water
instead of sesame oil

Food Optimising, Free,
Speed Free Food, Healthy
Extra, Extra Easy SP,
, Syn and Syns are
registered trademarks of
Miles-Bramwell Executive
Services Ltd trading as
Slimming World.
O See page 69 for a full

list of Syn values of
advertised products.

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E D I T O R ’ S

L E T T E R

I saw a social media post the other day that
m
made me laugh. It said, ‘Every time we try to eat
h
healthily, along comes Christmas, Easter, summer,
Friday or Tuesday, and ruins it for us.’ It’s funny
F
because we all know that feeling: whatever the
b
ttime of year, it can seem like there’s always
a reason to put your weight loss plans on pause.
A
And winter can be the most challenging time
o
of all, with temperatures dropping and social
o
occasions stacking up.
At Slimming World, we’re all about giving
y the tools to reach your dream weight and stay
you
there
t
– and that means fitting your new healthy
habits
naturally into your life, in a way that works
h

IN EVERY
ISSUE
EXPERT ADVICE
Our features will help
you to understand
yourself as a slimmer,
with fascinating
psychological insights
that work in the
real world
TESTED RECIPES
All of our recipes
are Slimming World
approved, Syn counted
and road tested to
help you slim
REAL JOURNEYS
Our first-person
stories show true
transformations and
share the genuine
emotions of weight loss

for you.
you In this issue of Slimming Worl
World Magazine you’ll find healthier spins on recipes
to celebrate the season ahead, whatever’s in your calendar – from Halloween to Diwali,
Hanukkah to Christmas Eve. Everything is hearty and packed with flavour, so you need
never feel like you’re missing out.
Another major part of your formula for success is keeping your ‘why’ in mind,
and if for you that’s feeling your best this festive season, you’ll love reading about our
cover star, Claire Scott, who’s rocking fabulous frocks 5st lighter. She’s not just
shining in our photoshoot, either – her weight loss has also given her more confidence
at work after starting her dream job.
We’re here to help you love your food, love how you feel, and love every moment!
Wishing you a wonderful Christmas, from all
of us at Slimming World Magazine.
SARA WARD, EDITOR

PHOTOGRAPH OF SARA: PAUL BULLER

MEET SOME OF THIS ISSUE’S SLIMMERS

Alice Ingman
thought she’d
never be active.
Now she’s 8st 8lbs
lighter and has run
three marathons!

Learning how
to lighten-up his
favourite hearty
meals has helped
John Cowe achieve
a 4½st weight loss.

After losing 17st
9lbs, Kelly Barker
has more energy
and confidence
than she ever
dreamt possible!

Susan Renard
shares why
slimming down
has made her
Christmases
more magical.

Alice lost
8st 8lbs – p116

John lost
4st 7½lbs – p22

Kelly lost
17st 9lbs – p12

Susan lost
2st – p83

GET IN TOUCH!
We’d love to hear
what you think
about the magazine.
Write to us at Slimming
World Magazine, Clover
Nook Road, Alfreton,
Derbyshire DE55 4SW,
call 01773 546 071, or
email us at editorial@
slimmingworld.co.uk

As members of the
Independent Press Standards
Organisation, we are
committed to the highest of
editorial standards and abide
by the Editors’ Code of
Practice. We take concerns and
complaints very seriously and
welcome feedback via the
channels listed above

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 9

dive in!

Snowmen yogurt bark
Get full-on festive with our super-cute snowy treats (which won’t put a freeze on your weight loss!)
A LITTLE EFFORT

SERVES 6
SYNS PER SERVING 4½
READY IN 15 minutes, plus freezing
50g reduced-fat plain soft cheese
25g caster sugar
200g fat-free natural Greek yogurt
12 edible eyes
6 Reese’s Unwrapped Peanut Butter
Cups Minis
Orange writing icing
18 Rowntree’s Jelly Tots
6 pretzel sticks, halved
2 level tsp edible snowflake
cake decorations

1 Put the cheese and sugar in
a bowl, and mix with a fork until
smooth. Add the yogurt and mix
until everything is well combined.
2 Line a baking tray (one that
will fit inside your freezer drawer)
with baking paper. Spread over
the yogurt mixture in a rectangle,
roughly 20 x 25cm.
3 To make the snowmen, space out
6 sets of eyes on the yogurt. Top each
set with a Peanut Butter Cup hat,
then add a thin line of writing icing for
a carrot nose and 3 Jelly Tots buttons.
Add half a pretzel stick to each side
of the snowmen for the arms, then
evenly scatter over the snowflakes.

PHOTOGRAPH: ALEX LUCK. RECIPE: REBECCA WOOLLARD
FOOD STYLING: LIZZIE KAMENETZKY. PROP STYLING: CLAIRE MORGAN

4 Freeze for at least 3 hours or up to
48 hours, then cut into 6 equal pieces
and serve straight away. Let it snow!

GETTING
STARTED
If you’re new
to Slimming World
and Food Optimising,
turn to page 56 for
a quick introduction
to the plan

SHARE YOUR
CREATIONS
#SWMagazineMakes

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 11

A LETTER TO MY FORMER SELF

‘Life is going to
feel so good!’
Kelly Barker feared she might not
be around for her son’s future. Now
17st 9lbs lighter, she writes a message
to her past self, telling her about
the amazing changes that await, and
how becoming an active mum will
make time with Josh better than ever

BEFORE
Just standing
up hurt my
back, legs
and ankles

12 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

Dear Kelly,
As I write this, you’re looking at a photo of
yourself that’s just been shared on social media
unexpectedly. You’re crying – not just from shame and
embarrassment, but from fear. Recently, your GP offered
to refer you for weight loss surgery, and looking at that
photo, seeing yourself the way others do, you can no
longer hide just how serious the situation has become.
You can’t rid yourself of a terrifying thought – that
surgery might see you die on the operating table and
leave your son, Josh, without his mother.
In tears, you call your cousin, Fiona, who is a
Slimming World Consultant. You tell her you are
finally ready to join her group and give Slimming
World your all. I wish you could know, in this moment
of pain, that as soon as you step through that door
into your first group, your life will change forever, and
a new life – the healthy, energetic, confident life you
feel you were always meant to lead – will begin...
From a young age, you learnt to associate dieting
not only with restricting food, but with punishment and
humiliation. You were just 10 when you were referred
to a dietitian, and you’d be marched out of your
classroom to get weighed. Your classmates would laugh
as you left, while you burned with embarrassment. At
lunch, you were given special meals, so when everyone
else had fish and chips, you ate boiled fish and boiled
potatoes – sitting alone on a separate table. It made you
feel like they thought you’d steal other people’s food.
You thought you deserved to be treated that
way, and that losing weight meant feeling hungry,
miserable and deprived. And yet, when you look back
now, perhaps if you’d just been gently encouraged
to make healthier choices and be more active things
might have been different. Maybe your weight
wouldn’t have continued to rise, and all the negative
associations you’ve since built up around food – and >

soul stories

Meet Kelly
Kelly Barker, 43, is a
primary school teacher.
She lives in St Helens,
Merseyside, with
her son, Josh, 15

Height: 5ft 3ins
Starting weight: 28st 7lbs
Weight now: 10st 12lbs

WEIGHT LOST:

17st 9lbs
Kelly is a target member of
Fiona Foulder’s Slimming World
group in Marshside, Southport

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 13

soul stories

BEFORE
I felt like
losing
weight was
impossible
for me

14 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

“As the weeks pass, you learn how to be
kinder to yourself and how important it is
to break your goals down into small steps”
you now know you can lose weight
the feelings of worthlessness that have
without surgery.
dogged you your whole life – wouldn’t
In group, you take part in IMAGE
have been there.
Therapy and begin to unpick the
Years later, when you became a
behaviours that have led you to
primary school teacher and had to
where you are now. Often, you’d
educate children about healthy eating
use being busy as an excuse for not
and how to have positive mindsets
eating proper meals, and now you’re
and look after their bodies, you felt
discovering that, actually, your food
uncomfortable. You were trying to
choices were more to do with how
promote something you weren’t doing
you felt. You share at group how you’d
yourself – and that it didn’t seem
use food to comfort yourself or as a
possible to do, even though you’d
reward – and realise it’s a behaviour
tried. And when you were nominated
you’ve learnt, because it’s what your
for a national teaching award, you
family used to do for you, out of love,
felt like an imposter. You believed you
when you were a child. Back home,
weren’t the role model the children
BEFORE
you start trying one new Slimming
deserved. Or your own son deserved.
I’d tried
World recipe a week and enjoy cooking more
It all leads you to where you are now –
countless
than you expected. As you begin to feel in
ready to call Fiona. You’ve decided you owe
restrictive
control of what you’re eating, food stops
it to yourself and those around you to be the
diets
ruling your life, and making simple swaps
best version of yourself. A few days later in
like cooking using low-calorie cooking spray
April 2018, you’re sitting alone in your car
instead of oil feels empowering.
outside your first Slimming World group, too scared
I’d love to tell you it will all be smooth sailing, but
to go in. But what other option do you have? Your legs
we know life isn’t like that. Like the time when you’re
shake as you walk inside, afraid the scales won’t take
convinced you’re following the plan 100 per cent, yet
your weight, sure you’ll be the biggest person there.
you’re not getting results. A brief disappointment at
Instead, you get the warmest of welcomes. Over a
your weigh-in doesn’t dent your confidence, though,
cup of tea, you’re told you aren’t going to be hungry
as by now you know just how powerful a support
and that you are going to be able to eat tasty,
network you have. You turn to Fiona, and she helps
interesting food. When you listen to the other
you recognise that you have some trigger foods. You
members celebrating their successes and talking
find a takeaway Chinese, curry or kebab so easy to
about the strategies they’ve used to change their
overeat, and with Fiona and the group’s support,
mindsets, you realise you’ve found your people.
you come up with a plan to still enjoy the flavours
Everyone here – regardless of how much they have to
you love and lose weight. It might sound impossible
lose or whatever the journey they’re on – understands
to you now, but before long your favourite recipes
how it feels to have a difficult relationship with food.
will be fakeaways: slimming-friendly chicken chow
They get it – and even though you weigh in privately
mein, Greek-style beef kofta kebabs and chicken tikka
to discover you’re 28½st, that gives you hope.
masala, that you’ve cooked from scratch. You even put
them in containers for that authentic takeaway feeling.
As the weeks pass, you learn how to be kinder to
You leave group with a spring in your step, thinking:
yourself and how important it is to break your goals
maybe I can do this. When you get home, you fall in
down into small steps. Initially, even standing hurts
love with Food Optimising immediately. You love
your back, legs and ankles, and the idea of being active
how there’s no weighing or measuring, other than for
feels like a distant dream. So you’ll never forget when
your Healthy Extras and Syns, and such a generous
your assumption is challenged and Fiona tells you that
list of Free Foods to be creative with. When you come
with Slimming World’s Body Magic physical activity
back the following week, you think you can’t possibly
support programme, you don’t need to do anything
have lost weight because you’ve eaten so much
drastic. She explains how you can gradually increase
delicious food. So you’re shocked to discover you’ve
your activity levels by making small changes – little
lost half a stone. It’s a real turning point for you.
tricks like taking things upstairs straight away, instead
After trying countless diets, which restricted you
of leaving them at the bottom for later when you’ll
to small portions, you’ve finally found a plan that
be going up anyway, and standing up during TV >
feels sustainable and will fit in with your lifestyle – and

Making a breakthrough

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 15

“With your confidence, your positivity, your
outlook on life and your self-belief, nothing
seems impossible to you now”

THEN
Breakfast Drive-through sausage and egg muffin with hash
browns, breakfast butty from the sandwich shop, multiple rounds
of toast with lots of butter, or a cooked breakfast fried in oil
Lunch Sausage roll, pie and a baguette or wrap from the petrol
station, with crisps and chocolate
Dinner Takeaway doner kebab with cheesy chips, sweet and
sour chicken balls with fried rice and sides, or pizza and garlic
bread with extra cheese
NOW
Breakfast Healthy Extra overnight oats with fat-free natural
Greek yogurt and berries, a veg and lean ham omelette, or a cooked
breakfast with Slimming World Pork Sausages from Iceland and
everything cooked using low-calorie cooking spray instead of oil
Lunch Homemade soup with a Healthy Extra coronation chicken
sandwich (my favourite sandwich recipe from the Slimming World
app), crustless quiche, or leftovers from dinner the previous day
Dinner Fakeaway kebab or Chinese, or a Food Optimising cottage pie
with roasted veg, and a slimming-friendly roast on a Sunday

KELLY WEARS
p13: Dress, Diva.
Shoes and bag,
both Deichmann
p14: Dress, John
Zack. Shoes, New
Look. Earrings,
Pinar Ozevlat
p17: Dress, Diva.
Shoes and bag,
both Deichmann.
Earrings and ring
on right hand, both
Thomas Sabo

ad breaks instead of sitting. Once you’ve got into the
mindset of moving a bit more each day, you feel able
to walk to the first lamp-post in your cul-de-sac and
back, and the next day, to the next lamp-post, and so
on. Seeing how easily activity could be incorporated
into your life is the start of a love affair with exercise
that will take you further than you can imagine…
You begin working in earnest towards your Body
Magic awards. You walk with your cockapoo puppy,
Bertie, then over time also do the activity videos
on the Slimming World app, run with Josh, and go
canoeing and to classes at the gym – and you even hike
up mountains! You’re more active at work, too. You
keep a pair of trainers under your desk and regularly
run a mile with your pupils. If you could see yourself
now! On a school trip, your class will be so proud of
you when you reach the top of the climbing wall.
Your son is proud of you, too. You get a lump in
your throat thinking about how Josh cheered you on
at the finish line when you ran Race for Life in October
2021, after losing nearly 15st. How he shouted: ‘Mum,
you can do it.’ It must sound like you’re reading about
someone else’s life. You, who deliberately avoided
doing anything energetic with him – even staying away
on school sports days because you were worried you’d

16 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

Loving the feeling
The day will come when you have a chat with your
doctor about needing some minor surgery, unrelated
to your weight, and as it’s a phone consultation, she
can’t see the slimmer, healthier you. When she asks
about your current weight and you tell her about your
17st 9lb loss, the phone will go silent. After a pause,
she’ll collect herself enough to ask, ‘How have you
done that?’ You tell her about Slimming World and
feel your heart swell when she simply says: ‘That’s
incredible!’ Because you don’t see Mum in person
often as she lives in Yorkshire, she gets an even bigger
shock than the doctor, opening the door to see you
standing there, transformed. As she hugs you, tears
in her eyes, you think you’ll burst with pride. And the
joyful moments don’t stop there... In July 2023, you’re
nominated as your group’s Woman of the Year, then
later find out you’re off to the semi-finals at Slimming
World head office in October. It feels like such an
honour – to think that your journey is inspiring others.
As I write you this letter, I’m sitting on top of a
mountain I’ve just climbed in the Lake District, looking
at the view. I still remember how you felt, looking at
that photo of yourself at your heaviest. I wonder if
you’d recognise the person you’ve become. Your style
has changed along with your shape, and you now wear
bold colours that let your personality shine through.
With your Slimming World dream team behind you,
you’ve kick-started an exciting new lifestyle you know
you’re never giving up. And with your confidence, your
positivity, your outlook on life and your self-belief,
nothing seems impossible to you now. You’re living
the life you never, in your wildest dreams, thought you
would get to live. And it feels indescribably good.

IF YOU’RE PLANNING TO START A NEW ACTIVITY PROGRAMME, WE RECOMMEND YOU CHECK WITH YOUR GP FIRST –
ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE AN EXISTING HEALTH CONDITION, SUCH AS HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, DIABETES OR ASTHMA
IF YOU’RE PREGNANT, CHECK THE SUITABILITY OF THE ACTIVITY WITH YOUR MIDWIFE. INTERVIEW: DONNA FERGUSON
PHOTOGRAPHS: PAUL BULLER. STYLING: RACHEL FANCONI. HAIR & MAKE-UP: ALICE THEOBALD. SEE P119 FOR STOCKISTS

My day on a plate

embarrass him. Well, believe it – one day you regularly
exercise together and become so much closer. You
even go indoor skydiving and do the biggest zip wire
in Europe together. You have so much fun – and you’re
the one encouraging him to do daring things with
his active mum. After spending so much time just
existing, you want to grab life with both hands.
When you’re nearly at target, Fiona will start
videoing you on the scales, knowing you want a record
of that special moment. And it comes sooner than you
expect! There you are, in the video, seeing the numbers
and letting out a little scream. Fiona screams back and
you both burst into tears, hugging each other, full of
joy. You video call Mum from group, and see her crying
back at you on the phone screen. From the cheers
you get when you’re handed your target member
certificate to the individual congratulations from
other members, every second feels like a celebration.

soul stories

BEFORE
I had no selfworth – and
I wasn’t living,
I was just
existing

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 17

NEW

Available in

shloer.com

Be INSPIRED
UPLIFTING REAL-LIFE STORIES AND ADVICE TO GET YOUR MOTIVATION FIRING

PREPARE
TO DAZZLE

PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY IMAGES

W

hether you’re looking
forward to spending
time with family
and friends, or can’t
wait to show off your moves
on the dance floor, we’re here
to help you look and feel your
best. And for inspiration, turn to
page 26 to read how our cover
star, Claire, regained her Christmas
glow... ’Tis the season, after all!

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 19

H

ere’s a scenario most of us
know all too well: you really
want to be active, yet with
work and/or family keeping
you busy and a long list of chores to fit
in, you just can’t seem to find a spare
hour to get in an exercise session. And
that’s where activity ‘snacking’ could be
a game-changer – and help bring all kinds
of benefits to your health and weight loss.

What’s it all about?
‘Activity snacking involves doing bite-size
chunks of exercise throughout your day,’
says Evie Lovell, a registered nutritionist
at Slimming World. ‘So it’s not about doing
one big session, just little bits of activity
that slot into your everyday routine.’
Almost anything that gets you moving
can be an activity snack, and the best
ones are those that briefly raise your heart
rate, last at least a couple of minutes, and
happen often. According to research,
two beneficial activities are a few minutes
of walking*, and going up and down stairs**.
And without so much as changing our
shoes, activity snacking allows us to access
some of the physical and mental benefits
we’d get from longer forms of exercise.

Who is it for?

Take a bite out of
activity snacking!
If you’d like to boost your fitness, but feel like you’ve got zero time to spare,
we’ve got great news... By sneaking ‘snacks’ of activity into your routine, you’ll
get health and weight loss benefits without needing an extra hour in the day
WORDS: ANNA BLEWETT

20 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

IF YOU’RE PLANNING TO START A NEW ACTIVITY PROGRAMME, WE RECOMMEND YOU CHECK
WITH YOUR GP FIRST – ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE AN EXISTING HEALTH CONDITION, SUCH AS
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, DIABETES OR ASTHMA. IF YOU’RE PREGNANT, CHECK THE SUITABILITY
OF THE ACTIVITY WITH YOUR MIDWIFE. ILLUSTRATIONS: GETTY IMAGES

The beauty of activity snacking is that
everybody can get on board – no
equipment or special clothing needed.
‘If you have reduced mobility, activity
snacking can still work for you – any

fit for life

Fancy a snack? Take your pick…
chair-based exercise counts,’ says Evie
Lovell. ‘Slimming World’s physical activity
support programme, Body Magic, is all
about starting from where you are now
and building up, so activity snacking is
a great way to get started.’

What is it good for?
As well as nudging up our overall daily
activity and burning some extra calories, it
can bring special health benefits. Research
suggests short bursts of intense activity can
outperform longer, less vigorous workouts
in some ways. A study shows converting a
14-minute gentle stroll into a seven-minute
brisk walk could further reduce the risk
of cardiovascular disease†. And diabetes
researchers reported that activity snacking
helped people with type 1 and 2 manage
their blood glucose more effectively*.
‘Some of the biggest impacts of activity
snacking come when we use it to break
up periods of being sedentary,’ says Evie.
There’s growing evidence to show that
interrupting long periods of sitting with
little intervals of activity is a really powerful
habit. ‘When you stand up, your leg,
stomach and bum muscles are all engaged,’
says Evie, ‘and when you’re using more
muscles, you’re burning more calories!’

*DIABETES UK. **PUBLISHED IN THE APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY, NUTRITION, AND METABOLISM
JOURNAL. †STUDY PUBLISHED IN THE EUROPEAN HEART JOURNAL. ††STUDY PUBLISHED IN
THE BRITISH JOURNAL OF SPORTS MEDICINE

FIT IN FIVE
Slimming World members
will find a host of activity videos
on the members’ website and app,
including some great workouts you
can do in just five minutes. With seated
activities, dance moves, stretching, as
well as higher-intensity workouts,
there’s something for everyone –
and you can add them straight
to your activity planner.

Whether you’re a seasoned park runner, or you’re at the start of your fitness
journey, activity snacking works for everyone. The key is grabbing any
opportunity for a quick ‘snack’ – and little and often wins the day!

1

THE SCREEN-SCROLL
WALL SIT

A great way to make the most
of your screen time, regular static
muscle-contracting activities like
wall sits are said to be effective for
reducing high blood pressure††.

O With your back flat against a wall
and feet a step away from it, slide
your body down until you feel your
thigh muscles working – as if you’re
about to sit on an imaginary chair,
with your legs at a right angle.
OHold the position for up to
two minutes, gradually increasing
how long you sit as you start to
become stronger.

Love to chat? Take your
conversations on tour with
a short walk that lasts as
long as your phone call.
Walking while on hold
to call centres is a good
tip – it helps release any
frustration as you’re
taking back your time!

5

THE KITCHEN KETTLEWAIT SQUAT

Squats activate your bum
muscles (your largest ones), and
build strength in your lower body
and stomach. Try fitting in a few
while you wait for the kettle to boil.

O Place your feet hip-width apart
with your toes facing outwards
slightly, weight in your heels.

2

THE MICROWAVE
MINI WORKOUT

OIn one squat movement,
lower your bottom towards the
floor, as far as is comfortable for
you, then push up and return to
standing. You’ll feel it in your thighs.

Setting the microwave? Fit
in some moves before the timer
pings. Marching on the spot will
raise your heartbeat and build
strength in your bottom and hips –
key muscles that can become weak
when we sit too much.

O Bring your knees up as high as
is comfortable, and with each step
swing your arms to max the benefits.
O If it feels too easy, swap marching
for an energetic jog on the spot, and
see your step count shoot up!

Track your ‘snacks’
The tiniest scraps of activity really add up
if you’re doing them regularly, and fitness
trackers are a great tool to help you keep
tabs on those ‘snacks’. If you’re a Slimming
World member and you use Apple Health,
Fitbit or Google Fit, you can sync them
with your Slimming World app. ‘Even if you
think you’re really inactive, trackers can help
you discover ways you’re actually already
clocking up movement,’ says Evie, ‘then
building on that is easier – and so satisfying!’

4

THE CATCHUP-CALL
STROLL

3

THE AD-BREAK
STAIR CLIMB

Your average TV ad break is
around two to three minutes: ideal
for a quick climb! Taking the stairs
regularly is a really great way to
build lower-body strength, burn
calories and help keep our bones,
muscles and joints healthy.

6

THE TROLLEY DASH

Online shopping is super
convenient, but it does rob
us of a great way to build more
activity into our week. If you’re able
to pop to the supermarket, set a
time limit to get around the aisles
and move with purpose. When
you’re focusing on squeezing in
activity, it’ll give all that walking
and reaching new meaning!

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 21

‘The recipes that
remind me of Mam’
When John Cowe began his slimming journey, it wasn’t long before he
discovered the joy of lightening-up the home-cooked meals he loved
FOOD PHOTOGRAPHS: ANDREW BURTON

John, 59, is a retired police officer. He
lives with his wife, Karen, in Washington,
Tyne and Wear, and they have a grown-up
daughter, Rebecca. John’s 5ft 10ins tall
and weighs 12st 7½lbs, having lost 4st
7½lbs at Lynne Pittiglio’s Slimming World
group in Columbia, Tyne and Wear
alking up the street to our
front door, I wondered what
my mam, Jean, was making
for tea. I was 10 years old
and, while money was scarce, Mam was
a dab hand at creating meals out of
whatever was available. Tonight it was
panackelty, or panack as we called it –
a hotpot local to the North East, made
with meat, potatoes, onions and bacon.
I loved Mam’s version with mushrooms
and baked beans. Mam, who worked as

W

Clockwise from right:
Mam; my daughter,
Rebecca, and Mam; the
three of us together

a home help, set about getting tea ready
for when Dad got in from his job at
a printing company, while I hovered
around her in the kitchen. Nobody was
allowed to eat until he was back, then
the four of us – including my older sister,
Pauline – would all sit down together.
Mam was a strong, no-nonsense
character, but she was also a natural carer
and finished her working life looking
after patients in a psychiatric hospital.
So, it was only right that when the time
came, we would care for her.
Mam was an independent person,
but when Dad died in 2001, at just 65,
she was lost without him. Even more
heartbreaking, a few years later she was
diagnosed first with Alzheimer’s, then
with Parkinson’s. In May 2019, I retired
early from the police to help Pauline care

for her – but didn’t realise just how little
time she had left. Less than a month later,
on 1 June, she passed away. The loss hit
me hard and my grief sent me into a
downward spiral of comfort eating.
In January 2022, my wife, Karen,
and I were watching TV when I glimpsed
my reflection in the screen. Is that really
me? I thought. Seeing my oversize T-shirt
riding up over my stomach, I began to
worry that I was putting my future at risk.
I’d already been diagnosed with gout,
arthritis, high cholesterol and borderline
type 2 diabetes, and had back and knee
problems. I was desperate not to die as
young as Dad. I wanted to be around for
Karen and our daughter, Rebecca, for as
long as possible.
Turning to Karen, I confessed how
I was feeling, but she was already >

made with love

My wife, Karen,
and I joined
Slimming World
together, and
now we’re
both at our
target weights

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 23

made with love

EVERYDAY EASY

I worried my weight
was putting my future
at risk – now I’m
so much healthier
way ahead of me. ‘Don’t worry,’ she said,
‘I’ve found a Slimming World group for us
to go to – we start this Saturday.’
Like many men, I’d assumed that
Slimming World was just for women. And
when I heard about Food Optimising,
I was heartened to learn I could still eat
big portions. After our Consultant, Lynne,
explained all about Free and Speed Free
Food, I went away, followed the plan and
lost 8½lbs in seven days!
We’d never had much fresh food in
the house – now the amount of fruit and
veg in our fridge was unreal. Instead of
fatty mince, we bought lean mince to
cook up batches of chilli served with rice
or jacket potatoes. We adapted our own
recipes, too, and top of the list were
Mam’s dishes from my childhood. Out
went the streaky bacon and in came lean
medallions, and where Mam used lard,
we used low-calorie cooking spray. Even
her pies were still on the menu, but with
mash instead of pastry, topped with
a Healthy Extra serving of cheese.
Within three weeks, I’d got my
one-stone award, and six months later
I was at my target of 12st 7½lbs. Karen
lost a fantastic 2½st and reached her
target, too. Every week at group, we’ve
learnt something new and Lynne has
been an amazing motivator. I know I’ll
be a Slimming World fan forever; without
it, I wouldn’t have the life I have.
I’ll always be sad Mam isn’t part of
it, but she’s with us in the hearty homecooked dinners we still sit down to. I took
two panack dishes into group a while ago,
though to a mixed reception. Mam’s
meaty one (recipe right) went down
well; my reinvented veggie one, less so.
I suspect Mam would have agreed!

24 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

SERVES 4
READY IN 2 hours 20 minutes
1kg floury potatoes, such as Maris Piper
or King Edward, peeled and thinly sliced
Low-calorie cooking spray
600g flat mushrooms, thickly sliced
2 large onions, finely sliced
8 bacon medallions, visible fat removed,
roughly chopped
2 x 400g cans baked beans
200g passata
1 beef stock cube
1 head of broccoli, broken into florets,
stalk finely sliced
400g green beans, trimmed

1 Preheat your oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/
gas 4. Boil the potatoes for 4 minutes, then
drain, tip onto kitchen paper and leave to
cool. While they’re cooling, spray a large,
non-stick frying pan with cooking spray
and put over a medium-high heat. Fry the
mushrooms in batches, cooking on one
side for 3-4 minutes, then turning until
browned. Move each batch to a plate and
repeat until all the mushrooms are cooked.
2 Respray the pan, turn down the heat to
medium and fry the onions for 10 minutes
until softening, stirring often. Add the bacon
and fry for 8 more minutes. Mix the onions
and bacon in a large pie dish, along with
the mushrooms, baked beans and passata.
Crumble over the stock cube and stir.
3 Lay the potatoes on top so they overlap,
then spray with cooking spray. Cover with
foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil and
bake for another 30-45 minutes until the
potatoes are golden and crisp. When the
potatoes are almost done, boil the broccoli
and beans for 4-5 minutes, then drain. Divide
everything between 4 plates to serve.

Cheese, bacon,
tomato & potato
no-pastry pie
EVERYDAY EASY

SERVES 4
SYNS PER SERVING 6
Deduct 6 Syns if using the reduced-fat Cheddar
as a Healthy Extra

READY IN 1 hour 40 minutes
1kg floury potatoes, such as Maris Piper or
King Edward, peeled and chopped into chunks
160g reduced-fat Cheddar, grated
1 tsp mustard powder
Low-calorie cooking spray
8 bacon medallions, visible fat removed,
roughly chopped
2 large onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
Large green salad, to serve

1 Preheat your oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/
gas 6. Boil the potatoes for 15 minutes, then
drain, keeping a cup of the cooking water.
Mash the potatoes with most of the cheese
and the mustard powder. Stir in enough of
the cooking water to make the mash
smooth and spoonable. Season to taste.
2 Spray a large, non-stick frying pan with
cooking spray and put over a medium-high
heat. Fry the bacon and onions for 8-10
minutes. Add the garlic and fry for
2 minutes. Tip in the tomatoes, bring
to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
3 Spread a third of the mash over the base
of a large baking dish and top with half the
tomato mixture. Repeat, finishing with
a layer of mash. Evenly scatter over the
rest of the cheese. Bake for 45 minutes
until the cheese has melted and the top
is golden. Divide between 4 plates and
serve with the salad.

‘We adapted our own recipes and top of the
list were Mam’s dishes from my childhood.
Even her pies are still on the menu’

THE HEALTH INFORMATION IN THIS STORY IS BASED ON PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AND SHOULD NOT BE USED TO REPLACE
THE ADVICE GIVEN BY YOUR HEALTHCARE TEAM. FOOD STYLING: PIPPA LEON. PROP STYLING: DAVINA PERKINS

Mam’s mushroom
& bean panackelty

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Win one of four £500
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W

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PRIZE DETAILS
O One of four vouchers to be
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For more information about Parkdean Resorts,
visit parkdeanresorts.co.uk. The prize must
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to availability, and restrictions apply. The
competition is open to UK and Republic of
Ireland residents aged 18 or over.

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READER
OFFER
Save up to 10% on a
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Book a two- to 14-night break at
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and save 10 per cent on a break taken
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Visit slimmingworld.co.uk/magcomps to enter online no later
than 14 December 2023. Or send your competition entry form
to Parkdean Resorts Competition, Slimming World Magazine,
Clover Nook Road, Alfreton, Derbyshire DE55 4SW, to arrive no
later than 14 December 2023.

Name
Address

Postcode

DATA PROTECTION: By entering the competition, all entrants consent to the use of their personal
data by Slimming World and Parkdean Resorts UK Limited for the purpose of the administration of
this competition. The winners’ names and counties will be published in the May/June 2024 issue
of Slimming World Magazine.

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 25

Claire’s
confident
new
mindset
When Claire Scott got her dream job, she worried she
wouldn’t have the energy to succeed. Now she’s 5st slimmer,
her self-esteem is soaring, she’s acing her career, and she
knows she can achieve anything she sets her mind to!

L

ooking at my reflection in the changing room mirror,
my heart sank. The size-18 work tunic I’d been given to

try on just about fastened up, but there wasn’t a lot of,
well…give. For the first time since finding out I’d got my
dream job as a newborn hearing screener for the NHS,
I felt disheartened. Making a career change in my late
30s had felt like an exciting new start and, so far, the induction
process had been going well. I’d been told the training would
take five months, and there were just a few admin things to sort
before I could begin – among them being fitted for my uniform.
OK, so I’d just about managed to squeeze into that size-18 today,
but Christmas was coming up. There’s no way I’ll still fit into it by
the time I start my training in January, I thought, as I threw my
comfy baggy jumper back on. >

26
6 SLIMMING
SLIM
SLI
MMI
M
MMING
MING WOR
WO
WORLD
LD MAG
MAGAZINE
AGAZI
AZINE
NE

real-life cover star

Meet Claire
Claire Scott, 37, is a
newborn hearing screener.
She lives in Kirkby-inAshfield, Nottinghamshire,
with her husband, Wayne,
and their three children,
Millie, 16, Poppy, 10,
and Oliver, seven

Height: 5ft 6ins
Starting weight: 15st 3lbs
Weight now: 10st 2lbs

WEIGHT LOST:

5st 1lb
Claire is a target member of
Jenn Higgins’ Slimming World group
in Huthwaite, Nottinghamshire

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 27

“I’ve replaced
my dark
outfits with
bright, fitted
dresses, and
my daughter
loves going
shopping
with me now”

CLAIRE WEARS
p27: Dress,
ASOS. Shoes,
Ravel. Earrings,
Accessorize
Left: Dress, Coast.
Shoes, Next.
Earrings and
bracelet, both
Jon Richard.
Ring, Lovisa
p30: Top, Next.
Skirt, ASOS. Shoes,
New Look. Earrings,
Jon Richard.
Bracelet, Lovisa

28 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

real-life cover star

There was no question in my mind what I
needed to do: rejoin Slimming World. I already
knew it worked because I’d lost 2st when
I was a member briefly after my eldest, Millie,
was born. With all three of my babies – first
Millie, then Poppy, followed by Oliver – I’d
found myself grabbing quick snacks, rather
than having proper meals, then picking at
leftovers, and gradually my weight had gone
up. Then, in 2018, I lost my teaching assistant
job at a local primary school due to cuts, and
my confidence took a huge knock. Feeling
unhappy in myself and desperate to find
some comfort, I turned to food. I’d found
work at a nursery, but my increasing weight
meant that every shift was gruelling. After a
day of picking up kids and toys, and getting
up and down off the floor, my knees and
ankles would throb. Something needed to change.

an
and recipes. The only scary moment was
w
when I stepped onto the scales and found
Iw
was 15st 3lbs. It was a higher number than
I’d expected, but I wasn’t going to let that
pu me off. Setting my target weight at
put
12 I was ready to get stuck in!
12st,

Str
Straight
away, I got back into the swing of
Fo Optimising, wanting to give myself
Food
th best possible first week. I started by
the

ma
making a slimming-friendly version of
las
lasagne, our current family favourite –
swa
swapping out higher Syn ingredients, like
che
cheese sauce for light soft cheese. And
ins
instead of our weekly Chinese takeaway,
I made
m
chicken chow mein from the
Slim
Slimming World members’ app, and the
kid
kids couldn’t tell the difference! The biggest
BEFORE
boost
boost, though
though, came the next week when I lost 5½lbs.
With my
By the time I started my new job, I’d got my half-stone
weight going
In September 2021, I took a huge step forward by
award and put any worries about fitting into my
up, I felt
applying for my new job. I couldn’t believe it when
uniform behind me. As the weeks passed, I was
unhappy
I was offered the position, and just the fact that I’d been
learning more about myself in IMAGE Therapy – how
in myself
given such an amazing opportunity had boosted my
I’d sometimes eat for comfort, my snacking habits
confidence. Then, all through Christmas, that closeand my own personal danger zones. One of those
danger zones was coffee shops, and at first I’d make excuses
to-bursting uniform was preying on my mind... By now, even
not to meet up with friends there. It worked, but it wasn’t how
the thought of taking our dog, Pippa, out for a quick walk was
exhausting. How would I manage long hospital shifts? I let out
I wanted to live my life, so with the support of my group I came
all my worries to my friend, Amy, and she said exactly what I
up with a more satisfying strategy. I’d always have a filling Food
needed to hear: ‘Why don’t you come with me to my Slimming
Optimising breakfast, lunch and dinner, so I wasn’t hungry
whatever time of day I walked into the coffee shop – and that
World group?’ Going back had been on my mind ever since
meant I felt happy catching up over a drink, and didn’t feel like
trying on that uniform, and this felt like the moment to seize
my chance. This was it: new job, new start, new me.
I wanted a brownie, too.

From the moment I joined group in January 2022, I felt so
comfortable. It was great to have Amy there with me, and my

Something strange began to happen – the fewer high Syn
foods I ate, the less I wanted them. In fact, I felt so confident

new Consultant, Jenn, made me feel so welcome. The IMAGE
Therapy part of group – where everyone shares their setbacks
and successes, and gets support for the next week – really got
me thinking, and I enjoyed listening to everyone sharing ideas

in my ability to make the best choices for my weight loss,
I agreed to take the kids to their favourite burger restaurant.
Soon, it was a regular thing, and I became a dab hand at picking
the healthier options on the menu. Back at home, I started to
notice that the chicken nuggets and pizzas I had in the freezer
were staying there for longer, because the kids were asking
for my lasagne or cottage pie instead. My husband, Wayne,
was loving our new meals, too. One day, as we were in the
kitchen, he said: ‘How about I try cooking something the
Slimming World way?’ And he did a great job! He whipped up
a spaghetti bolognese, making his own sauce with canned
tomatoes, instead of using one from a jar. What’s more, each
time I returned home from group with yet another halfstone certificate, he’d sweep me into his arms and say:
‘Congratulations, that’s brilliant!’

Things didn’t always go to plan, but I knew if I stuck with it,
I’d get to where I wanted to be. And I didn’t even need to wait

I love having the energy to keep up with the kids now. Here’s
me, Wayne, Poppy, Oliver and Millie on a ride together at
Alton Towers. It’s one of our favourite places for a good dose
of family fun – we’ve even bought season passes!

for the next group to get a dose of support that would turn
my mood and motivation around. Jenn ran a Facebook page
for members, and it was a real help on those days when I felt
low and reached for chocolate. ‘Don’t beat yourself up,’ Jenn
would message back. ‘Just draw a line under it and start again.’
In the past, I’d have felt so rubbish for having ‘failed’, I’d have
gone into self-sabotage mode and eaten loads more unhealthy
things, thinking there was no way back. Now, Jenn and the other
members made me feel like it wasn’t a failure at all, just a >

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 29

real-life cover star
little bump in the road. Tomorrow is another day and you can
just start again, I’d think to myself. And I always did!

I reached target around the same the time I finished my training,
passed my final assessment and became a qualified newborn
hearing screener. I was loving my new job, and it was so rewarding
to help care for the health of babies – and each one of them
melted my heart! My aches and pains had eased, so being on my
feet all day didn’t bother me at all. On top of feeling fitter, I’d
recently swapped my uniform for a smaller size. I still wanted to
lose a little more weight, so I set a new target, and before long it
wasn’t just my uniform that was too big. I kept having to take my
old clothes to charity shops, and while I was there, I’d spot an
amazing find in the next size down. Over time, I started to replace
my plain, mostly dark outfits with a wardrobe full of bright, fitted
second-hand bargains as I had fun experimenting with fashion.

Adding in some activity gave me a boost when my weight loss
started slowing down. We lived right next to a country park,
which was beautiful…but when I’d had aching joints, even that
hadn’t been enough to tempt me outside. There’d been a time
when walking Pippa had felt like a real chore and I’d collapse
on the sofa the moment we got back. Since hearing in group
about other members’ experiences of the Body Magic physical
activity support programme, though, I’d come to understand
the benefits of fitting in a bit more activity. I’d put in my
earphones, turn on the music and enjoy a real bit of me-time
pacing up and down the scenic hills with Pippa. It was as if
I’d given my weight loss a new lease of life, and in July this year
I reached my final target of 10st 5lbs.

I started a diploma, which will help me progress. Meeting new
mums and their babies is always really special – it takes me right
back to when my three were little. Sometimes I think back to
those days and wish I’d slimmed down sooner, as it took losing
weight for me to realise just how much it had been holding me
back. I’m so glad Poppy, now 10, and Oliver, seven, are still young
enough to enjoy their mum kicking a ball around with them at
the park, and as for Millie, who’s 16, she may feel too grown-up
for that, but she loves us going shopping together. I’m positive
and full of joy again, and Wayne’s so happy for me. I feel good
about every bit of my life – and that’s pretty special.

B
BEFORE
A
After
spending
sp
a day on my
fe
feet, I’d feel
ex
exhausted

30 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

INTERVIEW: ADAM CARPENTER. PHOTOGRAPHS: PAUL BULLER. STYLING: SHARNA VALENTINE. HAIR & MAKE-UP: LIZ KITCHINER. SEE P119 FOR STOCKISTS

I feel like there are no limits to what I can do now I’m so much
more confident in myself. I’m loving my new career, and recently

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ho doesn’t look forward to
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Garlic Oil or Coconut Oil lend themselves
beautifully to our gently spiced roast chicken
tikka (right) – a one-pan wonder that’s high
on flavour and low on washing-up. And when
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own. Put the two dishes together and you’ve
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*BASED ON FRYLIGHT 190ML, FIVE SPRAYS PER COOK AND A SERVING OF POURING OIL BEING 15ML (1 TBSP)

W

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Frylight is the original one-calorie
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subject to availability. Discover
more at frylight.com

32 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

Chicken &
cauliflower tikka
SUPER SIMPLE

SERVES 4

READY IN 1 hour, plus marinating
2 level tbsp tikka curry powder (see Cook’s
notes on p35)
5cm-piece fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
4 garlic cloves, crushed
100g fat-free natural Greek yogurt
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tbsp tomato purée
500g skinless and boneless chicken thighs,
visible fat removed
1 red onion, ½ cut into small wedges,
½ finely chopped
1 small cauliflower, broken into florets,
reserving the leaves
Frylight
400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
200g baby spinach
1 large cucumber, finely chopped
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Juice of 2 limes
25g fresh coriander, leaves roughly chopped

1 Mix half the tikka powder, ginger and
garlic with the yogurt, lemon juice and
tomato purée in a wide bowl. Season, add
the chicken and stir to coat. Cover and
leave to marinate in the fridge for at least
30 minutes, or overnight.
2 When ready to cook, preheat your
oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. Put the
onion wedges and cauliflower florets into
a large, non-stick baking tin. Scatter over
the remaining tikka powder, garlic and
ginger. Stir to coat, then top with the
chicken. Spray with Frylight and bake
for 20 minutes.
3 Add the cauliflower leaves and chickpeas
to the tin, and return to the oven for
20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked
through and the veg are tender. Gently stir
through the spinach and return to the oven
for a final 2 minutes until it has wilted.
4 Mix together the chopped onion,
cucumber, chilli and lime juice. Season
and stir through the coriander. Serve
the traybake with the cucumber salsa.

Filo plum tarts
EVERYDAY EASY

SERVES 4
SYNS PER SERVING 3
READY IN 20 minutes
Frylight
1 x 39g filo pastry sheet, cut
into 8 squares
150g fat-free natural Greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 level tsp sweetener granules
2 level tbsp demerara sugar
Juice of ½ lemon
4 small fresh plums, halved, stoned
and finely sliced

1 Preheat your oven to 200°C/
fan 180°C/gas 6. Spray a large,
non-stick baking tray with Frylight.
Place 4 pastry squares on the tray
and spray lightly with Frylight. Place
another square on top of each, at an
angle to make a star shape. Bake for
5-6 minutes until crisp and golden.
2 Mix the yogurt with the vanilla
extract and sweetener, then set
aside. Mix the sugar with the lemon
juice and leave for 5 minutes to
dissolve a little.
3 Divide the yogurt mixture over
the pastry stars, then arrange the
plum slices over the top in neat
overlapping circles. Divide the tarts
between 4 plates and evenly drizzle
over the sugar mixture to serve.

Food Optimising, Free, SP, Syn Free, Syn and Syns are trademarks of Miles-Bramwell
Executive Services Ltd trading as Slimming World.

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 33

y
er jamm
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coffee!
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EAT, love&lose
DISCOVER A WORLD OF FRESH, FILLING FOOD THAT’S DELICIOUSLY SLIMMING

Look out for these
symbols on our recipes:
Free when Food
Optimising
Extra Easy SP recipe
Suitable for vegetarians
Suitable for vegans
Suitable for freezing
for up to 1 month

122

PHOTOGRAPH: ALEX LUCK. RECIPE & FOOD STYLING:
LIZZIE KAMENETZKY. PROP STYLING: CLAIRE MORGAN

COOK’S NOTES
O When cooking with shopbought spice mixes or blends,
choose brands without
Synned ingredients such as
sugar, flour and oil. Otherwise,
count ½ Syn per level tsp or
1½ Syns per level tbsp
O When using low-calorie
cooking spray in our recipes,
choose brands with one calorie
or less per spray as they’re Syn
Free. See page 6 for a complete
list of recipes and Syn values.
For an introduction to Food
Optimising, turn to page 60

brilliant recipes,
ideas & tips in
this issue
Margarita
jellies,
recipe p72

WHAT’S COOKING?
Share your photos
of this issue’s recipes
on social media:
#SWMagazineMakes

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 35

HALLOWEEN
Monster spaghetti
with blood sauce

festive feasts

A season of

celebration
Gather your nearest and dearest and mark those big calendar
events – beginning with the spookiest night of all…
PHOTOGRAPHS: GARETH MORGANS

HALLOWEEN

Monster spaghetti with blood sauce
Delight the family by making this lip-smacking bowl of ghoulish pasta part of your scary feast
EVERYDAY EASY

SERVES 4
SYNS PER SERVING 2
(sauce only)

READY IN 45 minutes
1 butternut squash, halved, peeled,
deseeded and cut into small chunks,
or 700g ready-chopped
Low-calorie cooking spray
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped or crushed
¼ tsp dried red chilli flakes (optional)
1 tsp tomato purée
400g can chopped tomatoes
400g dried spaghetti
½ tsp dried oregano
100g pimento-stuffed green olives in
brine, drained and halved

1 Preheat your oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/
gas 6. Spread the squash on a large, nonstick baking tray. Spray with cooking spray
and roast for 30 minutes until golden and
caramelised, turning halfway.
2 While the squash is roasting, spray a large,
non-stick saucepan with cooking spray
and put over a medium-high heat. Fry the
onion for 7 minutes, stirring and adding
a splash of water if it starts to stick. Stir in
the garlic and chilli flakes (if using), then
the tomato purée and tomatoes. Bring to
the boil, turn down the heat to low and
simmer for 15 minutes until thickened.
3 Cook the spaghetti following the pack
instructions, then drain, keeping 100ml
of the cooking water. When the spaghetti
is almost ready, use a stick blender to blitz
the tomato sauce until smooth.
4 Stir the spaghetti cooking water into
the sauce. Add the squash, spaghetti and
oregano, stir all together, then divide
between 4 bowls. Divide over the olives
and add a twist of black pepper to serve.

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 37

BONFIRE NIGHT
Slow-cooked banger
& bean casserole
38 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

festive feasts
DIWALI

Roasted aubergine & spinach biryani
Get together over this flavourful South Asian dish to celebrate the Hindu festival of lights
A LITTLE EFFORT

SERVES 4

READY IN 1 hour 30 minutes

BONFIRE NIGHT

Slow-cooked
banger & bean
casserole
A filling bowlful will make fireworks
night go with a bang!
EVERYDAY EASY

SERVES 4

READY IN 2 hours
Low-calorie cooking spray
8 frozen Slimming World Pork Sausages
(from Iceland), defrosted
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 large carrots, roughly chopped
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp tomato purée
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 beef stock cube
400g can chopped tomatoes
2 x 400g cans mixed beans in water,
drained and rinsed
250g spinach
25g fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 Preheat your oven to 170°C/fan 150°C/
gas 3½. Spray a large, lidded, flameproof
casserole dish with cooking spray and
put over a medium-high heat. Add the
sausages and cook for 5 minutes, turning
halfway, so they’re brown on two sides.
Put on a plate and set aside.
2 Add the onions and carrots to the pan
with 50ml water, and fry for 7 minutes
until softening, stirring regularly. Add the
balsamic, tomato purée and paprika, and
stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the stock cube,
tomatoes and a canful of water. Bring to
the boil, stirring until the stock cube has
dissolved. When everything is bubbling,
stir in the beans and lay the sausages over
the top. Cover with the lid and bake for
1 hour. Take off the lid and cook in the
oven for a further 30-40 minutes until
the sauce has thickened.
3 Stir the spinach through the casserole
until it wilts. Season to taste. Scatter
over the parsley and divide between
4 bowls to serve.

3 aubergines, cut into 3cm chunks
1 tsp garlic powder
Low-calorie cooking spray
6 cardamom pods, bashed so they remain
whole but slightly broken
1 cinnamon stick
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 onions, sliced
1 or 2 green chillies, sliced (optional)
3cm-piece fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1½ tsp garam masala
300g dried basmati rice, well rinsed
350ml vegetable stock, made with 1 stock cube
suitable for vegans
250g spinach
400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 dried or fresh bay leaves
25g fresh coriander leaves
FOR THE SALAD
Juice of 1 lemon
1 red onion, finely sliced
300g cherry tomatoes, halved
25g fresh mint leaves
1 tsp nigella seeds

1 Preheat your oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/
gas 6. Put the aubergine chunks in a large
bowl with the garlic powder and ½ tsp salt,
and toss together until the chunks are
evenly coated. Spread over a large,
non-stick baking tray, spray with cooking
spray and roast for 35-40 minutes.

2 While the aubergines are cooking, put
a large, lidded, flameproof, non-stick
casserole dish over a medium-high heat.
Add the cardamom pods and cinnamon
stick, dry-fry for 1 minute, then set aside.
Dry-fry the cumin seeds for 1 minute, then
spray the pan with cooking spray. Add the
onions and 50ml water to the cumin, and
cook for 7 minutes until starting to brown,
stirring regularly. Add the chillies (if
using), ginger, garlic and garam masala,
and fry for 1 minute. Stir in the rice and
½ tsp salt, then take off the heat.
3 When the aubergines are ready, pour
the stock into the casserole dish with the
onion and rice. Add the spinach, followed
by the chickpeas and aubergines. Tuck
the cardamom pods, cinnamon stick and
bay leaves in and around the aubergine
chunks, cover with the lid and cook in the
oven for 30 minutes.
4 While the biryani is cooking, start on
the salad. Pour the lemon juice over the
sliced onion and add a pinch of salt. Mix
and leave to soak for 25 minutes, or until
the biryani is ready.
5 Take the lid off the biryani. Cover the
dish with a clean tea towel, put the lid
on over the top and leave to stand for
10 minutes. While it’s standing, finish
the salad. Gently squeeze the liquid
out of the onion using your hands, then
mix the onion with the tomatoes, mint
and nigella seeds.
6 Pick out the cardamom, cinnamon and
bay leaves from the biryani, and scatter
over the coriander. Divide the biryani
between 4 plates and serve with the salad.

Tender aubergine pieces, nutty
chickpeas and gently spiced rice make
this tasty veggie dish a real winner

DIWALI
Roasted
aubergine &
spinach biryani

SPICE
IDEA
You can swap the
cinnamon, cumin and
garam masala for 2 tbsp
curry powder*, added after
you’ve fried the onions
*

See Cook’s notes
on p35

40 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

festive feasts

FEELING
THE HEAT
To check that your turkey
is cooked, use a digital meat
thermometer – they’re not
expensive and you can get
them online. Poke the probe
into the thickest part of the
breast, and if it’s 70°C or
above, the turkey
is done

THANKSGIVING
Roast turkey
& nutty sweet
potato casserole
SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 41

festive feasts
THANKSGIVING

Roast turkey & nutty sweet potato casserole
In the US, sweet potato casserole is often made with marshmallows – we’ve given ours a nutty crunch instead
A LITTLE EFFORT

SERVES 6
SYNS PER SERVING 2
READY IN 4 hours
3.5-4kg turkey
2 lemons
1 dried or fresh bay leaf
15g fresh thyme
15g fresh flat-leaf parsley
10g fresh sage
1kg sweet potatoes, pricked
1 garlic bulb, wrapped in foil
Low-calorie cooking spray
2 onions, sliced
500g leeks, rinsed and cut into
1cm-thick rounds
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
25g dried breadcrumbs
25g pecans, roughly chopped
2 heads of spring greens, stalks and outer
leaves removed, shredded

1 Take the turkey out of the fridge 2 hours
before you’re planning to cook it. Preheat
your oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Sit the
turkey in a large, non-stick roasting tin. Cut
1 lemon in half and put both halves into the
turkey cavity, along with the bay leaf, thyme
and half the parsley and sage. Season with
salt, then pour 400ml just-boiled water into
the roasting tin and cover with foil. Roast
for 40 minutes per kilo, basting with the tin
juices every now and then. An hour before
the turkey is ready, take off the foil so it can
brown, and put the sweet potatoes and
wrapped garlic on the oven shelf below.
2 When the turkey is ready, take everything
out of the oven. Cover the turkey loosely
with foil and leave it to rest. Set the garlic
and potatoes aside to cool. Turn up the
oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6.
3 When the garlic and potatoes are cool
enough to handle, squeeze the roasted
garlic flesh from the skins, remove the
skin from the sweet potatoes, and set
everything aside. Spray a large, deep,

lidded, non-stick frying pan with cooking
spray and put over a medium-high heat.
Add the onions and leeks, and cook for
2 minutes. Pour in 50ml water, cover with
the lid and cook for a further 8 minutes
until softened, stirring occasionally.
4 Stir in the spices, then add the juice
from half of the remaining lemon. Break
up the sweet potatoes and add to the
pan along with the garlic, stirring until
just combined. Tip into a baking dish,
evenly scattering over the breadcrumbs
and pecans. Bake for 25-30 minutes until
starting to brown.
5 Once the casserole has 5 minutes left,
boil the spring greens for 2-3 minutes,
then drain. Serve the turkey on a large
plate decorated with the rest of the
parsley and sage, discarding the skin and
any visible fat before carving. Divide
the casserole between 6 plates and serve
with the turkey and greens.

HANUKKAH

Potato latkes with egg, pickles & smoked salmon
These wonderfully crisp potato pancakes or fritters are traditionally made for this Jewish festival, which is celebrated for eight days
A LITTLE EFFORT

SERVES 4

READY IN 1 hour
1kg floury potatoes, such as Maris Piper
or King Edward, peeled and roughly grated
1 onion, peeled and grated
6 medium eggs, 2 beaten
25g fresh dill, chopped
Low-calorie cooking spray
200g fat-free natural Greek yogurt
20g fresh chives, chopped
1 lemon, halved
4 ready-cooked plain whole beetroot,
chopped into small chunks
200g sliced smoked salmon
12-16 caper berries, or 50g capers, rinsed
(we used caper berries)
100g watercress, to serve
8 dill pickle spears, halved, to serve

1 Preheat your oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/
gas 7, and line a large baking tray with
baking paper. In a bowl, mix the potato
and onion with some salt, then tip into
a colander set over a bowl or the sink,
and squeeze well to get rid of any liquid.
2 Turn the mixture out onto a clean tea
towel. Wrap it up tightly and squeeze hard
several times until very little or no liquid
comes out, then tip back into a bowl. Add

the beaten eggs, half the dill and some
freshly ground black pepper, and mix
together. Divide into 20 loose balls.
3 Spray a large, non-stick frying pan with
cooking spray and put over a medium-high
heat. Cook the potato balls in batches,
leaving plenty of space between each one,
and fry for 2 minutes, gently patting them
down a little. Flip them over and cook for
1 minute on the other side, then move to
the lined baking tray. Respray the frying
pan for each batch. Cook in the oven for
15-20 minutes until golden brown.
4 While the latkes are baking, boil the
remaining eggs for 8 minutes, then run
each one under cold water until they’re
cool enough to handle. Peel and roughly
chop the eggs, mix with the yogurt and
chives, and season. Grate the zest of
half a lemon over the top, then squeeze
in the juice from the same half. Mix the
beetroot with the leftover dill and season.
5 Divide the latkes, eggs, beetroot,
salmon, capers, watercress and pickles
between 4 plates. Squeeze the juice
from the remaining lemon half over the
salmon, and serve.

42 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

HANUKKAH
Potato latkes
with egg,
pickles & smoked
salmon

LATKES
FOR LATER
Once cooled, baked
latkes can be bagged up and
frozen. To reheat from frozen,
bake in the oven at 180°C/
fan 160°C/gas 4 for 30-35
minutes and cover loosely
with foil if getting
too dark

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 43

CHRISTMAS EVE
Mustard-glazed ham,
potato hash & herby
chilli drizzle
44 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

festive feasts

CHRISTMAS EVE

Mustard-glazed ham, potato hash & herby chilli drizzle
Kick off Christmas with a delicious dinner that zings with a fresh herb and chilli dressing
EVERYDAY EASY

RECIPES: NICOLA ROBERTS. FOOD STYLING: LIZZIE KAMENETZKY. PROP STYLING: MORAG FARQUHAR

SERVES 6
READY IN 2 hours 15 minutes
1kg boneless lean gammon joint,
skin and visible fat removed
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1.5kg floury potatoes, such as
Maris Piper or King Edward, peeled
and cut into small chunks
Low-calorie cooking spray
1 large Savoy cabbage, roughly shredded
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black mustard seeds
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3cm-piece fresh root ginger, peeled
and grated
FOR THE DRIZZLE
10g fresh mint leaves
25g fresh coriander
1 small garlic clove, peeled
150g fat-free natural Greek yogurt
2 green chillies, 1 finely chopped, 1 sliced
to serve (optional)

1 Put the gammon in a deep, lidded
saucepan, then fill with cold water
to cover the joint. Put the lid on,
bring to the boil over a high heat,
then carefully pour away the water
(this gets rid of a lot of the salt in
the gammon). Refill the pan with
cold water, cover, and bring to
the boil a second time, then turn
down the heat and simmer for
40 minutes. Take the pan off the
heat and leave the gammon to
stand in the liquid for 30 minutes.

with cooking spray. Bake for
40 minutes, then set aside. Boil the
cabbage for 2-3 minutes in a large
pan, then drain and set aside.
4 To make the drizzle, blitz all the
ingredients apart from the sliced
chilli in a blender with a big pinch
of salt until smooth, then set aside.
If you’d like the drizzle to be a little
runnier, add 2 tbsp water.

2 While the ham is standing,
preheat your oven to 200°C/
fan 180°C/gas 6. Mix the mustard
and balsamic in a small bowl. Lift
the ham out of the pan, move to
a small, non-stick roasting tin and
brush with the mustard mixture.
Pop it in the oven to bake for
15 minutes, then cover with foil
to keep warm and set aside.

5 Put a large, deep, non-stick
frying pan over a high heat. Add
the cumin and mustard seeds, and
dry-fry for 1 minute. Spray with
cooking spray, add the onions and
a splash of water, turn down the
heat to medium-high and fry for
5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger,
potatoes and cabbage, and fry for
6-8 minutes, stirring continuously
until hot throughout and a few
pieces of veg are starting to brown.
Season to taste.

3 While the ham is in the oven,
start on the veg and the drizzle. Boil
the potatoes for 5 minutes, then
drain in a colander and leave to
steam-dry for 5 minutes. Spread
over 1 or 2 large, non-stick baking
trays in a single layer and spray

6 Carve the ham into thick slices,
removing any visible fat, and place
on a serving plate. Scatter over
the sliced chilli (if using), then
pour over the drizzle. Divide the
ham between 6 plates and serve
with the hash.

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 45

let’s cook

GENIUS TIPS, TRICKS AND SHORTCUTS TO SEND YOUR COOKING CONFIDENCE SKY HIGH
IN SEASON…

Parsnips
Their sweet, earthy flavour makes
parsnips seriously moreish. Here
are three winter-warming ways with
this delicious Free Food root veg
n
nto
ROAST Cut the parsnips lengthways into
y spray
y,
quarters. Put on a non-stick baking tray,
son. Roast
son
with low-calorie cooking spray and season.
at 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 for 40-50 minutes until
golden, turning halfway.

Get ahead
Make Christmas lunch easier by prepping your veg in advance
Greens: boil green beans,
golden enough. Leave to cool,
cabbage or sprouts for half the
then put in an airtight bag or
time you would usually, then cool
container and freeze. Roast from
under cold running water and
frozen at 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6
pat dry. Put in an airtight bag
for 20-30 minutes until piping hot.
or container and freeze. Defrost,
Red cabbage: cook completely,
then boil or microwave for
then cool. Put in an airtight bag
1-2 minutes until piping hot.
or container and freeze. Defrost,
Potatoes, carrots and parsnips:
then either reheat in a non-stick
roast for around 10 minutes less
pan or microwave with a splash
than usual, so the veg aren’t quite of water until piping hot.

SOUP Fry peeled, thinly sliced parsnips with sliced onion
in low-calorie cooking spray for 10-15 minutes until
softened. Add crushed garlic, fry for 2 minutes, then pour
over veg or chicken stock to cover the veg by 2.5cm.
Simmer for 15 minutes, season and blitz into a smooth
soup. Add lemon juice to taste and scatter with chives.
PURÉE Blitz roasted parsnips in a blender with a small
clove of crushed garlic, a big dollop of fat-free natural
fromage frais, and a little salt and lemon juice. Serve with
griddled chicken, lean steak or pork and cooked greens.

GO NUTS!
Nuts are a great Healthy Extra ‘b’ choice. To
make them more affordable and last longer,
buy larger bags, portion them up, then put
in the freezer – they’ll defrost in minutes.

TALKING TURKEY

Quick pickled veg

To enjoy a roast turkey on
Christmas Day, with leftovers
for Boxing Day (plus a couple of
turkey sandwiches in between!),
here’s the size to buy:
4-6 people: 3-4 kg
6-8 people: 5-6 kg
8-12 people: more than 6kg

A lovely way to add more Speed Free Food to your menu – and you can have them
ready to eat in as little as 40 minutes. Our step-by-step guide shows you how

1

Peel veg into ribbons
using a veg peeler,
thinly slice or cut into
batons. Carrots, red
onions, cucumbers
(seeds removed) and
radishes all work well.

46 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

2

Put the veg in a
shallow container
half-full of red wine (or
cider) vinegar. Add 2 tsp
salt, and 2 tsp cumin
or coriander seeds, or
1 cinnamon stick.

3

Once the veg are
submerged, cover
the container with
clingfilm so it touches
the surface. Put in the
fridge for 30 minutes
to 48 hours.

4

Take the veg out
of the container,
squeezing gently with
your hands to remove
any excess liquid. Your
pickled veg are now
ready to eat!

WORDS: REBECCA WOOLLARD. PHOTOGRAPHS: TARA FISHER, DAN JONES, GARETH MORGANS

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ADVERTISEMENT PROMOTION

Butternut squash
mac ’n’ cheese
EVERYDAY EASY

SERVES 4
SYNS PER SERVING 6
Deduct 6 Syns if using the Primula
Cheese ‘n’ Ham as a Healthy Extra

READY IN 1 hour
1 large butternut squash, halved,
deseeded and cut into 2-3cm cubes
2 onions, thickly sliced
400g dried macaroni pasta
1 tsp dried sage
Juice of 1 lemon
240g Primula Cheese ‘n’ Ham
25g fresh flat-leaf parsley,
roughly chopped
Rocket, to serve

1 Preheat your oven to 200°C/
fan 180°C/gas 6. Spread the squash
and onions on 2 large, non-stick
baking trays in a single layer. Roast
for 40-45 minutes, or until tender,
turning halfway.

Midweek magic!
Show dinnertime some love with Primula Cheese ‘n’ Ham
t Slimming World, we’re all about
having a great time, and sometimes
that’s as simple as cosying up at
home with our favourite comfort
food – the cheesier the better!
Thanks to Primula Cheese ‘n’ Ham, enjoying
a delicious hit of cheese that fits into your
Food Optimising day couldn’t be easier. In
fact, it’s high in calcium and protein, and you
can enjoy 60g as one of your Healthy Extra ‘a’
choices (or simply count it as 6 Syns).
Squeeze it over a colourful vegetable bake,
load onto fluffy hot baked spuds, or rustle up
a quick and easy spaghetti sauce (did someone
say carbonara?). Fancy something a little bit
different? Partner Primula Cheese ‘n’ Ham
with your favourite pasta shapes in our
seasonal spin on classic mac ’n’ cheese (recipe
right) – warming, delicious and guaranteed
to melt everyone’s heart!

A

Spreading the joy with
every squeeze…
Primula loves to share, and that’s
why all profits from the sales
of its cheese are shared among
charities and good
causes, in the UK and
overseas, through its
owner, the Kavli Trust.
Primula Cheese ‘n’ Ham
is available from major
supermarkets, £1.85 RRP
for a 140g tube. For
more information,
visit primula.co.uk

2 When the veg have been roasting
for 30 minutes, cook the pasta
for 3 minutes less than the pack
instructions. Drain, keeping 150ml
of the cooking water, then tip into
a large bowl.
3 Put two-thirds of the squash and
onions in a food processor with the
pasta water, then blitz into a thick
paste. Add to the pasta with the rest
of the roasted veg, the sage, half of
the lemon juice and 200g Primula
Cheese ‘n’ Ham. Season and mix
together. Preheat your grill to high.
4 Tip the pasta mix into a medium
ovenproof dish. Dollop over the rest
of the Primula, then spread it evenly
with the back of a spoon. Pop under
the grill for 3-5 minutes until golden.
Top with the parsley and a twist
of black pepper, and divide between
4 plates. Serve with the rocket,
tossed in the rest of the lemon juice.

With Primula Cheese ‘n’
Ham, it couldn’t be easier
to enjoy a delicious hit
of cheese as part of your
Food Optimising day!

Slimming World, Food Optimising, Healthy Extra and Syns are registered trademarks of Miles-Bramwell Executive Services Ltd trading as Slimming World.

48 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

frozen assets

freezer

Be ready for anything over the hectic festive season with
four warming get-ahead meals – they’re life-savers!
PHOTOGRAPHS: ANDREW BURTON

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 49

Pulled chicken chilli with butternut squash
Mexican flavours meet Texan barbecue to make this recipe extra special
EVERYDAY EASY

SERVES 4

READY IN 2 hours 30 minutes, plus reheating
Low-calorie cooking spray
1 large onion, finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1½ tsp ground cumin
Good pinch of dried red chilli flakes
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
3 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves stripped
8 skinless and boneless chicken thighs,
visible fat removed
450ml chicken stock, made with 1 stock cube
400g can chopped tomatoes
1 butternut squash, halved, peeled, deseeded
and cut into large pieces, or 700g ready-chopped
400g can black beans, drained and rinsed
20g fresh coriander, chopped
TO SERVE
250g dried long-grain rice
Fat-free natural yogurt

1 Preheat your oven to 160°C/fan 140°C/
gas 3. Spray a large, lidded, flameproof,
non-stick casserole dish with cooking spray
and put over a medium heat. Fry the onion
for 10 minutes, adding a splash of water if
it starts to stick. Add the garlic, spices and
thyme. Cook for 3-4 minutes until fragrant.
2 Add the chicken, stock and tomatoes.
Season and bring to the boil. Cover and
cook in the oven for 2 hours – add the
squash and black beans for the final half hour.
3 Once cooked, lift out the chicken, shred
with 2 forks, then return to the sauce. Leave
to cool completely, then stir through the
coriander. Freeze in an airtight container
or containers for up to 3 months.
4 To reheat, defrost the chilli completely
in the fridge. Tip into a large, non-stick
saucepan and bring to a brisk simmer over
a medium-high heat, stirring often. While
it’s heating, cook the rice following the pack
instructions, then drain. Once the chilli is
piping hot, serve with the rice and yogurt.

frozen assets

Lamb & potato tagine
Make the couscous while the stew is reheating and that’s dinner done!
EVERYDAY EASY

SERVES 4

READY IN 2 hours, plus reheating

With this dish in
your back pocket,
you’ll be ready
for friends or family
to drop by

Low-calorie cooking spray
1 large onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 aubergines, cut into cubes
2 tsp ras el hanout (see Cook’s notes on p35)
1 tsp ground coriander
900g lamb leg steak, visible fat removed,
cut into chunks
250g new potatoes, halved or chopped
into large chunks
450ml chicken stock, made with 1 stock cube
30g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
TO SERVE
250g plain dried couscous
Fat-free natural yogurt

1 Preheat your oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/
gas 4. Spray a large, lidded, flameproof,
non-stick casserole dish with cooking spray
and put over a medium-high heat. Fry the
onion, garlic and aubergines with a splash of
water for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the
spices and fry for 2 minutes until fragrant.
2 Add the lamb, potatoes and stock. Season
and bring to the boil. Cover and cook in
the oven for 1½ hours until the lamb is really
tender. Leave to cool completely, then stir
through the coriander. Freeze in an airtight
container or containers for up to 3 months.
3 To reheat, defrost the tagine completely in
the fridge. Tip into a large, non-stick saucepan
with a splash of water and bring to a simmer.
While it’s heating, make up the couscous
following the pack instructions (without
butter or oil). Once the tagine is bubbling,
serve with the couscous and yogurt.

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 51

Beef & tomato hotpot
This traditional winter warmer hides a rich sauce under its golden potato layer
EVERYDAY EASY

SERVES 4

READY IN 3 hours, plus reheating
Low-calorie cooking spray
1kg braising steak, visible fat removed,
cut into 3cm chunks
1 large onion, finely sliced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
1 large courgette, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves stripped
1 tbsp tomato purée
400g can chopped tomatoes
400ml beef stock, made with 1 stock cube
600g red-skinned potatoes, sliced into
2cm-thick rounds
TO SERVE
400g green beans, trimmed

52 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

1 Preheat your oven to 160°C/fan 140°C/
gas 3. Spray a large, non-stick saucepan
with cooking spray and put over a mediumhigh heat. Season the beef, add to the
pan, brown it all over for 5-6 minutes, then
set aside on a plate.
2 Respray the pan with cooking spray,
then fry the onion, carrots and celery for
10 minutes until softened, adding a splash
of water if they start to stick. Add the
courgette, garlic and rosemary, and fry
for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Put the beef
back in the pan, and add the tomato purée,
tomatoes and stock. Season, mix well,
bring to the boil, then turn off the heat.

3 Spoon the beef mixture into a large,
ovenproof dish. Arrange the potato slices on
top and spritz with cooking spray. Cook in
the oven for 1½ hours until the potatoes are
golden. Give them another spritz of cooking
spray, cover with foil and pop back in the
oven for 1 hour. Once cooked, take off the
foil and leave to cool completely. Wrap the
dish in a double layer of clingfilm, followed
by a layer of foil. Freeze for up to 1 month.
4 To reheat, defrost the hotpot completely
in the fridge. Take off the foil and clingfilm,
then re-cover with the foil. Bake at 180°C/
fan 160°C/gas 4 for 1 hour, or until piping hot.
When the hotpot is almost ready, boil the
beans for 3-4 minutes, then drain. Top the
hotpot with a twist of black pepper. Divide
between 4 plates and serve with the beans.

frozen assets

Smoky red pepper & chickpea soup
For something filling and warming, this soup is a great standby
EVERYDAY EASY

SERVES 4

READY IN 40 minutes, plus reheating

RECIPES: LIZZIE KAMENETZKY. FOOD STYLING: PIPPA LEON. PROP STYLING: DAVINA PERKINS

Low-calorie cooking spray
1 large onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 leeks, rinsed and sliced
1 celery stick, sliced
4 sprigs of fresh oregano, leaves stripped
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
400g can cherry tomatoes
1 vegetable stock cube, suitable for vegans
460g jar roasted red peppers in brine, drained,
patted dry and thinly sliced
400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
30g fresh basil leaves, plus extra to serve

1 Spray a large, non-stick saucepan with
cooking spray and put over a medium heat.
Add the onion, garlic, leeks and celery. Fry
for 10 minutes, or until softened, adding a
splash of water to stop them sticking. Once
softened, add the oregano and paprika.

4 Put the veg back in the pan with the rest
of the red peppers and the chickpeas,
and simmer for 5 minutes until thickened.
Season to taste. Leave to cool completely,
then stir through the basil leaves. Freeze in
airtight pots or tubs for up to 3 months.

2 Tip in the tomatoes with 2 canfuls of
water and add the stock cube. Bring to
the boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer
and cook for 15-20 minutes.

5 To reheat, defrost the soup completely
in the fridge. Either heat in a large, non-stick
saucepan to simmering, or microwave in
short bursts, stirring every now and then,
until bubbling. Top with a few basil leaves
and a twist of black pepper to serve.

3 Scoop out half the veg, leaving as much
onion behind in the pan as you can. Add
half the red peppers, then blitz until smooth
using a jug or stick blender.

Christmas days out sorted. This
is perfect for taking with you in
a flask. Just write a note to yourself
to take it out of the freezer!
SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 53

SKIMMED

MILK
SEMI
TASTES LIKE

*

*Comparative test results with 208 consumers of semi-skimmed milk.

*30% less fat than a standard equivalent.
†Based on a statistically valid comparative taste test with
201 regular consumers of full fat mature cheddar.

STRENGTH COMES FROM WITHIN

Sw

it c

hed

ng

Chicken curry
noodles,
recipe p56

-on sl

m
im

i

Put your kitchen gadgets to delicious use with three recipes from the
brand-new Slimming World’s Air Fryers and Friends cookbook
PHOTOGRAPHS: MARTIN POOLE

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 55

MICROWAVE

Chicken curry
noodles
SUPER SIMPLE

SERVES 2
READY IN 20 minutes
2 dried egg noodle nests
2 large red peppers, deseeded
and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 heaped tsp medium curry powder
(see Cook’s notes on p35)
½ tsp ground turmeric
200ml hot chicken stock
100g frozen peas
100g canned sweetcorn kernels, drained
2 cooked skinless and boneless
chicken breasts, shredded
Sliced spring onions, to serve

1 Break up the noodle nests so they fit in
a 2.5-litre microwaveable bowl or container.
Cover with just-boiled water and microwave
on high for 3 minutes, or until almost
tender. Drain and put the noodles back
in the same bowl or container.
2 Add the peppers, garlic, curry powder,
turmeric, stock, peas, sweetcorn and
chicken to the noodles, and stir well. Cover
and cook on high for 6 minutes. Stir again,
scatter over the spring onions, season to
taste and serve.

HOB JOB
Spray a non-stick frying pan with
low-calorie cooking spray and fry the
peppers, garlic and spices over a low
heat for 2 minutes. Add the stock,
peas, sweetcorn and chicken, and
cook for 10 minutes over a medium
heat, stirring occasionally. Cook the
noodles separately following the pack
instructions, drain and stir through

56 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

OVEN LOVE

AIR FRYER

Chinese dragon aubergines
EVERYDAY EASY

SERVES 2
SYNS PER SERVING 2 (or Free if you
swap the sesame oil for water)

READY IN 45 minutes
2 medium aubergines
Low-calorie cooking spray
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp oyster sauce (if you’re vegetarian/
vegan, swap for hoisin sauce and add
1½ Syns per serving)
2 level tsp sesame oil
2 spring onions, finely chopped
75g plain extra-firm tofu, drained and
thinly sliced
1 large tomato, halved and thinly sliced
Fresh coriander leaves and sprigs, to serve

1 Preheat your air fryer to 180°C. Put the
aubergines on a chopping board and make
about 8 deep slices into the top of each one,
taking care not to cut all the way through.
Line the air fryer basket with non-stick
baking paper and put the aubergines in,
cut-side down. Spray with low-calorie
cooking spray and cook for 10 minutes.

Cook the aubergines
in a non-stick baking
tin at 220°C/
fan 200°C/gas 7,
following the same
steps, but adding
10 minutes to the
cooking times
in steps 1 and 3

2 While they’re cooking, mix the garlic, chilli,
oyster sauce, sesame oil (or 2 tsp water) and
nearly all of the spring onions in a bowl. Pat
the tofu dry with kitchen paper.
3 Carefully lift the aubergines out of the air
fryer using the baking paper, rest on a board
and turn them cut-side up. Spoon nearly all
the oyster sauce mixture over the aubergines,
making sure you get it down into the cuts.
Return to the air fryer with the baking paper
base and cook for 10 minutes, or until
the aubergines are tender. Remove the
aubergines with the help of the baking
paper and turn the heat up to 200°C.
4 Push the tofu and tomato pieces into as
many of the aubergine cuts as you can (it
doesn’t matter if you don’t have one of each
in every single cut). Spread the remaining
oyster sauce mixture over the top, return to
the air fryer using the baking paper and cook
for 5-8 minutes, or until the tofu is golden.
5 Divide the aubergines between 2 plates.
Spoon over any cooking juices and scatter
with the reserved spring onions and the
coriander. Serve with more Speed Free Food
veg, if you like – and if you’re not having an
SP day, this will also be great with rice.

cook the book

SLOW COOKER

Self-saucing
chocolate pudding
EVERYDAY EASY

SERVES 6
SYNS PER SERVING 6
READY IN 1 hour 40 minutes

1 Sift the flour and 2 level tbsp
cocoa powder into a mixing bowl
and stir in 2 level tbsp sugar. Mix
together the eggs, milk and vanilla
extract, and pour them into the dry
mixture. Beat for 1 minute until smooth
using an electric hand mixer. Tip it all
into your slow cooker.

OVEN LOVE
Combine the
ingredients as
step 1, but tip into
a lidded ovenproof
dish. Cover and
bake at 180°C/
fan 160°C/gas 4
for 30 minutes

2 To make the sauce, pour 300ml justboiled water into a measuring jug and mix
in the remaining cocoa and sugar until
dissolved. Pour the sauce over the cake
mixture in the slow cooker and stick the
lid on. Cook on high for 1½ hours, or until
the sponge is cooked and the sauce has
thickened nicely. Divide evenly between
6 bowls and serve with the fruit.

IF YOU LIKE THESE RECIPES…

Slimming World’s

Slimming World’s
Air Fryers and Friends

RECIPES: ESTHER CLARK, EMMA JANE FROST AND KIM MORPHEW. FOOD STYLING: KIM MORPHEW. PROP STYLING: MORAG FARQUHAR

90g self-raising flour
2 level tbsp cocoa powder,
plus 2 level tbsp for the sauce
2 level tbsp sugar, plus 4 level tsp for the sauce
3 large eggs
100ml skimmed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Fresh cherries or raspberries, to serve

70
slimcipmesing

+
usly
delicio

,
re
for your air fryer
slow cooker and microwave

08/08/2023 16:49

…you’ll love Slimming World’s Air Fryers and Friends cookbook, packed with
over 70 delicious Food Optimising recipes that will save you time, money and
effort. Whether you fancy doughnuts, chipotle chicken or halloumi fries, we
point you to the best gadget for the job – and the recipe to go with it O Group
members will receive a free copy when they buy a 12-week Countdown course
at participating groups from 8-28 October O From 8-28 October, new Slimming
World Online members who sign up to a Gold or Silver package, and those
who resubscribe for three months or more, will receive a free copy O On sale
in Slimming World groups and to online members 29 October, £4.95/€7.95

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 57

½lbs!
‘I lost 1 lly
ia
I espec ish
ef
h
t
d
e
lov
ips, and
and ch tto’
the riso

Slimmer for
party season
Get closer to your Christmas weight loss
dreams with a whole week of filling, delicious
and easy-to-follow recipes
58 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

Taste tester
Betty Brown, 70, lives in
King’s Lynn, Norfolk, with
her husband, Ken. She’s lost
1st 2½lbs and is a member
of Mikayla Coote’s Slimming
World group in Wiggenhall
St Germans, Norfolk

7-day eating plan

VEGGIE BREKKIE: grill frozen Linda
McCartney’s Vegetarian Red Onion
& Rosemary Sausages with halved
tomatoes and large flat mushrooms.
Serve with eggs scrambled in lowcalorie cooking spray

HALLOUMI PITTA: grill strips of red pepper,
courgette and 45g reduced-fat halloumi (a
Healthy Extra ‘a’). Stuff inside a lightly toasted 60g
wholemeal pitta bread (a Healthy Extra ‘b’) along
with rocket and a drizzle of fat-free natural yogurt

DINNER
DINNER
DINNER
DINNER

TUNA & SWEETCORN PASTA SALAD: stir
drained canned tuna in spring water, drained
canned sweetcorn, grated carrot, finely chopped
red onion and a little fat-free natural yogurt
through cooked cooled dried rigatoni pasta. Grate
over 40g reduced-fat Cheddar (a Healthy Extra ‘a’)

DINNER

BEAN STEW: fry a sliced onion in low-calorie
cooking spray. Add a handful of cherry tomatoes
and a little chopped garlic. Fry for 2 minutes. Add a
rinsed can of butter beans with half a mug of water.
Simmer until reduced and the beans are softened,
then top with an egg fried in cooking spray

DINNER

LUNCH
LUNCH
LUNCH
LUNCH
LUNCH

BACON & EGGS: fry eggs to your
liking in low-calorie cooking spray,
then serve with piping-hot canned
plum tomatoes and grilled bacon
medallions (visible fat removed)

CHICKPEA & FETA PASTA: stir rinsed canned
chickpeas, chopped cucumber, tomatoes and
radishes, and a little red wine vinegar through
cooked dried rigatoni pasta. Crumble over 65g
reduced-fat Greek-style salad cheese (a Healthy
Extra ‘a’), then top with basil leaves

LUNCH

BREAKFAST

CHEESE & TOMATO TOASTIE:
sandwich 40g grated reduced-fat
Cheddar (a Healthy Extra ‘a’) and lots
of sliced tomato between 2 slices
wholemeal toast from a small 400g
loaf (a Healthy Extra ‘b’)

SOUP & A ROLL: choose your favourite frozen
soup from the Slimming World range at Iceland.
Heat following the pack instructions, then serve
with a 60g wholemeal roll (a Healthy Extra ‘b’)
for dipping in

DINNER

Sunday

BERRY MUESLI BOWL: pour milk
from your Healthy Extra ‘a’ allowance
over 40g no-added-sugar muesli (a
Healthy Extra ‘b’). Top with a dollop
of fat-free natural yogurt and fresh
or defrosted frozen berries

CHICKEN COUSCOUS: make up plain dried
couscous following the pack instructions (without
butter or oil), then stir through spinach and
chopped red pepper. Squeeze over a little lemon
juice, then top with sliced cooked skinless chicken
breast and chopped flat-leaf parsley

JACKET & SLAW: cook a baking potato until
soft. Mix grated carrot and finely sliced cabbage
and red onion with fat-free natural yogurt, a little
lemon juice and 40g grated reduced-fat Cheddar
(a Healthy Extra ‘a’). Split open the potato and
spoon over the slaw

LUNCH

Saturday

BREAKFAST

Friday

BREAKFAST

Thursday

BREAKFAST

Wednesday

OVERNIGHT OATS: the night
before, layer up 40g plain porridge
oats (a Healthy Extra ‘b’) with fat-free
natural yogurt and fresh or defrosted
frozen berries. In the morning, stir and
add 1 level tsp maple syrup (½ Syn)

BREAKFAST

Tuesday

CHEESY OMELETTE: pour 3 beaten
eggs into a non-stick frying pan
sprayed with low-calorie cooking
spray. Cook until set, then top with
spinach and 40g reduced-fat Cheddar
(a Healthy Extra ‘a’), and fold in half

BREAKFAST

Monday

BERRY MUESLI BOWL: pour milk
from your Healthy Extra ‘a’ allowance
over 40g no-added-sugar muesli (a
Healthy Extra ‘b’). Top with a dollop
of fat-free natural yogurt and fresh
or defrosted frozen berries

BREAKFAST

See your week’s menu at a glance below
Baked pepper
& rocket
risotto

Fish & chips
1 Syn

Tomatoey
sausage pasta
1 Syn

Peppered
steak & veg
fried rice

Paprika
chicken with
warm roasted
roots salad

Bean burgers &
sweet potato fries
6 Syns
Deduct 6 Syns if using
the wholemeal roll as
a Healthy Extra ‘b’

Roast
pork with
traybake veg

SNACKS & TREATS O Carrot and cucumber sticks, FREE O Satsumas, FREE OSmoked salmon trimmings, FREE O Wafer-thin roast turkey slices, FREE
O 2 Mini Babybel Original, a Healthy Extra ‘a’ O Fat-free no-added-sugar strawberry yogurt, ½ Syn per 160g pot O Rye crispbread, ½ Syn O Cranberry sauce,
1½ Syns per 1 level tbsp OChocolate mint thin, 2 Syns O Reduced-calorie instant hot chocolate, 2 Syns per sachet O Chocolate malted milk biscuits, 3 Syns each
O Fox’s Party Rings Minis, 4 Syns per 21g bag O Jacob’s Twiglets Original, 5 Syns per 24g bag O Prosecco, 5 Syns per 125ml glass

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 59

7 DAY

Plan

Your introduction
to Food Optimising
Fill up on Free Food
The power of Slimming World’s
unique eating plan lies in
Free Food. These are the foods
you can enjoy in unlimited
amounts, with no weighing,
counting or measuring – ever!
Based on the science of energy
density and satiety (how filling
a food is), Free Foods fill you up
for fewer calories. So by basing
your meals around Free Food,
you’re naturally limiting your
calorie intake, meaning you
lose weight without feeling
hungry. Free Food includes lean
meat, poultry, fish, plain Quorn
and plain tofu, eggs, pasta,
potatoes, pulses, and fresh fruit
and veg. There are more than
350 to choose from, so you can
personalise Food Optimising
to suit your taste, lifestyle and
dietary needs. Some Free Food
has the bonus of being Speed
Free Food – fruit and veg that
are super-low in calories – so
for the best results, include at
least a third of a plate at every
meal, where it makes sense.

Add in Healthy Extras
To support your calcium intake,
you can enjoy two measured
portions of milk or cheese each
day – your Healthy Extra ‘a’
choices. Options include 350ml
skimmed milk or 250ml semiskimmed milk, 400ml plain
unsweetened almond or soya
drink with added calcium, 40g
reduced-fat or 30g full-fat hard

cheese, and 40g Daiya Medium
Cheddar Style Farmhouse
Block or Koko Dairy Free
Alternative to Cheddar. For
fibre and other nutrients, also
add one portion of wholemeal
bread or high-fibre cereal each
day, your Healthy Extra ‘b’
choice. To keep things simple,
we’ve built your Healthy Extra
‘b’ into the menu plan each day.

Choose your Syns
Foods and drinks that pose
a risk to your weight loss –
those high in fat or sugar, as
well as alcohol – can be enjoyed
as carefully counted Syns.
We recommend you plan 5 to
15 Syns into your day (see the
bottom of page 59 for ideas).

Make simple swaps
To help protect your weight
loss, fry veg with water, use
low-calorie cooking spray
rather than fat or oil, and
dry-fry mince. Choose the
leanest meat and trim off any
visible fat, such as the white
bits off bacon, and remove skin
from poultry. Swap cream and
crème fraîche for fat-free
natural yogurt, plain quark, or
plain unsweetened soya yogurt
with added calcium. You can
swap sugar for sweetener, or
count sugar as Syns. So that’s
Food Optimising in a nutshell.
You’ll find more info in your
Food Optimising book. Here’s
to a great weight loss week!

SCAN & SHOP

SCAN TO FIND YOUR WEEK’S SHOPPING LIST
OPEN YOUR
PHONE’S
CAMERA

OPEN

SCAN YOUR
QR CODE

ACCESS YOUR
SHOPPING LIST

Monday
Baked pepper & rocket risotto
SUPER SIMPLE

SERVES 4

READY IN 45 minutes
Low-calorie cooking spray
1 onion, finely diced
3 red peppers, deseeded
and sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
250g dried risotto rice
1 litre vegetable stock,
suitable for vegans (made
with 1 stock cube)
Juice of 1 lemon
90g rocket

1 Preheat your oven to 200°C/fan
180°C/gas 6. Spritz a large, ovenproof,
non-stick frying pan with cooking
spray and put over a medium heat.
Fry the onion and peppers for 5
minutes until softening, then add
the garlic and fry for 2 more minutes.
2 Add the rice and cook for 1-2
minutes until lightly toasted. Pour in
the stock and bring to the boil. Once
boiling, pop the pan (uncovered) in the
oven and bake for 25 minutes until
the rice is tender and the consistency
is creamy, stirring halfway through.
If you don’t have an ovenproof pan, tip
the risotto into a baking dish instead.
3 Stir through the lemon juice, then
divide between 4 bowls. Season and
scatter with the rocket.

SCAN

YOUR QR CODE

60 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

EASY START
TO THE WEEK

7-day eating plan

Tuesday
Fish & chips
EVERYDAY EASY

SERVES 4
SYNS PER SERVING 1
READY IN 50 minutes
1kg floury potatoes, such as
Maris Piper or King Edward,
cut into chips
Low-calorie cooking spray
25g panko breadcrumbs
10g fresh flat-leaf
parsley, chopped
2 lemons, 1 zested, 1 cut into
wedges to serve
4 skinless and boneless
cod fillets
1 head of broccoli, chopped
into florets
300g green beans, trimmed
200g frozen peas

1 Preheat your oven to 200°C/fan
180°C/gas 6. Spread the chips on a
large, non-stick baking tray in a single
layer, spray with cooking spray and
season. Bake for 40 minutes, or until
crisp and golden, turning halfway.
2 While the chips are cooking, dry-fry
the breadcrumbs over a medium heat
for 5 minutes, shaking the pan often,
until they’re golden brown. Take off
the heat, stir through the parsley and
lemon zest, season and set aside.
3 When the chips have been cooking
for 25 minutes, lay the fish fillets on
a non-stick baking tray lined with
foil. Spritz with cooking spray, then
cook below the chips for 15 minutes,
or until the fish is white and flaking.
When the chips and fish are nearly
ready, boil the broccoli and beans
for 5 minutes, adding the peas for
the last 2 minutes, then drain.
FAMILYPLEASING
PASTA DISH

4 Divide the chips, fish fillets and
veg between 4 plates. Top each
fish fillet with a quarter of the
breadcrumb mixture and serve
with the lemon wedges.

Wednesday
Tomatoey sausage pasta
SUPER SIMPLE

SERVES 4
SYNS PER SERVING 1
auce only)
CHIP SHOP
SWAP

READY IN 30 minutes,
plus defrosting
Low-calorie cooking spray
6 frozen Slimming World Pork
Sausages (from Iceland),
defrosted and sliced
1 onion, finely diced
2 red peppers, deseeded and
chopped into chunks
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 x 400g cans chopped
tomatoes
400g dried rigatoni pasta
20g fresh Parmesan,
finely grated
5g fresh flat-leaf
parsley, chopped

1 Spray a large, deep, non-stick frying
pan with cooking spray and put over
a medium-high heat. Fry the sausages
for 3-4 minutes until golden brown,
turning halfway, then set aside on a
plate. Turn down the heat to medium,
spray the pan with cooking spray,
then fry the onion and peppers for 6-7
minutes until softening, stirring often.
2 Add the garlic and fry for 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, season and bring
to a gentle simmer. Add the sausages
and cook for 10 minutes, stirring
often, until the sauce is reduced
and thickened.
3 Once you’ve added the sausages,
boil the pasta following the pack
instructions, then drain and keep
a ladle of the cooking water. Add the
pasta to the sauce with the cooking
water and simmer for 2 minutes.
Spoon into 4 bowls, then divide
over the Parmesan. Scatter over
the parsley and serve.

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 61

Thursday
Peppered steak & veg fried rice
SUPER SIMPLE

SERVES 4
READY IN 30 minutes
250g dried long-grain rice
2 lean beef rump steaks,
visible fat removed
Low-calorie cooking spray
1 onion, finely sliced
200g carrots, sliced into thin
batons or matchsticks
½ white cabbage, shredded
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 tbsp soy sauce
20g fresh coriander,
roughly chopped

1 Cook the rice following the pack
instructions, then drain and run under
cold water to cool it quickly. Drain
a final time and set aside.
2 While the rice is cooking, grind
lots of black pepper over the steaks
and spray them with cooking spray.
Put a large, non-stick frying pan or wok
over a medium-high heat, then once
it’s hot, fry the steaks for 4-5 minutes
on each side for pink to well done.
Tightly wrap the steaks in foil and
leave to rest while you cook the veg.
3 Wipe out the pan, spray with cooking
spray and put back over a mediumhigh heat. When the pan’s hot, add
the onion, carrots and cabbage. Turn
up the heat to high and stir-fry for 5-6
minutes until browning. Add the garlic
and fry for 1 minute. Add the rice and
stir-fry for 5 minutes until everything
is piping hot. Stir through the soy
sauce and take the pan off the heat.
4 Unwrap the steaks and slice thinly.
Toss them through the rice with
the coriander, then divide between
4 bowls to serve.

HEARTY
WINTER
SALAD

Friday
Paprika chicken with warm
roasted roots salad
EVERYDAY EASY

SERVES 4
STIR-FRY
THAT’S EXTRA
SPECIAL

READY IN 1 hour
1 celeriac, peeled and sliced
into wedges
600g carrots, sliced
into batons
Low-calorie cooking spray
2 x 400g cans chickpeas,
drained and rinsed
2 large skinless and boneless
chicken breasts
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp smoked or
unsmoked paprika
90g rocket
1 lemon, cut into wedges

1 Preheat your oven to 200°C/fan
180°C/gas 6. Spread the celeriac and
carrots over your largest non-stick
baking tray and spray with cooking
spray. Roast for 25 minutes until
starting to caramelise. Turn the veg,
then add the chickpeas and roast
for another 20-25 minutes.
2 When the chickpeas have been
in the oven for about 10-15 minutes,
put the chicken between 2 sheets
of baking paper and use a rolling pin
to bash them to around 1-2cm thick.
Dust them evenly on both sides
with the oregano and paprika, and
season. Put a large, non-stick frying
pan over a medium-high heat. Spray
the chicken with cooking spray, then
fry for 3 minutes on each side, or
until cooked through.
3 Put the veg mixture on a platter.
Slice the chicken into strips, then
pop on top of the veg and scatter
over the rocket. Serve with the lemon
wedges and dig in!

62 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

7-day eating plan

Saturday
Bean burgers & sweet potato fries
SERVES 4
SYNS PER SERVING 6
Deduct 6 Syns if using the
wholemeal roll as a Healthy Extra

READY IN 1 hour
25 minutes
500g butternut squash,
peeled, deseeded and
chopped into small chunks
Low-calorie cooking spray
1 onion, finely sliced
1 large garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp ground cumin
2 x 400g cans butter beans,
drained, rinsed and patted dry
1kg sweet potatoes,
cut into fries
4 tbsp fat-free natural
Greek yogurt
4 x 60g wholemeal rolls,
split and toasted
4 medium tomatoes, 1 sliced,
3 cut into wedges
90g rocket

1 Preheat your oven to
200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6.
Spread the squash on a
large, non-stick baking tray.
Roast for 30 minutes, or
until soft, turning halfway.
2 When the squash is in
the oven, spray a medium,

MAKE ROAST
DINNER A
DODDLE

non-stick frying pan with cooking
spray and put over a medium-high
heat. Fry the onion for 5-6 minutes,
stirring often, until softening. Turn
down the heat to medium, add the
garlic and cumin with a splash of
water, and fry for 1 minute.
3 Tip the onion mixture into a food
processor with the squash and butter
beans, and season. Pulse into a
chunky purée, then scoop out onto
a plate. Gently shape the mixture
into 4 large patties (they’ll be quite
soft), then chill in the fridge on the
plate for 30 minutes.
4 Once they’re in the fridge, spread
the fries on a large, non-stick baking
tray, spray with cooking spray and
season. Roast for 30-40 minutes,
turning halfway. When they’ve been
in the oven for 20-30 minutes, spray
a large, non-stick frying pan with
cooking spray and put over a mediumhigh heat. Fry the burgers for 2
minutes on each side, then pop on
a non-stick baking tray and cook in the
oven for 6 minutes below the fries.
5 Spread the yogurt over the roll bases.
Top with the burgers, tomato slices,
rocket and the roll lids. Mix the rest
of the rocket with tomato wedges.
Serve with the burgers and fries.

Sunday
Roast pork with traybake veg
SUPER SIMPLE

READY IN 2 hours

WEEKEND
FAKEAWAY

1.5kg pork loin, skin and
visible fat removed
Low-calorie cooking spray
1kg floury potatoes, such
as Maris Piper or King Edward,
chopped into 3cm chunks
1 celeriac, peeled and chopped
into 3cm chunks
600g carrots, sliced
into batons
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 head of broccoli, chopped
into large florets
1 tub of frozen Slimming
World Onion Gravy (from
Iceland), to serve

1 Preheat your oven to 200°C/fan
180°C/gas 6. Put the pork in a non-stick
roasting tin, season and spray with
cooking spray. Cook for 1 hour 30
minutes (covering the top with foil if it
gets too dark), or until cooked through
and the juices run clear when you
insert a skewer into the thickest part.
2 When the pork’s been cooking
for 30 minutes, tumble the potatoes,
celeriac and carrots into a large,
non-stick roasting tin. Shake the tin
so they sit in a single layer and scatter
in the thyme. Spray with cooking
spray and roast on the shelf below
the pork for 1 hour, turning halfway.
3 Take the pork out of the oven, loosely
cover with foil and leave to rest until
ready to serve. Add the broccoli to the
tin of veg and spray with cooking spray.
Put back in the oven for 20 minutes.
While the veg finish cooking, heat the
gravy following the pack instructions.
4 Carve the pork into thin slices,
discarding any visible fat, and throw
away the thyme. Plate up the pork and
veg, pour over the gravy and finish with
a twist of black pepper to serve.

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 63

PHOTOGRAPHS: KATE WHITAKER. RECIPES: REBECCA WOOLLARD
FOOD STYLING: NICOLA ROBERTS. PROP STYLING: DAVINA PERKINS

A LITTLE EFFORT

SWEET CHILLI CHICKEN CHIPOLATAS AVAILABLE IN SELECTED MORRISONS & TESCO STORES.
SIMPLY CHICKEN CHIPOLATAS AVAILABLE IN SELECTED ASDA, MORRISONS,
SAINSBURY’S, TESCO & AMAZON STORES.
CHICKEN ITALIA CHIPOLATAS AVAILABLE IN SELECTED ASDA, BOOTHS, CO-OP,
MORRISONS, OCADO, SAINSBURY’S, TESCO AND WAITROSE STORES.

FOOD news

WE’VE SEARCHED THE SHELVES TO BRING YOU THREE PAGES OF TASTY INSPIRATION

SYNS PER SERVING 6
Deduct 6 Syns if using the Parmesan-style cheese as a Healthy Extra

Morrisons Carvery Roast Turkey,
£2.25 for 120g

MAKE
IT VEGAN

Cheesy minestrone soup
SYNS PER SERVING 6
Deduct 6 Syns if using the Parmesan-style cheese as a Healthy Extra

To serve 4, peel and finely chop
1 onion and 1 carrot. Spray
a deep, lidded, non-stick pan
with low-calorie cooking
spray and put over a medium
heat. Cook the onion and
carrot for 10 minutes, stirring
regularly. Finely chop 2 garlic
cloves and 1 large courgette,

add to the pan and cook for a
further 5 minutes. Tip in a 400g
can chopped tomatoes. Pour
in 1.2 litres vegetable stock,
then bring to the boil. Reduce
to a simmer and cook for 15
minutes. Add 150g dried orzo
pasta and cook for 10 minutes.
Add 300g finely sliced

SOUP PHOTOGRAPH: ANDREW BURTON

Quick
cauli side
A great storecupboard staple,
this Speed Free
Food alternative
to white rice
cooks in just
2 minutes – simply stir-fry or pop in your
microwave. Serve with chicken, fish or
your favourite vegetable curry.
£2 for 200g,
FullGreen Riced Cauliflower,
Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco

Swap the vegetarian
Parmesan-style cheese
for 160g Koko Dairy Free
Alternative to Cheddar
and use a veg stock
that’s suitable
for vegans
sweetheart cabbage. Cover
and cook for 4 minutes, then
take off the heat. Grate 120g
fresh vegetarian Parmesanstyle cheese, then stir 80g
through the soup and season
to taste. Spoon into 4 bowls,
then divide over the rest of the
Parmesan-style cheese.

Oat-ally
delicious
Barista-style
dairy-free drinks are
specially crafted to
behave in the same
way as milk when
heated up. So they
work a treat in a
frothy coffee or your
bowl of porridge.
Aldi Acti Leaf Oat Barista Style drink,
250ml is a Healthy Extra ‘a’; £1.09 for 1 litre

Weetabix
Chocolatey
Hazelnut Melts,
35g is a Healthy
Extra ‘b’; £3 for
360g, Asda, Iceland,
Morrisons, Ocado
and Waitrose &
Partners

TOP SPOTS
We’ve suggested a few
best buys for a delicious
week on plan

Slimming World Braised Steak
& Root Veg Mash,
£4.25 for 550g, Iceland
BOL One Pot Meal
Japanese Katsu
Curry, 4½ Syns;
£3.25 for 450g,
Morrisons, Ocado
and Tesco

John West Sardines in Tomato
Sauce,
£1.10 for 120g,
Asda, Iceland, Morrisons,
Sainsbury’s and Tesco
You’ll find these products in the
freezer cabinets – look out for the
symbol across the Food news pages

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 65

food news

Zoe Skinner and Mike Berry,
Berry
Warwickshire ‘For our gammon hash,
we roast squash in low-calorie cooking
spray, and add to cooked, chopped lean
gammon steaks and veg. We top it with
dry-fried eggs and drizzle with balsamic
vinegar for a lovely autumnal dinner!’

YOUR MAKES!
The quick fixes and genius food
tips you love – share yours on
Instagram #SWMagazineMakes

Kelly Hooton,
Hooton Swindon ‘This spicy
pasta salad makes a hearty lunch. Just
chop your favourite veg and mix with
cooked green lentils, some lemon juice
and a Healthy Extra portion of cheese.
Stir through cooked pasta and top with
y have them.’
dried mixed herbs if you

Gemma Constable
Constable, Suffolk ‘My fouringredient sticky chicken is a winner!
I marinate the chicken in honey (1 Syn
per level tsp), balsamic vinegar and
soy sauce before cooking. Serve with
cooked dried rice and green beans, and
you’ve got one of my favourite meals.’

WASTE
NOT
Save time and reduce
waste by not peeling
your carrots – just
give them a good
wash first!

Three ways to eat: carrots
Not just a bit on the side – there’s so much more to this inexpensive Speed Free Food veg
O Spiced carrot rice: cut carrots into batons,
spray with low-calorie cooking spray and
roast at 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 for 35-40
minutes, turning once, until softened. While
roasting, cook dried brown rice following
the pack instructions, adding a cinnamon
stick to the water, then drain and take out
the cinnamon. When the carrots are ready,
toss through the rice with sliced spring
onions. Season and add a squeeze of lemon
juice and a pinch of ground cumin to serve.
O Ribboned carrot salad: use a veg peeler
to cut carrots into ribbons, then squeeze

over lime juice and toss with a pinch of
salt. Leave to pickle for 10 minutes, then
squeeze out and toss with sliced radishes,
chopped coriander leaves and finely sliced
red onion. Serve with cooked dried sticky
rice and grilled fish.
O Roast carrot houmous: roast carrots
as for the carrot rice (left), then whizz in a
blender with a 400g can drained and rinsed
chickpeas, a dollop of fat-free natural
yogurt, a crushed garlic clove and a squeeze
of lemon juice. Add water to make a dipping
consistency, season and serve with raw veg.

Easy
as pie

Give your lunch
a Tex-Mex twist
Asda 8 Wholemeal Tortillas, 1 tortilla is
a Healthy Extra ‘b’; £1.30 for 320g

This mix of cod,
smoked haddock
and salmon
chunks cooks
from frozen in
FISH
just 25 minutes –
FRIDAYS
giving you time
to prep your Food Optimising mash
for the topping. Serve with your favourite
Speed Free Food vegetables or a mixed salad
for a classic, tasty meal.
Tesco Fish Pie Mix,
£5.25 for 400g

CARROTS PHOTOGRAPH: ALEX LUCK

Lauren Franklin,
Essex ‘I fry liver and
lean
le bacon medallions
i low-calorie cooking
in
spray and top with
gravy made using a
stock pot, water and
gravy granules (1 Syn
per level tsp). Great
with celeriac mash.’

High
protein

LOw
FAT
GLUTEN
FREE

PICK UP A PACK IN SELECTED AMAZON, TESCO, BOOTHS, OCADO & WAITROSE STORES.

food news

Sausage swap

SWEET LIKE CHOCOLATE

TRIED & TASTED

A quick and easy meat-free
winner. Slice into a Healthy
Extra roll with caramelised
roasted onions, or add
to slimming-friendly pasta,
casseroles or stews.

Our testers’ pick of handily portioned chocolate treats

Nestlé Orange KitKat,
5 Syns per 20.7g bar; £2 for 9,
most major supermarkets
This orangey twist on the
choc-covered crispy wafer got
an enthusiastic thumbs-up
all round. Our tasters said it
would be nice with a cup of
tea when you fancy something
sweet at breaktime.

Cadbury Curlywurly,
5 Syns per 21.5g bar; £1.25 for 5,
most major supermarkets
A blast from the past that
you’re never too old for,
this earned rave reviews
for its generous size and
value for Syns. And the
chewy toffee centre means
it lasts and lasts...

Cadbury Dairy Milk Freddo,
5 Syns per 18g bar; £1.25 for 5,
most major supermarkets
A popular fix of chunky
chocolatiness. As far as our
testers were concerned, there’s
nothing not to love!

Tivall Vegetarian Frankfurter, 1½ Syns each; £3.90 for 297g,
Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose & Partners

In a hurry for a curry
(or a chilli)? It’s
all about the base!
Maltesers Mint Mini
Reindeers, 3 Syns per 11.8g bar;
£1.25 for 59g pack, most
major supermarkets
The mild minty flavour and
crunchy texture of these cute
little reindeers were a hit in
our taste test. Fun festive
treats for only 3 Syns each.

Heinz Chilli Tomato Base and
Heinz Curry Tomato Base,
£1.75 for 500g, Asda
and Ocado

Spice of life
Perfect for busy nights, just
add these mild chilli noodles
to your favourite veg, prawn or
chicken stir-fry and cook for
2 minutes. Add a splash of soy
sauce and you’re good to go!
Blue Dragon Chilli Noodles, 2½ Syns per 150g; £1.80 for 300g,
Asda, Morrisons, Ocado and Tesco

Find the Syn values of all advertised products here
Each issue, we round up all the Syns for products featured on the food adverts, so you
can be sure they’ll fit smoothly into your Food Optimising week
O Arla, B.O.B Skimmed Milk,
300ml counts as a Healthy Extra ‘a’
or 2 Syns per 100ml.
O Bannisters, 4 Hasselback
Baked Potatoes, ½ Syn per potato
(without butter).
O Black Tower B, Rosé and
White wine (5.5% ABV), both
4 Syns per 175ml glass.
O Cirio, Passata Rustica, Pelati
and Polpa, all Free.

O Heck, Chicken Italia chipolatas,
½ Syn per chipolata; Simply Chicken
chipolatas, ½ Syn per chipolata;
Sweet Chilli Chicken chipolatas,
½ Syn per chipolata; Chicken Italia
burgers, 2 Syns per burger.
O Hi-fi, Triple Choc, 2 bars count
as a Healthy Extra ‘b’ or 3 Syns per
bar, available in Slimming World
groups and to our online members.

O Frylight, cooking spray,
all varieties, Free.

O Mug Shot, Chicken &
Sweetcorn Noodles, 1½ Syns per
54g sachet; Roast Chicken Pasta,
2 Syns per 55g sachet; Tomato &
Herb Pasta (classic recipe),
3½ Syns per 64g sachet.

O Hartley’s, 10 Cal Strawberry
Flavour Jelly, ½ Syn per 175g pot.

O Primula, Original Cheese, 60g
counts as a Healthy Extra ‘a’ or 6 Syns.

O Finn Crisp, Original Sourdough
Rye Thins, 6 thins count as a
Healthy Extra ‘b’ or 1 Syn per thin.

O Shloer, Zero, Red Grape and
White Grape Sparkling Zero
Calorie Fruit Drink, both Free.

O Splenda, Minis, one tablet, Free;
Granulated Sweetener, 1 level tsp,
Free, and ½ Syn per level tbsp.

O Slimming World, Bangers
& Mash; Chicken Balti Biryani;
Chorizo-style Sausages; Harissa
Meatballs & Orzo; Naked Chicken
Katsu & Rice; Pork Stuffing Balls;
Soy & Ginger Sauce; Spicy Veggie
Burgers. All Free, from Iceland.

O Sweet Freedom, Caramel Syrup,
½ Syn per level tsp; Choc Pot
Chocolate Spread, ½ Syn per level
tsp; Choc Shot, ½ Syn per level tsp;
Fruit Syrup, ½ Syn per level tsp;
Gingerbread Syrup, ½ Syn per level
tsp; Raspberry Syrup, ½ Syn per
level tsp.

O Soreen, Lunchbox Loaves, Apple,
Original Malt, and Strawberry, all
4½ Syns; Banana, 5 Syns.

O Yeo Valley, Organic 0% Fat
Super Thick Creamy Yogurt
Natural, Free.

Slimming World, Food Optimising, Free, SP, Speed Free Food, Healthy Extra,
Syn and Syns are registered trademarks of Miles-Bramwell Executive Services Ltd
trading as Slimming World.

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 69

for heavenly
coffee, silky
smooth hot choc
and scrumptious
drizzling...

deliciously
natural
Great Tast
e Award
winning sy
rup!
find me on
line at
sweetfreed
om.co.uk,
Ocado + Am
azon

made by the animals in a secret forest for all the family...

Also available directly from us… use code SW237 for 15% off
Sweet Freedom products until 31st December 2023 at sweetfreedom.co.uk!

raise a glass

ISU

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LA

DA

E TO N M E SS

LL

Happy
hour

S

AR T I N I T I R
AM
SSO M

IE

E

E
S PR

JE

M
RE A
I RI S H C

MA

M

U

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SL

ID

EM
OUS
SE S

RG

I
AR

TA

A cheeky splash of booze adds a fun
twist to cocktail-inspired desserts
PHOTOGRAPHS: ALEX LUCK

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 71

GET THE LOOK
If you want the jellies to look like proper
margaritas, first brush the rims of the
glasses with a little beaten egg white,
then dip them in a plate of salt and shake
off any excess (don’t eat it, though – it’s
just for decoration). While they’re
drying, you can make the jellies

Margarita jellies
A citrus sensation, decorated to look just
like the drink it’s named after. Cheers!
EVERYDAY EASY

MAKE
AHEAD
The jellies will keep in
the fridge for up to
48 hours. Take out
30 minutes before
serving

SERVES 8
SYNS PER SERVING 1½
READY IN 20 minutes, plus setting
1 medium egg white*, optional (see Get the look)
1½ x 12g sachets powdered gelatine
600ml diet lemonade
Juice of 3 limes, plus slices to decorate
5 level tbsp tequila
1 level tbsp orange liqueur

1 Put 100ml water in a small saucepan and
sprinkle over the gelatine. Leave to soak for
1 minute, then heat gently for 1-2 minutes,
stirring, until completely dissolved.
2 Mix the lemonade with the lime juice,
tequila and orange liqueur. Add the
dissolved gelatine and mix well. Divide
the mixture between 8 glasses and chill
for at least 6 hours until set. Decorate
each glass with a slice of lime and serve.
*Pregnant women, the elderly, babies and toddlers
are advised not to eat raw or partially cooked eggs,
unless eating eggs showing the British Lion stamp

raise a glass

Irish cream mudslide mousses
This lush, melt-in-the-mouth dessert is strictly for grown-ups!
EVERYDAY EASY

SERVES 6
SYNS PER SERVING 5
READY IN 15 minutes, plus chilling
80g 70% cocoa dark chocolate
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 level tbsp Irish cream liqueur
4 medium eggs, separated*
125g fresh raspberries
Orange peel strips, peeled with a vegetable
peeler then thinly sliced, to decorate

1 Melt the chocolate in a heatproof
bowl over a pan of barely simmering
water, making sure the bowl doesn’t
touch the water, stirring occasionally.
(Or microwave on medium for 30
seconds, stir and repeat until melted.)
Stir in the vanilla extract and the
liqueur, and mix until smooth. If it gets
too stiff, add a splash of just-boiled water.
2 Fold the egg yolks into the chocolate.
In a separate clean, glass bowl, whisk the
egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
First, mix 1 tbsp of the egg whites into
the chocolate mixture, then carefully
fold in the rest.

3 Divide the mousse between 6 glasses
and chill for at least 3 hours. Top with
all but 6 raspberries, then decorate the
glasses with the remaining raspberries
and the orange peel. Serve straight away.
*Pregnant women, the elderly, babies and
toddlers are advised not to eat raw or partially
cooked eggs, unless eating eggs showing the
British Lion stamp

MAKE
AHEAD
The mousses will keep
in the fridge for up to
48 hours. Decorate
just before
serving

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 73

raise a glass

Espresso martini tiramisu
Our favourite cocktail meets Italy’s best pud…and it’s a knockout

READY IN 20 minutes, plus chilling

MAKE
AHEAD
The tiramisu will keep
in the fridge for up to
48 hours. Take out
30 minutes before
serving

74 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

1 tbsp instant espresso coffee powder
3 level tbsp vodka
500g fat-free natural yogurt
150g plain extra-light soft cheese
1 tbsp vanilla extract
12 sponge fingers, halved
10g 70% cocoa dark chocolate, grated
Coffee beans, to decorate (optional)

1 Mix the coffee with 150ml just-boiled
water, then add the vodka. In a bowl,
beat the yogurt with the cheese and
vanilla extract until smooth.
2 Dip 12 of the sponge finger halves
into the coffee mix, then take 6 glasses
and put 2 in the bottom of each one.
Divide over half the yogurt mixture,
then repeat with the rest of the sponge
fingers and the yogurt. Evenly sprinkle
over the chocolate and chill for at least
1 hour. Decorate with the coffee beans
(if using) and serve straight away.

RECIPES & FOOD STYLING: LIZZIE KAMENETZKY
PROP STYLING: CLAIRE MORGAN

SUPER SIMPLE

SERVES 6
SYNS PER SERVING 4½

Piña colada
Eton mess
A deliciously tropical take
on a best-of-British dessert
EVERYDAY EASY

SERVES 4
SYNS PER SERVING 5½
READY IN 25 minutes
1 very ripe pineapple, peeled, cored, sliced,
then diced (save 4 thin wedges to decorate)
2 level tbsp coconut rum or white rum
2 sprigs of fresh mint, leaves torn, plus
a few left whole to decorate
4 plain meringue nests, crumbled
2 x 115g pots Müllerlight Greek Style
Coconut with a hint of Vanilla Yogurt
2 ripe passion fruit, halved and the
pulp scooped out
8 glacé cherries, to decorate
YOU’LL ALSO NEED
4 cocktail sticks

1 Put the pineapple in a bowl with the
rum and torn mint leaves, and set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix half of the
meringue with the yogurt.

MAKE
AHEAD
The assembled puds
will keep in the fridge
for 6 hours. Decorate
just before
serving

2 Divide half the yogurt mixture between
4 glasses. Roughly layer up each glass with
the pineapple and yogurt, adding a quarter
of the leftover meringue per glass as you go.
Finish with a layer of the yogurt mixture.
3 Divide any remaining meringue over
the top, add a final layer of pineapple
and the passion fruit pulp. Top each with
whole mint leaves and 2 glacé cherries on
a cocktail stick. Decorate the glasses with
pineapple wedges and serve.

This flamboyant
pud is as vibrant
as its cocktail twin –
and perfect for
Christmas parties!

Get that sunshine feeling as the weather cools with the latest addition to
the Slimming World food range. Our brand-new Harissa meatballs & orzo
is the winner of Slimming World’s Free Food Festival 2023 recipe
competition. Enjoy Slimming World member Kev Smith’s culinary creation
with a crunchy Free Food salad (and a wedge of lemon for extra zing) for
a super-filling and super-satisfying feast!

“I didn’t think I could cook until I discovered the
recipes on the food range packaging, and I was inspired

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\RXHQMR\HDWLQJWKHGLVKDVPXFKDV,GLGFUHDWLQJLWµ
Kev Smith, Slimming World’s Free Food Festival 2023 winner
Kev has lost 2st 9½lbs at Leanne Saunders’
Slimming World group in Daventry, Northamptonshire

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The full Slimming World range may not be available in smaller Iceland stores. Please check with your local store for more details. All stock is subject to availability.
Minimum order of £25 required to use online order and delivery service. Additional £3 delivery charge payable on orders £25 to £39.99. Free delivery for orders over £40.
Delivery address must be within the delivery catchment area. Delivery slots subject to availability. Customers must register online to use the service.
Terms and conditions apply, see iceland.co.uk/terms for full details.
*Source: The Grocer’s Top Products 2022 in association with NielsenIQ 52 w/e 10th September 2022

CHRISTMAS
all wrapped up
YOUR SEASO
ONAL
L
SU
URVIV
VAL GUIDE
E
hake up your routine and make
this the Christmas you keep
your weight loss on track.
From creating new family
traditions and active winter habits
to navigating party drinks and nibbles,
we’ve got strategies to help you
celebrate and slim. Plus gifts that
are easy on your wallet (and even
one that’s homemade). Get into your
healthy, happy groove this season –
and may all your Christmases be light!

PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY IMAGES

S

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 79

My favourite...

NEW TRADITION
‘Last Christmas was our first as a family in my new house –
me, my partner Kirsty, my daughter and Kirsty’s three children.
Kirsty and I are both Slimming World Consultants – it’s how
we met. So, as we started making some new family traditions,
we looked for fun ways to stick to Food Optimising and do
activities we could all enjoy. We asked the kids to choose
something to make from the Slimming World app and they
picked a fruit Christmas tree. The two older ones helped the
younger girls while boogying around the kitchen, and it went
down a treat for our festive movie night. My memories of last
year are warm and happy. All that was missing was the snow!’
Shaun Kay and his partner, Kirsty Hinder, are both Slimming
World Consultants. Shaun lives in Chatham, Kent. He’s lost 8st
7lbs and runs groups in Gillingham, Kent. Kirsty lives in Welling,
Greater London. She’s lost 4st 12½lbs and runs groups in Welling

My favourite...

RESSBUSTER
SEASONAL ST
getting active

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Moments
of

joy
Happy winter habits, party season
confidence and new family traditions…
These are a few of your favourite
things about enjoying Christmas
with a fresh mindset
PHOTOGRAPHS: AGATA PEC

christmas special
rite...
My favou

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OU T F I T

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My favourite
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SPECIAL ST
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ristmas Eve,
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tra-light may
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ix everything
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divide betwee
otle
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ith
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of smoked
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rve it with a
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rocket, cherry
osted
tomato and
• Pinch of sm
cucumber sa
oked paprika,
lad, and a glas
to serve
s
of chilled Sh
loer Zero!
Yvonne Kel
ly lives in D
rogheda, Co
at Paula McC
unty Louth.
arry’s Slimm
She’s lost
ing World gr
oup in Drogh 2st
eda

My favourite...

TRAINERS ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES

NIGHT OUT
‘Stepping onto the dance floor last year, when
I’d recently got to target, made me realise how
much I’d changed. It was our Clubbercise Christmas
party – I’d joined a class after starting the
Body Magic programme – so naturally we went
out dancing! Before, I’d have wanted to hide away
and would have sat down as soon as I could. Now,
alongside the weight I’d lost, doing Clubbercise
and strength training classes had helped me tone
up. I felt so good in my own skin and had much more
energy, so even when the others went to get a drink,
I carried on dancing. It felt euphoric!’
Jo-Anne Mathieson lives in Boreham, Essex.
World
She’s lost 4st 6lbs at Emma Lodge’s Slimming
Essex
,
gfield
Sprin
in
group

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 81

Our first Take 5 recipe book was so popular, we had to
bring you a second helping! Take home more than 60 simple,
five-ingredient feasts (that are kind to your wallet, too!).
Just £4.95/€7.95 RRP to Slimming World members in group. If you’re
a member of Slimming World Online you can buy a copy through the
online bookshop. 10p/10¢ from every book sold goes to our SMILES
charity partners (SMILES registered charity number 1061429).

christmas special

‘I’ve put
myself back
in the picture’
Susan Renard always avoided being in photos
and found that she was missing out on family
moments. Now, after losing 2st, she’s happy
to be in front of the camera and loves having
the memories to look back on

THE HEALTH INFORMATION IN THIS STORY IS BASED ON PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AND
SHOULD NOT BE USED TO REPLACE THE ADVICE GIVEN BY YOUR HEALTHCARE TEAM

Susan, 70, lives in Hyde, Greater
Manchester, with her husband, Martin,
and they have two grown-up sons, Michael
and Peter. She is 5ft 3ins tall and weighs
10st 6lbs, having lost 2st at Debbie Jones’s
Slimming World group in Hyde

As I posed with my husband, Martin,
in front of my son Michael’s Christmas
tree, I couldn’t believe how happy and
confident I felt having my photo taken. In
previous years, I’d have been hiding my size
under a big Christmas jumper and leggings,
insisting on taking the pictures myself.
Now, rocking a bright red dress three sizes
smaller (with matching reindeer antlers!),
I couldn’t stop smiling into the lens.
The turning point for me had been a
doctor’s appointment in January 2017. We
were discussing a possible hip replacement
to help my osteoarthritis, a condition that
caused my joints to become painful and
stiff. When my GP asked me to step on the
scales, I was shocked to see the number
that flashed back at me. I was even more
concerned when my doctor sat me down
and said, ‘If you want to be able to have your
operation, you’re going to have to lose some
weight.’ I hadn’t felt in control of my eating
for years, but this was the first time I’d
realised the impact it was having on my
health. For a while after that, I tried various
weight loss shakes and bars, but nothing
stuck and I was always hungry. Every time
I lost a few pounds, I’d either come to a
standstill or they’d pile straight back on as
soon as I started eating ‘normally’ again.
I’d been a Slimming World member
many years ago – my son, Peter, and I had
attended together and, while he’d hit his
target and managed to keep the weight
off, I had lost motivation and stopped

Now I can’t
wait to be
in family
photos –
the more
of them
the better!

attending group. Now, each week when
I did my food shop, I found myself walking
past a banner advertising the local group,
and every time I’d think, One day, I will
be brave enough to walk in. Then, one Friday
morning in April 2017, I was struggling
back from the supermarket with my bags
full of pies and cakes – all the things I knew
weren’t going to help me at all. As I walked
past the banner, hot and out of breath, I saw
a group of ladies going into the building and
suddenly thought, Today’s the day! I went
straight in, shopping bags and all, and never
looked back. From previous experience,
I knew the plan worked. The difference this
time was that I was committed to staying
to group each week, and the support from

my Consultant, Debbie, and the other
members kept me inspired and on track.
I’ve been at target for five years and
had my hip replaced in July 2017. I feel the
benefits every day, but it’s at Christmas
that the difference in my life really comes
home to me, especially precious moments
with my grandchildren, Amelia, 17, Jaxon,
10, and Raegan, seven. Now, I’m able to
get down on the floor with Jaxon and
Raegan as they build train sets and play
with their remote-control cars. And,
rather than making excuses to stay behind,
I can join the traditional family Christmas
walk along the nearby Trans Pennine
Trail. It’s wonderful to be making so many
lovely memories to look back on, and we
always take plenty of photographs – it’s
just that I’m in front of the camera these
days, not behind! O

Have you caught a weight loss magic moment on camera in the last year?
We’d love to hear about it! Email us at editorial@slimmingworld.co.uk
SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 83

christmas special

Your invitation to…

EAT, SLIM
AND BE
MERRY!

Whether you’re hosting or you’re one of the guests, our real-world strategies
and tasty ideas mean there’s no need to pass on those party nibbles
WORDS: REBECCA WOOLLARD ILLUSTRATION: CLAIRE ROLLET

arty season has arrived – and with
parties, come nibbles! Often, these
delicious morsels are surprisingly
high in Syns, and as you’re grazing
while you mingle and chat it can be hard to
keep track – unless, of course, those bites
are slimming friendly! On these pages,

P

you’ll find lots of ways to wow friends and
family with colourful Food Optimising
canapés (not that they’ll know that!). And
with tips for keeping your weight loss goals
intact when you’re not the one setting
the menu, this is your one-stop guide to
a slimming shindig, home or away! >

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 85

Find your party
personality
Knowing a bit about yourself as a
slimmer is key when you’re coming up
with weight loss strategies, including
ones for nights with nibbles. To delve
in, Rhianne Sambrook, a registered
nutritionist at Slimming World, suggests
asking yourself these two questions:

Do I have any trigger foods?
Drinks and nibbles parties can be full of
those moreish ‘trigger’ foods – the ones
where a single mouthful is never quite
enough. Whether it’s crisps, cheese straws,
chocolates or biscuits, what’s the thing
that flicks your ‘stop now’ switch off?

How does alcohol affect me?
The Syns stack up quickly with alcohol, so
knowing how many are in your drink of
choice, and how alcohol can change your
food choices, will help you build a booze
strategy. In fact, Slimming World research
shows that we all have a personal tipping
point – an amount of alcohol that, once
consumed, can lead to us having far more
Syns than we intended. Cast your mind
back to your last party. Was it one, two,
or more drinks? And does what you drink
make a difference?

And then sashay past
the Syns!
Use the knowledge you now have about
your tipping point around drink and any
trigger foods to hatch a personalised party
plan. If you’re a Slimming World member,
talking about it in the IMAGE Therapy part
of group can help you do this, too.
O When you arrive, if the nibbles are laid
out already, mosey on past and take a look.
Already knowing your trigger foods means
you can head for the bites that don’t flick
your ‘out of control’ switch – and the ones
that are likely to be lower in Syns.
O If canapés are being passed around,
don’t be embarrassed to ask what’s in

them. People love their guests to show
an interest in the food they’ve prepared.
If you want to politely decline, there’s no
need to give a reason – the host won’t
expect everyone to try everything.
O A top alcohol strategy is to decide on
your lower Syn option before you arrive –
for example, spirits with diet mixers – and
to stick within your Syns. If you can, pour
your own drinks so you know how much
you’re having.
O Alternating each alcoholic drink with
water or a diet soft drink will help slow
down how quickly you reach your tipping
point – and help you save Syns. If you
know you’re going to find it tricky to stop
at one or two, you could always offer to
be the driver – it’ll make you popular with
friends and family, and the bonus is that
you’ll have a clear head in the morning!

Be the best guest
Every party host appreciates a bit of
help with the catering – and if you offer
to bring a couple of different nibbles,
you can zone in on those as you’ll know
exactly what you’re eating. Rhianne
Sambrook also recommends having
a hearty Food Optimising meal before
you head out. ‘Fill up first, because
if you go to a party really hungry, you’re
more likely to go for the things you
want to avoid!’ says Rhianne. ‘If you feel
comfortable with your host, let them
know why losing weight is important to
you and they’ll likely be more than happy
to help make things easier.’ And if you’re
confident to talk about it more openly,
you never know, you might just find
a few kindred spirits at the gathering!

When you’re the host
Hurrah! You’re setting the menu, and that
means you can really make the most of all
those lovely Free Foods. ‘Don’t be afraid
to make a Food Optimising friendly spread
for everyone,’ says Rhianne. ‘There are so

many delicious recipes, and a few simple
swaps will mean you can make really
impressive low or no Syn nibbles.’ How
food looks also plays a big part, so platters
full of colourful fresh veg and enticing
slimming-friendly dips will go down a treat.
So, too, will big pitchers of trendy, well-iced
low-alcohol spritzes – made with measuredout wine or Prosecco, generously topped
with diet lemonade or sparkling water and
decorated with fresh fruit or herbs. And,
as you’ll know what’s Free and where the
Syns are, you can enjoy your evening and
still have a great weight loss week!

Homemade trades
SWAP Bread or pastry-based canapés
FOR Tasty Free Food toppings
spooned onto slices of cucumber,
red chicory leaves, or halved cooked
new potatoes
SWAP Cheese straws
FOR Cheese and fresh pineapple on
sticks. Weigh out how many cubes
make a Healthy Extra portion first
and it’ll be easy to keep count later –
you can even keep the used cocktail
sticks on your plate as a reminder
SWAP Sausage rolls
FOR Pork meatballs made with lean
mince and seasoned with dried herbs.
Spritz with low-calorie cooking spray,
brown in a frying pan, then finish in
the oven just before serving
SWAP Mini pizzas
FOR Skewers with a cherry tomato,
basil leaf and mini mozzarella ball.
Colourful, stylish and, again, you
can weigh the balls out first so you
know how many sticks you can have
for a Healthy Extra

Every party host appreciates a bit of help with
the catering – and if you offer to bring a couple
of different nibbles, you can zone in on those as
you’ll know exactly what you’re eating

christmas special

Marvellous makes
MINI JACKET POTATOES
Bake whole new potatoes, lightly sprayed with
low-calorie cooking spray, until cooked through and
crisp. Slice crosses in the tops to split them open, and
top with a dollop of seasoned fat-free natural Greek
yogurt and a scattering of chopped chives.
CREAMY FILLED EGGS
Hard-boil eggs, then peel and halve them and scoop
out the yolks. Blitz the yolks in a food processor with
a little fat-free natural fromage frais, some lemon
zest and juice, a pinch of cayenne pepper and a little
crushed garlic until smooth. Either pipe or spoon the
mixture back into the egg white cases.
CRUNCHY VEG & DIPS
Make some Free Food dips using recipes on the
members’ website or app, then surround them with
a colourful mix of fresh, crunchy cut-up veg.
As well as carrot and cucumber sticks, you could add
slices of raw fennel, chicory leaves and cherry
tomatoes – plus cooked potatoes and hard-boiled
egg wedges, which are nice and filling.
RÖSTI & SALMON STACKS
Make mini versions of rösti (you’ll find a standard
recipe on the Slimming World members’ website
or app), then top with smoked salmon, a little
fat-free natural fromage frais, some lemon zest
and chopped fresh dill.
AUBERGINE SKEWERS
Thinly slice aubergines lengthways, spray with lowcalorie cooking spray and griddle or fry until tender.
Wrap them around some rocket and mint leaves,
and secure with cocktail sticks. Serve with tzatziki
(there are recipes on the members’ website
or app) topped with pomegranate seeds as a dip.
POSH SALAD POTS
Make mini chopped salad pots – chop up peppers,
celery, radishes, apple and cucumber, then
toss with fat-free natural yogurt, lemon juice
and fresh chopped chives. Pile into mini glasses
and serve with teaspoons.
ASIAN CHICKEN BOATS
Shred cooked skinless chicken breast into a bowl with
finely diced fresh mango, chopped fresh coriander and
sliced spring onions. Dress with soy sauce and some
lime juice, and spoon into little gem lettuce leaves.
DELI-STYLE CHEESE BOARD
Lay out a selection of Healthy Extra ‘a’ cheese
portions, lean cooked meats and Healthy Extra ‘b’
crispbreads, plus lots of Speed Free Food fruit
and veg, and pickled onions and gherkins for
an on-trend graze board.

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 87

change lives
as a

Slimming World
District Manager

(

)

have you got what it takes
to lead the best?

■
■
■

Could you use your experience as a successful Slimming World
member to help change the lives of thousands of people?

■

Would you like to use the skills and experience you’ve developed
in your successful management career so far and take the
next exciting step with Slimming World?

Do you love sharing your passion for Slimming World
and our proven methods?
Can you develop, coach and empower a team of self-employed
Slimming World Consultants and Team Developers to build a
successful business and achieve their dreams?

As a full-time, field-based District Manager, you’ll receive
a competitive rewards package including a basic salary of
£53,000/€66,250 a year, plus target-related quarterly bonuses,
a company car and healthcare package.
Find out more about our District Manager opportunities at

slimmingworld.co.uk/dmcareers

I’m so proud to be part
of Slimming World’s
life- changing team
Vanessa was a senior training manager for a charity
when she joined Slimming World as a member in
2014. She went on to lose just over 2st, before
becoming the District Manager for Hampshire and
West Sussex.

“Whether I’m running training sessions for
my team, supporting our self-employed
Consultants in their groups, recruiting new
people to the team, or driving up to our
Derbyshire Head Office for meetings,
every day is different. It’s hard work, but
there’s nothing more satisfying than
helping a member achieve their weight
loss dreams, or working with a
Consultant to develop their business.
It’s a unique role where I can
combine a fulfilling, challenging
management position with
genuinely helping people to
transform their lives.”

Discover
your

sparkle
“Don’t let one
more day go past
without making
the decision
that will change
your life”

90 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

F ROM

T HE

HE A RT

Give yourself the best gift of all and welcome
the festive season with fun, laughter and supreme
self-esteem, says Margaret Miles-Bramwell

PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY IMAGES

What a difference a day makes! And unbelievable what a week
can do! So imagine a month or two! Yes, those days can change
your life. Seriously!
How can one day make such a difference? Because it can be
the day you decide you want a future that’s different, one that’s
filled with fun, laughter, confidence and supreme self-esteem.
Then there’s that week, seven whole days of determination –
to learn new habits, to discover new delicious, nutritious,
no-hunger meals that create a weight loss you never thought
possible. And you haven’t even had to give up any of your
favourite treats because we know that with those great
meals leaving you full and satisfied, you won’t go OTT with
high-sugar, high-fat foods. In just a couple of months, you’re
going to be so, so proud of yourself (as if you’re not already
feeling that by week one!).
By now, you are looking in the mirror at a new you! Should
we warn the clothes shops to get in plenty of their hottest
styles? I doubt you’ll be able to resist changing your image as
you watch yourself changing shape. That new hairstyle won’t
wait any longer either – and you are going to look and feel
outstanding at every festive gathering. By now your family and
friends are noticing that you look terrific – years younger, fitter
and with so much extra energy, thanks to your new healthy
habits, and your skin has taken on a much healthier glow.
This metamorphosis is something we see so many times at
Slimming World and we never ever take it for granted or cease
to be thrilled. If you’ve read our success stories in this magazine
and you’ve wished it could be you, don’t let one more day go
past without making the decision that will change your life.
Go on your own personal voyage of discovery. Take a
moment to don your Sherlock Holmes deerstalker hat and
investigate the mystery that is your weight management, the
mystery that is you, why you do what you do, when you know
it’s taking you further away from your dream. No one needs

to know what you discover – only you. You are the most
important person to know these buried secrets – no need to
share unless it’s what you’d love to do, once you’ve discovered
the real you – and you really do owe it to yourself!
Take your time and build your very own ‘for and against’
list – all those reasons you want to lose weight and all those
reasons why you don’t – they’re all there in your head. Give
yourself this time, this thoughtfulness, and it will give you your
best gift of all by Christmas – one even Santa can’t match.
In doing that for yourself, make a new list of what that gift is
going to do for everyone you love because they love you, too.
This festive season is certainly looking so much brighter –
magnificent, dazzling, thrilling. And that’s all down to you –
with a little help from all your Slimming World friends, your
group and your Consultant. Thank you for putting your trust
and faith in us. We promise we will always do everything we
humanly can to justify one of the best decisions you will ever
make. We simply love being the wind beneath your wings.
Enjoy the best parties ever, a wonderful Christmas, and
a future that is the stuff of dreams.
Yours, as always with love

Margaret Miles-Bramwell OBE
is Slimming World’s founder and chair

‘What’s a good homemade
present for friends?’
Slimming World member Pam Shepperson wants to give her buddies a heartfelt
gift to show how much they mean to her. We think they’ll love this…
‘I’ve made some firm friends in group and
I’d like to give them something special. I love
to cook and share food with family and
friends – especially when it involves baking – and
an idea for a low Syn sweet treat that I could take
to group this Christmas for my lovely Consultant,
Kerry, and the other members would be perfect.’

Chocolate-drizzled
meringue kisses
A LITTLE EFFORT
MAKES 60 (6 gifts of 10 kisses)

SYNS PER MERINGUE KISS ½
READY IN 1 hour 25 minutes, plus cooling
2 medium egg whites
60g caster sugar
40g dark chocolate, broken into squares
Edible lustre or glitter, to decorate (optional)

Pam, 70, lives in Carlton, Nottinghamshire, with her husband,
Dennis. She has lost 2st 2lbs at Kerry Oliver’s Slimming World
group in Carlton

Our food editor, Rebecca Woollard, says: ‘These pretty meringue
kisses are fun to make, will fit into everyone’s Food Optimising
plans, and can be baked up to three days
ahead. Put them somewhere cool and dry
until you’re ready to gift wrap them and
delight your friends!’

COOK’S
NOTE
Because this is a
reduced-sugar meringue, it
will work much better if you use
eggs that are getting to the end of
their shelf life. The proteins break
down more easily than in
fresher eggs, which means
the meringue mix is less
likely to split

YOU’LL ALSO NEED
Piping bag with a star nozzle
6 gift boxes, tins or bags, for wrapping

PHOTOGRAPH: ALEX LUCK. RECIPE: REBECCA WOOLLARD
FOOD STYLING: LIZZIE KAMENETZKY. PROP STYLING: CLAIRE MORGAN

1 Preheat your oven to 120°C/fan 100°C/
gas ½. Line a large baking tray with baking
paper. In a large, clean, glass bowl, beat the
egg whites with an electric hand whisk until
they form medium-stiff peaks.
2 Add the sugar, a spoonful at a time, whisking
for 30 seconds between each addition. Stop
when all the sugar is used and the meringue
is glossy and holds its shape. Spoon into the
piping bag. Carefully pipe 60 kisses onto the
tray by squeezing down gently, then lifting
the piping bag straight up. Bake for 1 hour
until the kisses are crisp and lift easily from
the paper. Turn off the oven, prop open the
door and leave the kisses inside to cool.
3 Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over
a pan of gently simmering water, making sure
the bowl doesn’t touch the water, stirring
occasionally (or microwave on medium in 30second bursts) until melted and glossy. Using
a teaspoon, evenly drizzle the chocolate over
the kisses. Spray with some lustre or scatter
over glitter (if using) and leave until the
chocolate has completely cooled. Carefully
pack into gift boxes, tins or bags (10 per gift).

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 93

Available in Slimming World groups, £1.95/€3 RRP for six bars. Also available to our online members – minimum order levels and postage charges apply.

TRIPLE CHOC

An indulgent cereal bar dipped in
milk chocolate, drizzled with dark chocolate
and topped with white chocolate curls

christmas special

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SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 95

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96 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

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Slimming World’s
Fast & Free
cookbook

Slimming World’s

fast & Free
over 60 fab Free Food fea
sts

in 30 minutes or less

ABOUT YOUR BONUS GIFT

The first 50 readers to subscribe to the print edition will
receive a copy of Slimming World’s Fast & Free cookbook,
£4.95/€7.95 RRP. Discover a host of ways to enjoy Free Food
with more than 60 recipes, all on your table in 30 minutes or
less. When life gets busy, take your pick from creamy paprika
pork, lemony salmon bake or chicken carbonara – totally
delicious, ready in a jiffy and without a single Syn in sight!
Slimming World members can also buy the cookbook
from their Consultant in group, and online

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SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 97

SLIM

G WORLD
IN

Man
of the
Year
2023

’S

M

14st

‘I lost
and won
my life back’
H
Held back by insecurities, Aaron Walker felt like his
220s were passing him by... Here’s how losing 14st gave
h
him the confidence and energy to start truly living –
n
now he can’t wait to see what the future will bring!

T
At Leeds Festivall
2021, I felt so
uncomfortable –
this year, I had
the best time!

98 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

he music was thumping as my three friends and I arrived
at Leeds Festival in August 2021. Instead of buzzing with
excitement about the day ahead, though, I was miserable.
Traipsing from the car park to the entrance, I’d struggled to
keep up with the others. I’d also felt painfully self-conscious
about my heavy breathing, worried people were judging me
for the effort it took just to move around the fields. Later, after hours of
standing watching the bands, my feet throbbed. Exhausted, I turned to my
friend, Ellie, and gasped: ‘I need to sit down and sober up.’ To be honest,
I wasn’t drunk – I was just desperate to take the weight off my feet.
As I sloped off alone, a sad thought circulated in my mind: I’m 25
and I can’t even keep up with my friends. Just that morning, the button
had popped off my shorts, and as we’d filed into the festival, the gate staff
had struggled to fit the band around my wrist. As always, I’d covered up
my embarrassment with a bit of banter: ‘Ha! It only just fits!’ That habit had
started back in my uni days. Messy nights out followed by takeaways had
seen my weight shoot up, and I got into a habit of making jokes about my
size, so no one else would take a shot. After graduating, I started working
as a mortgage broker, and whenever I had to network, I felt so shy and
self-conscious. I didn’t much like the role, but convinced my weight would
stop a new employer taking me on, I couldn’t muster the energy to job hunt.
In 2018, I’d gone with Ellie to her Slimming World group, started Food
Optimising and dropped 3st. The problem was, back then I’d seen it just
as an eating plan. I didn’t stay around for the practical and emotional
support in IMAGE Therapy, and I eventually stopped going, thinking >

twenties turnaround

Meet Aaron
Aaron Walker, 27, is a loan
underwriter and Slimming
World’s Man of the Year
2023. He lives in Doncaster,
South Yorkshire

Height: 5ft 10ins
Starting weight: 26st 12½lbs
Weight now: 12st 10½lbs

WEIGHT LOST:

14st 2lbs
Aaron lost weight at Pauline Collins’
Slimming World group in Hull,
East Riding of Yorkshire, and is now
a member of Dawn-Lisa Oxborough’s
group in Balby, South Yorkshire

BEFORE
I was painfully
self-conscious
about my
heavy
breathing

100 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

twenties turnaround

My weight was coming down,

energy levels were up,
I was sleeping better, and
I was still living my life
my

I could maintain my momentum at home. I soon
slipped into my old ways again, though, and found
myself back at square one. Even talking on the phone
at work left me out of breath. I knew I wanted more in
life, but every time I felt low about my weight, I turned
to food for comfort. If I was sad, tired, embarrassed,
or hungover, I’d ‘treat’ myself. I confided in my mum,,
Julie, and sister, Lauren, and told them how
impossible it seemed to get out of that cycle.
‘I’ve got so much weight to lose and there’s no
quick fix. I can’t do this…’ Both Slimming World
members, they urged me to go back to group,
but I wasn’t sure. What would everyone think of
me now I’d regained all the weight I’d lost before??

BEFORE
I’d make
jokes about
my weight
to cover
up how I
really felt

Taking action
In October 2021, two months after the festival,
d.
Mum’s fiftieth and a special dinner rolled around.
As none of my smart shirts fitted, I just wore my
normal clothes. At the meal, Mum said, gently:
‘Do you think it might be time to do something
about your weight?’ I nodded… ‘I’m going back
to Slimming World on Thursday,’ I said. There wass
something about saying it out loud that made
o
me feel ready to commit. That Thursday, I drove to
the group I’d gone to with Ellie years earlier, a bag of
nerves once more. Yet despite my fears, there wasn’t
a shred of judgment, just a warm welcome from my
Consultant, Pauline, and the other members. I took
a seat, then pulled out my phone to check some Syns
on the members’ app – and it was a wake-up call. No
wonder… I thought, grimacing as I totted up how many
Syns I was having every weekend on alcohol alone.
As I began to share in IMAGE Therapy how I felt
about having regained weight, the other members
nodded back at me empathetically, and I realised
there was nothing at all to feel ashamed of. Stepping
on the scales for my private weigh-in at the end,
though, was a shock. I’d not just put back on the 3st
I’d lost before – I’d gained another 4st on top, taking
me to almost 27st. It was a blow, but now with support,
I knew I could rise above those uncomfortable feelings
and start thinking logically about what was next.
The truth was I loved food, and Pauline reminded
me that didn’t need to change. I knew what I needed
to do was stop living on takeaways and shop-bought
pizzas and burgers, and start cooking tasty Food
Optimising meals for myself. This time around,
instead of going to the shops every day, I planned
a whole week’s worth of meals and shopped ahead,
so I had all the ingredients to make slimming-friendly
versions of my usual takeaway picks. Homemade
Chinese crispy beef and salt-and-pepper chicken with

egg fried rice became my new
faves. I counted the sriracha
and honey I used to make the
sauce for my chilli beef as Syns, and always included
lots of Speed Free Food veg to satisfy my big appetite.
In my first week, I lost 11½lbs – all the proof I needed
that I’d come to the right place. Although I never had
quite such a dramatic loss again, the weight came off
week after week, keeping my motivation high. After
every group, on my 20-minute drive home, I’d call
Mum or Lauren. I’d tell them how things had gone,
and as I shared the best tips and recipes I’d heard that
week, they’d share theirs. I loved our weekly catchups. My approach to food, and drink, was changing.
I’d decided to swap my usual beers for gin and diet
tonic, and would have a meal prepared for after a
night out. It crushed any takeaway cravings and meant
I could still socialise in the way I wanted. I knew that
my healthier habits would have to fit into my life,
not stop me having one, if I was going to succeed.
By Christmas Day, I was 3st lighter – and when
Mum, Dad and Lauren took the dog for a walk, instead
of worrying I wouldn’t keep up and staying at home,
I joined them. I enjoyed the beautiful, frosty stroll,
and Mum shot me a smile and said: ‘I’m so glad you
came.’ And I was, too. It made me think I might be
capable of more. Pauline and the other members
often said the key to getting active was doing what you
could manage, starting small and gradually building
activity into everyday life. That hit home. Back in 2018,
I’d started the Body Magic physical activity support
programme in my early weeks, but I’d overstretched >

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 101

finally feel

I
like a
young man in his 20s again,
and I’ve never felt

so proud of my own
achievements
My day on a plate
THEN
Breakfast Crisps and biscuits
Lunch Shop-bought chicken and cheese panini,
sausage roll, crisps and cake
Dinner Takeaway Chinese or oven pizza, then
chocolate or cake
Snacks & drinks Full-fat latte, chocolate,
sweets or biscuits, and beers and alcopops
on nights out
NOW

p99: Shirt, ASOS.
T-shirt, Zara. Jeans,
H&M. Trainers,
New Look. Watch,
Aaron’s own
p100: Jacket,
River Island.
T-shirt, Trojan
at Standout.
Trousers, Topman
at ASOS. Trainers,
New Balance
at Standout
p101: Shirt, River
Island. T-shirt,
Puma at Standout.
Trousers, Jack &
Jones. Trainers,
Hoff at Standout.
Watch, as before
Above: Jacket and
trousers, both Next.
Polo shirt, Tommy
Hilfiger at Standout.
Trainers, Puma
at Standout

Smashing goals
It was so satisfying when, in March 2022, after barely
keeping up with my friends at that festival, I signed
up for the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge. Training
to walk 24 miles could have been daunting – by then,
though, I had a new-found confidence. ‘I’ll do it with
you,’ Mum said. Months later, when we reached the
top of the final peak and looked out to breathtaking
views, I was overwhelmed with emotion. Mum cried
along with me and simply said: ‘I’m so proud of you.’
And that’s why I’d welled up – I’d never felt so proud of
my own achievements. My next big surprise was going
to the semi-finals of Slimming World’s Man of the Year

102 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

Breakfast Healthy Extra porridge topped with
strawberries, raspberries and blueberries
Lunch Leftover Food Optimising creamy chicken
pasta or chicken tikka masala with rice from
Slimming World’s Curry Club book
Dinner Homemade Slimming World burgers and
chips with salad, then a Tunnock’s Teacake for
5 Syns or a Cadbury Fudge bar for 5½ Syns
Snacks & drinks Melon and pears, lean ham slices,
and gin and diet tonic for 3 Syns on nights out

competition. As I looked around at all the awesome
men who’d achieved so much in their lives, I felt
a bit overwhelmed. They’ve done miles better than
me, I thought. So when the winner was announced
and I heard my name being called, it was surreal!
That moment meant more to me than anyone could
know because I do feel like a winner – not for being
crowned Man of the Year, but for getting my life back.
After applying for a new job as a loan underwriter and
getting it, a role I would have only dreamt about before,
I moved to Doncaster and joined a new group run by
Dawn. I’ve lost 14st 2lbs now – more than half my
starting weight – so I’m the proud owner of a Slimming
World Club 50 award, and I’m only 3½lbs away from
target. In August, I went back to Leeds Festival, and
it was honestly the best day. I felt so comfortable in
myself, which meant I could relax and really enjoy
it. I finally feel like a young man in his 20s again. Now
I have an entire future ahead of me to get excited
about – and I can’t wait to see where it takes me!

INTERVIEW: PUNTEHA VAN TERHEYDEN. PHOTOGRAPHS: PAUL BULLER
STYLING: RACHEL FANCONI. SEE P119 FOR STOCKISTS

AARON WEARS

myself. Rather than choosing something gentle that I
could build on, I’d decided to start with a couch to 5K
plan, and I threw myself into it so enthusiastically my
joints throbbed and I actually injured myself. It was
why I’d given exercise a wide berth – until now. That
walk showed me what I could already do, and I began
going for walks at weekends. I didn’t count steps,
determined not to put pressure on myself, and just
went as far as I could. With each step I took, I felt like
I was striding closer to my target, and further away
from the unhealthy, unhappy person I’d once been.
As the months passed, my weight was still coming
down, my energy levels were up, I was sleeping better
and, to my amazement, I was still living my life. I went
out for meals and drinks with friends and family, no
longer seeing it as ‘treating’ myself, but as just another
part of my slimming week. I thought ahead, checking
the menus before we arrived and planning what I was
going to have to keep me on track. There wasn’t a single
pub in the area whose menu I didn’t know off by heart!

W!
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Online
Live the life you want, eat the food you love and still lose weight
with our digital service. It’s simple to use, super-convenient and
fits around you.

get started right now, with:
more than 1,900 easy, delicious breakfasts, lunches and dinners
on our top-rated members’ app
expert tools and articles to help you take control of your eating,
drinking and thinking
support and encouragement (when you want it) from our online community
unlimited access to our weekly schedule of live events
exclusive activity videos on demand, for all fitness and mobility levels
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MIND,body&soul
CREATE A STRONGER, HEALTHIER AND HAPPIER YOU FROM THE INSIDE OUT

THE GIFT OF
TOGETHERNESS

PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY IMAGES

‘E

very Slimming World member
takes a little and gives a little
every single week, without
even trying. And just by being
there, you do make a real difference.
You make that warm, loving, family
feeling so much more powerful.’
Margaret Miles-Bramwell OBE,
Slimming World’s founder and chair
Turn the page to discover how your
success can spur you, and others, on
to even greater slimming heights!

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 107

The

gift
that

keeps on

giving
Supporting others with their
weight loss journeys could
actually help you on your way
to your own dream weight.
Read on to discover more,
plus how the healthy habits
you’ve learnt could benefit
your loved ones, too!
WORDS: CHRISTABEL SMITH

s your calendar starts to fill up with
family dos, school plays and social
occasions, you could be wondering if
there’s room to fit in that weekly date
with your Slimming World support
squad... But hear us out: it might just be the best
gift you give to yourself and others this Christmas.
When we’re surrounded by people who share our
weight loss ambitions and truly understand the
ups and downs along the way, something magical

A
108 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

happens – we open ourselves up to accept support
and to give it. And supporting others could actually
help you slim. Being kind doesn’t just feel good, it
does you good: building a network of support around
you, boosting your self-esteem, and bolstering your
confidence to stick to the healthy choices you’re
making for yourself. And that two-way relationship
with your group embeds healthy habits that can last
a lifetime. Better still, research shows it can help your
family to be healthier, too. Here’s how…

all about you

Priority: you
You know when you’re settling into a seat
on a plane, listening to the safety advice?
In the unlikely event you’ll need it, you’re
told: ‘Put the oxygen mask on yourself
before helping others.’ We sometimes feel
‘selfish’ for taking time away from the
responsibilities of home to exercise or go
to group, especially at the busiest times of
the year. Yet, putting on your metaphorical
oxygen mask – the habits that will help you
lose weight, keep you healthy and boost
your energy – equips you to care for those
who rely on you.
Consultant Nicola Jones says one of her
members felt deeply guilty about coming
to group rather than staying home with her
little girls. ‘She was also afraid she might
not be around long enough to see them
grow up, so I urged her to stay for their
sake,’ says Nicola, who runs groups in Porth,
Mid Glamorgan, and Treorchy, Rhondda.
‘When she committed to coming and
engaging in the IMAGE Therapy part of
group – sharing her journey with people
who really understood and getting tailored
advice for the week ahead – it was like she
was getting her life back. So far she’s lost
10st 8lbs! She used to be so exhausted she
couldn’t take her girls to the park, and now
she’s full of energy to play with them. They
even jet off on family holidays – and she
doesn’t need a seatbelt extension! Far from
the time she spent at group being selfish,
it’s given them a happier, active mum.’
Many successful Slimming World
members talk of the difference their weight
loss has made to their family lives. Feeling
fit and well enough to play with their
children or grandchildren, or having the
confidence to rekindle their relationships,
means they’re able to give their loved ones
the very best of themselves. And they’re
more motivated to stick with their healthy
habits than ever before – meaning they
can look forward to enjoying the wellbeing
benefits for years to come.

professor of medical psychology at the
University of Leeds. ‘As well as seeing
how much happier you are, and therefore
naturally wanting to support your success
as a slimmer, the people who care about
you will reap the benefits themselves.’
You’ll find real-life examples of these
amazing knock-on effects in every issue of
Slimming World Magazine. Like Claire Scott
(page 26), whose hearty Food Optimising
recipes have become firm favourites with
her husband and three children. Or Kelly
Barker (page 12), whose son is benefiting
from a confident, energetic mum who can’t
wait to try out new and exciting activities
alongside him. Day to day, while you’re
getting into healthy routines, others are
watching – and taking it all in…

Social network
So why does a Slimming World group or
online community work so well as a place
to develop the skills and mindset that
help weight loss stick? Well, it’s all about
connection. Being close and connected
to others is more than just a ‘nice to have’.
In fact, feeling comfortable enough to
talk about how we feel about ourselves,
our habits and our insecurities, helps
take away shame and stigma, benefiting
everyone in the room.
Think about that surge of pleasure you
get when someone laughs at a joke you’ve
made, and how important it is that other
people empathise and care when things

aren’t going your way. ‘I love seeing the
kindness my members show each other,’
says Nicola. ‘Recently, one brought in
personalised mugs as a thank you to
the group of ladies who’d given her a
warm welcome when she first arrived,
not knowing a soul.’ Spending time with
like-minded people can be a lot of fun,
too. ‘The laughter that erupts in my group
is infectious,’ Nicola adds. ‘Seeing the
bonds that people form makes being a
Consultant so much more than just a job.’
This social connection has been at the
heart of Slimming World from the beginning,
54 years ago – and, more recently, what
we’ve known all along about the benefits
of being inside that safe, supportive space,
has been backed up by science. Being at
a Slimming World group transforms
members’ self-worth while boosting their
overall weight loss success, according to
research**. In the survey, 98 per cent of
members said that giving and receiving
support had been important; 97 per cent
said feeling that they were being helped
by their group to slim had been important
to them successfully losing weight; and
93 per cent felt more committed to their
weight loss after joining a group.

Virtual support
The feeling of that incredible support is
not just for group members. For online
members, the community is your space
nd experiences,
experrience
riences,
es, askk >
to share thoughts and

PROJECT GOAT!
When it comes to paying it forward, Emma Evans’ Crowthorne
rowthorne Slimming World
d grou
group
in Berkshire are leading the way. They’ve raised £760
60 for the
th Survivors Fund’s
Reaching Rwanda project, buying goats that will supply milk for widows and orphans
of the Rwandan genoc
genocide to drink and sell. Three of the goats were even named after
Slimming World’s founder: Margaret, Miles
Mile
es and (in a tw
twist on Bramwell) Brambell!

Long-lasting
results
A recently published study* found that
almost 75 per cent of current members
said their household had made positive
changes to what they eat, and almost halff
of past members were still seeing this
lee
effect after leaving Slimming World. While
a third of both current and past memberss
ive.
said their families had become more active.
h
‘Prioritising yourself and your health
really will pay dividends,’ says Andrew Hill
Hill,l,

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 109

all about you
GRAB-A-PEN
EXERCISE

CAPTURE A COMPLIMENT

98%

questions, find tips, share your emotions,
and be part of that wider Slimming World
family. Plus, just like in a group setting,
simply by participating, you’re helping
other members. ‘On and offline, you can
model yourself on others and they can
take inspiration from you,’ says Professor
Hill. ‘You’ll share ideas so you can motivate
and be motivated.’
Chantelle Beane, 32, from Norwich, has
lost 4st 13lbs as a Slimming World Online
member and uses the community every
day. ‘It’s a place with no judgment,’ she
says. ‘You can be as open and honest
as you want, and the support is there
whenever you need it. I interact with
as many people as I can, whether that’s
a simple emoji reaction to a comment
on someone’s post, or sharing my own
thoughts and feelings, almost like a diary..
When I’ve posted that I’ve had a trickier
day, getting supportive comments back –
such as, “Tomorrow’s a new day”, “Don’t
to
give up” – is so motivating for getting into
a positive mindset. I’ll often remind otherr
members to be kind to themselves…and
that instead of telling ourselves we can’t,,
we can boost ourselves up by telling
ourselves we can! I’ve had several lovely
members tell me how inspiring I am,
and those words mean so much to me.
Knowing I’m inspiring someone else
only inspires me more.’
The crux is that having people around
you, people who understand and want you
to succeed, really matters. ‘We humans are
social animals,’ says Professor Hill, ‘and
that bubble of connection – your group –
isn’t just there for you during your weight
loss journey, it’s laying the foundations
for when you’re ready to start maintaining
your target weight, too.’
You give, you get back…and the
benefits of that circular support can last
and last. And like Ebenezer Scrooge
discovered in the classic tale A Christmas
Carol, giving to others and deepening
your sense of social connection can
bring you riches that money can’t buy –
not just in the present, but for all those
Christmases to come!

110 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

Take a moment to remember times when someone (in or out of group) has
said something that bolstered you and spurred your motivation, such as:
1 ‘I remember how kind you were to me when I first came to group.’
2 ‘Since you started getting active you’re really glowing!’

1
2
3
4
5
This makes a great list to dip into to lift your spirits on trickier days, so keep adding
ing
to it as the compliments come in. It’s also a cheat sheet for giving other members
bers
em!
a boost – when you notice others’ wins, big and small, remember to tell them!

GRAB-A-PEN
EXERCISE

PAY IT FORWARD!
Your pearls of wisdom could be the thing that helps another member
turn a tricky week into a triumph. We’ve given three examples
b
below – add your own inspiring tips to share in your group or the online
community, and you may find you get some gems back in return!
1 If someone’s had a disappointing weigh-in, I’ll share what
worked for me last time.
2 I’ll invite my friend to come on a walk with me as I know she
doesn’t like exercising alone (and it’s more fun for me!).
3 If I’ve come up with a clever Food Optimising swap when cooking,
I’ll remember to share it with the group.

*A LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP STUDY CONDUCTED TO EXPLORE THE LONGER TERM OUTCOMES OF SLIMMING WORLD MEMBERSHIP,
INCLUDING WEIGHT, HEALTH, WELLBEING AND LIFESTYLE HABITS, PUBLISHED IN CLINICAL NUTRITION OPEN SCIENCE. **SURVEY
OF 1,113 SLIMMING WORLD MEMBERS. MAIN PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY IMAGES

of members
said giving
and receiving support
had been important

READER COMPETITION

Win a spa break
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ose yourself in the breathtaking beauty of
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The prize must be taken by 12 January 2025, subject
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Email

For your chance to win, answer the following question:
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Daytime tel
Please tick if you are happy for The Coniston Hotel Country Estate & Spa to use your email
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Visit slimmingworld.co.uk/magcomps to enter online no later
than 14 December 2023. Or send your competition entry form
to The Coniston Hotel Country Estate & Spa Competition,
Slimming World Magazine, Clover Nook Road, Alfreton,
Derbyshire DE55 4SW, to arrive no later than 14 December 2023.

Name
Address

Postcode

DATA PROTECTION: By entering the competition, all entrants consent to the use of their
personal data by Slimming World and The Coniston Hotel Country Estate & Spa for the purpose
of the administration of this competition. The winner’s name and county will be published in the
May/June 2024 issue of Slimming World Magazine.

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 111

SIMPLE STR ATEGIES

‘Help! Night
shifts are
slowing my
weight loss’
OUR E X P E RT S

JILL MOORE is a Slimming World
member and has lost more than 3st.
She attends Chloe Ramsbottom’s group
in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire, and is a
night supervisor in a large supermarket

GRACE NEILL is a Slimming World
Consultant with groups in Elderslie,
Johnstone and Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire.
She’s lost 5st 7lbs

JENNIFER KENT is a registered
dietitian from Slimming World’s
nutrition, research and health team,
who ensure our services are in line with
the latest advances in nutrition, health
and weight management

112 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

Since Liza began working night shifts as an in-store
merchandiser, her weight has started to go up and she’s
getting further from target. Our experts are here to help...
‘I’ve been a member since 2019 and I initially
lost 4½st, but then my progress ground to
a halt roughly a year ago – at around the same
time as I started working nights. I still get
support from my Consultant and group, and I feel
like I eat pretty much the same as I did back then.
Plus, I do up to 20,000 steps per shift and walk or jog
on the treadmill three times a week. But still, I’ve been gaining!
‘During the week, I have my Food Optimising main meal
with plenty of veg at 6pm, “lunch” of a homemade tuna or
chicken salad at 3am, and Weetabix with skimmed milk and
fruit for breakfast at 7am. I snack on fruit, yogurt or Slimming
World Hi-fi bars for 3 Syns each. I don’t drink alcohol and only
eat bread at the weekends. I sleep for four or five hours when
I get home, but never very well – partly because I drink a lot
of water so I have to go to the loo all the time. I’m so fed up!’
Liza Johnson, 38, lives in Reading, Berkshire. She’s a member of
Linda Haines’s Slimming World group in Tilehurst, Berkshire

talking point

when I have more time and energy.
Because, like you, I’m active at work as I’m
on my feet so much, I’ll take things easy
when I get home to give my body time to
recover. Maybe that’s something to try?
‘I know what you mean about loo
trips, too, so I drink plenty of water to stay
hydrated while I’m on my shift, then ease
off in the morning. That way, I sleep better
and feel fully rested and raring to go when
I wake up – which also means I’m more
likely to stay on plan.’

GRACE SAYS:

INTERVIEWS: JANE MURPHY. MAIN PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY IMAGES

JILL SAYS:
‘Don’t be too hard on yourself, Liza. I’ve
worked nights for more than 20 years
and it can take a long time to adjust –
it’s a huge change to your routine, as
you know. I joined Slimming World a year
ago and I’m almost at target now, having
lost more than 3st. The trick for me has
been getting the balance right. If you
put yourself under too much pressure,
it soon becomes unsustainable.
‘Like you, I have my Food Optimising
main meal in the evening before I start
work. Then, rather than having a proper
“lunch” at work in the middle of the night,
I take lots of snacks: little pots of fruit,
low Syn yogurts and maybe a Hi-fi bar.
By eating little and often, my energy levels
stay up, which means I’m not swayed when
colleagues crack open the biscuits!
‘If I’ve had a gain one week, I’ll use the
Slimming World app for a while to track
what I’m eating and drinking. It only takes
a couple of clicks and, that way, I can see
if I’m accidentally going over my Syns. I’ve
discovered that some foods labelled as
“healthy” or “low fat” may not be all they
appear – so before I buy anything new,
I always use the app’s barcode scanner to
check where it fits into Food Optimising.
‘To add in extra activity, I go swimming
and to the gym – but only at weekends

‘First off, Liza, you’ve managed to lose
an amazing amount of weight – so
congratulations! Most of us hit a rocky
patch from time to time, and it can be
incredibly frustrating when you feel like
you’re doing everything right and still not
seeing results. When this happens to me
or one of my members, I find it helps to
look back on your best
week ever at Slimming
World. There’s a section
all about it in the
Discover Your Freedom
book in your member
pack. Try to think about
what you did then that
you’re not doing now –
other than working
nights, of course! Are
there any old habits
that could have crept
back in without you
realising? Small changes
can add up to a big difference.
‘I’d suggest going back to basics and
keeping a food diary for a week. Or use
the S.A.S. log (Slimmers Against Sabotage),
which you can get from your Consultant.
It will help you spot areas where you might
be throwing yourself off track without
knowing it. Remember, it’s for your eyes
only – so you can be totally frank.
‘It sounds like you’re very motivated
during the week, though could you be
unwittingly sabotaging your efforts at
the weekend? Keep track of your Healthy
Extra choices, too – weighing them out
will ensure your portion sizes don’t sneak
up without you realising.
‘You’re really not alone. I have quite a
few night-shift workers in my groups, and
everyone finds it tricky at times. They all
swap notes and ideas in IMAGE Therapy

to keep one another motivated and on
course. Most swear by eating little and
often throughout the night, rather than
having a bigger meal in the middle of the
shift, as keeping your energy levels up and
getting enough sleep are so important,
too. Stay positive, Liza.’

JENNIFER SAYS:
‘I feel your frustration, Liza – but please
don’t be too disheartened. The good news
is that regardless of when you eat you will
still lose weight as long as you stick to the
plan. What’s jumping out at me, though, is
that you’re not sleeping well enough or for
long enough. Sleep deprivation can have
a huge impact on our mood and decisionmaking abilities. It can also affect the
hormones that regulate appetite, leading
to increased hunger and the desire to eat
high-fat, high-sugar foods. Being tired
and low on energy can make you feel low
and demotivated, too.
‘So how can you
improve your sleep?
A good wind-down
routine when you get
home is always helpful.
Avoid looking at screens
close to bedtime and do
something relaxing, such
as reading a book or
a gentle yoga session.
Keeping your room as
dark as possible will help,
too, so if you don’t already
have them, it might be
worth investing in blackout blinds. For
more ideas, search for Snooze more, lose
more, as well as Slimming on the night shift,
under “Features” on the members’ site.
‘When you’re on your shift, choose
high-fibre, slow-release foods to keep your
energy levels stable. Bananas, wholegrain
Free Foods such as pasta, and Healthy Extra
overnight oats, nuts and seeds are all good
choices. There’s absolutely no need to save
bread as a “treat” for the weekend and, in
fact, a sandwich made with Healthy Extra
wholemeal bread is a great high-fibre option.
‘Ask other members – anyone who’s
experienced sleep issues, not just shift
workers – for their tips. Finally, if your sleep
doesn’t improve, do speak to your GP in
case there’s any underlying issue. And just
remember, you’ve made Food Optimising
work for you before... You’ve got this, Liza!’

‘Most of us hit a
rocky patch from
time to time, and it
can help to look
back at your best
weight loss week
ever and think about
what you did then”

Have you got a slimming dilemma?
Is there something sending your weight loss off track that you’d love our experts’ help with
in the magazine? Email us at editorial@slimmingworld.co.uk or call on 01773 546 071.

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 113

European forests, which provide wood for making paper,
paper packaging and many other products, have been
growing by 1,500 football pitches every day!
Source: Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), 2005 - 2020
European Forests: EU27 + Norway, Switzerland and the UK

Discover the story of paper
www.lovepaper.org
Scan for paper facts, activities,
blogs and much more!

®

feel better

5

ways to reclaim
your calm

When life’s throwing everything at you, it can feel hard
to focus on your weight loss goals – so take a minute
for yourself and read on for our stress-busting strategies

ork, family, money, time…
have you ever noticed that
when life is hectic, it feels
so much harder to stick to
your weight loss plans? ‘Ongoing stress
leads to the release of a hormone called
cortisol,’ says Carolyn Pallister, head
of nutrition, research and health at
Slimming World. ‘This can increase our
appetite, as well as our cravings for
high-fat and high-sugar foods. There will
be times when stress affects our habits,
too – we may not want to go out and be
active, or we might soothe ourselves
with wine or chocolate.’ If this sounds
familiar, here are five ways to stop stress
getting in the way of your weight loss.

W

1

LOOK INSIDE

Noticing when you’re feeling stressed,
and how it changes your behaviour,
will give you the best chance of making
weight loss-loving choices. ‘Because it
affects everyone differently, understanding
how stress impacts you and how you
respond in the moment means you can
come up with a personalised game plan,’
says Carolyn Pallister. If you’re a Slimming
World member, make the most of IMAGE
Therapy at group to discover more about
yourself as a slimmer, and get strategies,
support and ideas from your Consultant
and the other members. It’s like
crowdsourcing, but in real life!

or a warming chilli and keep your weight
loss on track,’ says Carolyn. ‘And if only
chocolate will do? Then have it, because
that’s what Syns are for – to give you
that flexibility.’

3

MAKE MOVES

‘Feeling stressed and tired can
make activity less appealing, but as
counterintuitive as it might seem, gentle
exercise can be energising,’ says Carolyn.
It can also be a good distraction from
whatever’s on your mind – and if getting
outdoors is an option, some find being
surrounded by nature relaxing. Choose
something you enjoy and it won’t feel like a
chore – that might be anything from a bit of
stretching to meeting a friend for a walk and
a chat. ‘Just talking through what’s getting
to you can be therapeutic,’ says Carolyn.

4

SLEEP TIGHT

Anything you can do for a good
night’s rest can benefit your weight
loss. ‘If stress is getting in the way of
your sleep, that can lead to an imbalance
of neurotransmitters and hormones
that regulate appetite,’ says Carolyn.
‘As a result, we might feel hungrier after
a bad night, and have a stronger desire
for high Syn foods.’ Visit thesleepcharity.
org.uk to download a free eBook of ideas
for better sleep. And as well as being
great for mental wellbeing, regular
exercise can help you get better quality
sleep – another great reason to follow
Slimming World’s physical activity
support programme, Body Magic.

5

GET SUPPORT

Do you feel stressed all or most of
the time, or for long periods? Visit
nhs.uk/mental-health to find information
on getting help with stress, including
how to refer yourself for free talking
therapies. And if you’re struggling to
cope, or the things you’re trying yourself
aren’t helping, talk to your GP.

2
PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY IMAGES

FEED YOUR SOUL

Enjoying a healthy, balanced diet is
an important part of looking after
yourself and maintaining your general
wellbeing. And food can play a role when it
comes to soothing stress that’s already set
in, too. ‘When we’re feeling stressed out,
we can find ourselves reaching for comfort
food – and the good news is, when you’re
Food Optimising, you can still have mac
and cheese, fakeaway burger and chips

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 115

W I N N E R

M

G WORLD
IN

’S

‘The slim,
healthy me is
here to stay’

SLIM

C O M P E T I T I O N

ond
Diam ber
Mem ear
Y
of the
2023

Once Slimming World’s Diamond Member of the Year,
Alice Ingman, had hit her happy weight, she wanted to
hold onto the feeling forever. Read on to find out how,
with the support of her cheerleaders at home and in
group, she’s made her new lifestyle last and last

Tina, talked me through Food Optimising, it
evin, I’m off out for my run now – back
felt a much better fit for me: eating satisfying,
soon,’ I called to my husband as I headed
proper meals without cutting out food groups.
for the front door. ‘See you in a bit love,’ he
At 18st 1lb, my target weight of 9st 8lbs felt a
said. Suddenly, I realised something: I was
million miles away, but I had hope that I might
one of those people – you know, the ones
have finally found a way to slim that wouldn’t
who actually like exercise! Somehow, going for a run
be torture! Back home,
had become part of my everyday
I told Kevin we needed to
routine. If I didn’t do it, I just
stop buying high Syn jars
didn’t feel right. And getting this
of bolognese sauce. ‘It’s OK,
fit, energetic and optimistic had
we can still have spaghetti
happened so gradually, I’d never
really stopped and noticed how
bolognese, I’ll just be making the
Alice Ingman, 59, is Slimming
sauce myself,’ I said when I saw his
much I’d changed…
World’s Diamond Member
face drop. ‘Out of what?’ he replied.
Before I’d joined Slimming
of the Year 2023. She lives in
I showed him the passata, garlic,
World, I’d been working on the
Wisbech, Cambridgeshire,
chilli and mixed herbs, and started
third floor of an office block.
with her husband, Kevin,
following a simple Food Optimising
The stairs left me gasping for
and they have a grown-up
recipe. Later, at dinner, I could hear
breath, and the tops of my legs
daughter, Lauren
him making appreciative noises.
chafed. On top of that, my blood
‘This actually tastes better,’ he said.
pressure was too high and I had
Height: 5ft 5ins
Not that he needed to, as the empty
terrible acid reflux. Activity was
Starting weight: 18st 1lb
plates spoke for themselves!
something other people did –
Weight now: 9st 7lbs
Each week at group I was picking
it certainly wasn’t for me. Over
up
new
recipes and ideas from the
years of watching my weight creep
WEIGHT LOST:
other members. Soon, we’d added
up, I’d tried lots of diets. Some
a delicious diet cola chicken dish
were powders or shakes, and too
to our favourite meals, and I was
restrictive to stick to for long.
making extra pasta sauce to freeze
In May 2012, everything
Alice is a target member of Tina Rust’s
Slimming World group in Wisbech
for busy nights. When I had a gain
changed when I joined Slimming
on the scales one week, Tina helped
World. As soon as my Consultant,

‘K

Meet Alice

*A LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP STUDY CONDUCTED TO
EXPLORE THE LONGER TERM OUTCOMES OF SLIMMING
WORLD MEMBERSHIP, INCLUDING WEIGHT, HEALTH,
WELLBEING AND LIFESTYLE HABITS, PUBLISHED IN
CLINICAL NUTRITION OPEN SCIENCE

8st 8lbs

I tried lots
of diets,
but they
were too
restrictive
to stick to
for long

116 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

document15728944736470996872.indd 116

9/21/2023 4:16:47 PM

what a feeling

Winning this
means the
world to me
as it celebrates
that I’ve stayed
at my dream
weight

ALICE WEARS

THE HEALTH INFORMATION IN THIS STORY IS BASED
ON PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AND SHOULD NOT BE USED
TO REPLACE THE ADVICE GIVEN BY YOUR HEALTHCARE
TEAM. INTERVIEW: SARAH VENESS. PHOTOGRAPH: PAUL
BULLER. STYLING: RACHEL FANCONI. SEE PAGE 119
FOR STOCKISTS

Left: Jacket,
waistcoat and
trousers, all River
Island. Shoes, New
Look. Necklace
and bracelet,
both Olivia
Burton London

me stay focused on the bigger picture. ‘Instead of
worrying about a gain one week, try to remain positive
and look at your weight loss over a month,’ she said.
And it worked – now I could definitely see my
numbers were heading downwards. As my weight
continued to fall, my blood pressure went down to
a healthy range and my digestion settled.

Making success stick
When I finally reached target, it was a special moment.
And rather than thinking, I’ve done it, I can stop now,

my mindset was: what can I do to stay here? By now
healthy eating had become a habit I could happily
stick with, and Tina had said that one of the benefits
of regular exercise was how much it helped with
maintaining weight loss. So I decided to give Slimming
World’s physical activity support programme, Body
Magic, a go. When a friend from group had suggested
I try a couch to 5K app, I’d laughed it off, but it had got
me thinking... Running was impossible for someone
like me – wasn’t it? Then again, I’d never thought I
could lose weight, and here I was, over 8st lighter and
determined to keep it off – so I downloaded the app...
At first, I barely managed to run a few steps, but I stuck
at it, and at the end of the nine-week programme,
unbelievably, I’d run the full 5K.

Falling in love with fitness
Curious to see how far I could go, I joined two local
running clubs, and with their encouragement I began
taking part in half-marathons. Kevin and I also started
getting active together, heading to the seaside for
bracing five-mile walks. We even built a gym in the
garage, with a treadmill for me and a spin bike for
Kevin. What surprised me most was how much I’d
built up my activity levels by working through my
Body Magic awards. Exercise had become something
that felt so good – physically and emotionally – and
running was my happy place.
After five years at target, making healthier choices
feels natural. Each week our trolley is full of fresh fruit
and veg, fish and lean meat – and most days I head out
for a run, and come home energised and upbeat. I’ve
now run three marathons! While Kevin hasn’t been
Food Optimising, he’s lost 1½st just by eating the same
meals as me. Our relationship has benefited so much
from me feeling more confident and attractive, and
that’s changed how I feel about myself in clothes, too.
Where my wardrobe was once full of black outfits in
a size 22, it’s now packed with reds, pinks, maroons
and florals – in a size 10! As if I didn’t feel enough like
a winner already, I was thrilled to find out I’d won
Slimming World’s Diamond Member of the Year 2023 –
a competition for members who’ve stayed at target for
over a year. It meant the world to me, as it celebrates
something that’s so important to my future: keeping
the weight off for good. The fact is, I feel fantastic
and that’s why I’m so determined to use all the tools
Slimming World has given me to stay that way. Here’s
to the next five years at target, and beyond! O

LASTING SLIMMING WORLD SUPPORT
Recently published research* shows that Slimming World’s
evidence-based approach works long term, helping
members lose weight…and keep it off! How? With mindset
shifting support that makes healthy habits stick. In the
study, two-and-a-half to three years after joining, members
(including those who’d since left Slimming World) had
seen multiple health benefits, cooked more meals using
fresh ingredients, felt more confident cooking, ate more
fruit and veg, had reduced their alcohol intake – and many,
like Alice, became more active, too!

SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 117

as a

Slimming World Consultant
Inspirational, warm and caring, our
Consultants know what it’s like to
struggle with their weight, and they’ve
experienced the joy of seeing their lives
transformed. Now they’re dedicated to
helping others achieve the same success!

A si a A li,
Coventry

Charl ot te M cN al
ly ,
B uckinghamshire
If you’re a member on your way to your final target
weight and you’d love to share with others the support,
motivation and success you’ve experienced, we’d
love to hear from you.
As well as the satisfaction that comes from making a
real and lasting difference to people’s lives, as a
self-employed Consultant you’ll reap the rewards of:

B hat t i,
Z aheer
ham
B irming

Clare Caswel l,
Warwickshire

Ɛ flexible hours that fit around family life
Ɛ an excellent income
Ɛ first-class training and support
Ɛ and all the other benefits that come with running
your own business

Scan the QR code or visit
slimmingworld.co.uk/become-a-consultant
to discover more about this hugely rewarding role
and enquire about opportunities near you.

directory

SHOP THE ISSUE

ma ga zi n e

Editor Sara Ward

A Accessorize

accessorize.com

Action for Children
shop.actionforchildren.org.uk
Anayah
anayahjewellery.com
Ania Haie
aniahaie.com
Asda
asda.com
ASOS
asos.com

B B&M
bmstores.co.uk
Bradby
C Claudia
claudiabradby.com
Coast
coastfashion.com

D Debenhams
debenhams.com
Deichmann
deichmann.com

Diva
divacatwalk.com

Burton London
O Olivia
oliviaburton.com

Dobbies Garden
Centres
dobbies.com

Ozevlat
P Pinar
pinarozevlat.com

Dower & Hall
dowerandhall.com

H H&M
hm.com
J

Jack & Jones
jackjones.com
John Zack
john-zack.co.uk

Jon Richard
jonrichard.com
Millen
K Karen
karenmillen.com

L Lovisa
lovisa.co.uk
New Look

N newlook.com

R Ravel
ravel.co.uk
River Island
riverisland.com

S Standout
standout.co.uk
Range
T The
therange.co.uk
Thomas Sabo
thomassabo.com

W W7
w7makeup.co.uk
London
Y Y
ylondon.co.uk

Z Zara
zara.com

Next
next.co.uk

Creative Director Lynn Hayes
Deputy Editor Sarah Davison
Publisher Emma Wild
Chief Sub Editor Marie Farquharson
Associate Editor (Copy) Zoë Handley
Deputy Chief Sub Editor Laura Heappey
Art Director David Dowding
Deputy Art Director Vicky Burdon
Deputy Art Editor Joanne Gultig
Features Editor Rachel Callen
Food Editor Rebecca Woollard
Junior Features Writer Bethany Mosettig
Advertising and Promotion Sales Manager
Julian Oiller
Production/Workflow Co-ordinator Lola Aboyeji
Production Co-ordinator Natalie Duquemin
Circulation Manager Tim Harris
Slimming World In-house Photographer Graeme Simpson
Nutrition, Science and Research Teams Sarah-Elizabeth
Bennett PhD RNutr; Alexandra Clark MSc RNutr; Laura
Holloway MSc; Jennifer Kent MNutr RD; Jacquie Lavin
PhD RNutr; Evie Lovell BSc RNutr; Laura Nolan BSc RNutr;
Carolyn Pallister BSc RD
With thanks this issue to Dawn Barlow, Terri Doyle,
Lucy Fisher, Lisa McCormick, Laura Ward and Lorna Wilson
SLIMMING WORLD FOUNDER AND CHAIR
Margaret Miles-Bramwell OBE
MANAGING DIRECTOR Lisa Salmon
STRATEGIC BOARD DIRECTORS
Caryl Richards and Jan Boxshall
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND
BRAND STRATEGY Elise Wells
SLIMMING WORLD ADVISORY PANEL
Prof Ken Fox PhD FPEA; Prof Andrew Hill PhD CPsychol;
Prof James Stubbs PhD
Clover Nook Road, Alfreton, Derbyshire DE55 4SW
Editorial: 01773 546 071
editorial@slimmingworld.co.uk
Advertising: 01773 546 312/07770 807 760
julian.oiller@slimmingworld.co.uk
Group Distribution: 0344 892 0436
Newsstand Distribution: 01202 586 848
Subscriptions: 0800 131 3150
Publicity: 01773 546 039
Group Enquiries: 0344 897 8000
Slimming World Magazine is published by Miles-Bramwell
Executive Services Ltd, trading as Slimming World.
0344 892 0400, slimmingworld.co.uk

PHOTOGRAPH: SAM FOLAN

Don’t miss the next issue of

We welcome letters, unsolicited manuscripts and photos,
which should be sent with a stamped addressed envelope on
the understanding that we cannot be held responsible for their
safe custody or return. The Editor reserves the right to modify or
shorten any material submitted. In submitting any such letters,
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Magazine the express right to publish the contribution in any
way that it sees fit and appropriate. The views expressed by
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World or Slimming World Magazine. All information and prices
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SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 119

the small print

TERMS & CONDITIONS
The Coniston Hotel Country Estate & Spa Competition (p111)
1. Visit slimmingworld.co.uk/magcomps to enter online on or before the closing date,
14 December 2023. Alternatively, send your entry form by post to The Coniston Hotel
Country Estate & Spa Competition, Slimming World Magazine, Clover Nook Road, Alfreton,
Derbyshire DE55 4SW. Entry form must be received by the promoter on or before the
closing date, 14 December 2023. 2. Only one entry per person is permitted. No purchase
necessary. 3. The competition is open to UK and Republic of Ireland residents aged 18
or over, except employees of Slimming World (or any other company that trades under
the name Slimming World), Miles-Bramwell Executive Services Ltd, The Coniston Hotel
Country Estate & Spa, or anyone professionally connected with this promotion (this does
not include Slimming World’s self-employed Consultants and Team Developers). 4. No
bulk or third-party entries will be accepted. No responsibility is accepted by the promoter
for entries lost, damaged or delayed in the post. Proof of posting not accepted as proof of
delivery. By submitting a competition entry, you are agreeing to be bound by these terms
and conditions. 5. The winner will be chosen at random by the promoter from all qualifying
entries within 28 days of the closing date of the competition. They will receive a stay for
two (winner and guest must be aged 18 or over) comprising: two nights’ accommodation
for two sharing a double or twin Deluxe Room with hospitality tray; £35 per person towards
dinner on both nights in The View Restaurant, plus a bottle of house wine on one night;
a full Yorkshire or continental breakfast with tea, coffee and juice on both mornings; a
two-hour session in the Nàdarra Spa including a 60-minute treatment each of your choice
from the Spa Day Treatment Menu, plus use of the thermal suite and infinity pools. All
subject to availability. Travel to and from the hotel and any other expenses are not included
in the prize. The winner and their guest are responsible for ensuring they have valid and
appropriate travel insurance. Dinner reservations and spa treatments should be booked
at the time of booking your break. The prize must be taken by 12 January 2025, excluding
14 February, 31 March-1 April, 6 May, 27 May, 23-26 August and 23-31 December 2024, and
1 January 2025, and is subject to availability. 6. No correspondence will be entered into
and the promoter’s decision is final. The winner will be notified in writing by 11 January
2024 using the details provided on the entry form. Visit slimmingworld.co.uk/privacypolicy to find out how your data is handled. If Slimming World cannot contact the winner
or the winner fails to claim the prize by 8 February 2024, the winner will forfeit the prize
and the promoter may draw another winner. The prize is non-transferable and there is
no cash alternative. The prize value is correct at time of going to press. The prize cannot
be used in conjunction with any other offer or any existing bookings. 7. By entering, the
winner agrees to take part in publicity relating to the competition. The winner’s name and
county will be published in the May/June 2024 issue of Slimming World Magazine unless
a written objection is submitted to editorial@slimmingworld.co.uk. 8. Slimming World is
not responsible for: (i) any loss, damage or liability to entrants in relation to their entering
the competition or accepting the prize; (ii) any failure by the winner to comply with The
Coniston Hotel Country Estate & Spa terms or instructions; (iii) any delay or failure due to
an event outside Slimming World’s reasonable control; (iv) any costs associated with the
prize; (v) any terms or decisions of The Coniston Hotel Country Estate & Spa in relation
to the fulfilment of the prize. 9. The promoter is Miles-Bramwell Executive Services Ltd
trading as Slimming World. Promoter’s address: Clover Nook Road, Alfreton, Derbyshire
DE55 4SW. The prize provider is The Coniston Hotel Country Estate & Spa, Coniston Cold,
Near Skipton, North Yorkshire BD23 4EA. 10. Miles-Bramwell Executive Services Ltd is part
of a group of companies that operates the Slimming World business through a network of
self-employed Consultants. Full details can be obtained from the promoter upon request.
11. The laws of England and Wales apply to this competition.
The Coniston Hotel Country Estate & Spa Reader Offer (p111)
1. Offer valid until 19 April 2024, excluding 25-26 December 2023, 1 January 2024,
14 February, and 31 March-1 April 2024, and is subject to availability. To book and receive
your 33 per cent discount, call 01756 748 080 and quote Slimming World. 2. You’ll pay £139
for a one-night stay at The Coniston Hotel Country Estate & Spa, based on two people
sharing a double or twin Classic Room with hospitality tray. Offer includes full Yorkshire or
continental breakfast with tea, coffee and juice. 3. The offer cannot be used in conjunction
with any other promotional offer or discount. Offer applies to new bookings only.
Parkdean Resorts Competition (p25)
1. Visit slimmingworld.co.uk/magcomps to enter online on or before the closing date,
14 December 2023. Alternatively, send your entry form by post to Parkdean Resorts
Competition, Slimming World Magazine, Clover Nook Road, Alfreton, Derbyshire DE55
4SW. Entry form must be received by the promoter on or before the closing date, 14
December 2023. 2. Only one entry per person is permitted. No purchase necessary.
3. The competition is open to UK and Republic of Ireland residents aged 18 or over,
except employees of Slimming World (or any other company that trades under the name
Slimming World), Miles-Bramwell Executive Services Ltd, Parkdean Resorts UK Limited,
or anyone professionally connected with this promotion (this does not include Slimming
World’s self-employed Consultants and Team Developers). 4. No bulk or third-party entries
will be accepted. No responsibility is accepted by the promoter for entries lost, damaged
or delayed in the post. Proof of posting not accepted as proof of delivery. By submitting
a competition entry, you are agreeing to be bound by these terms and conditions.
5. Four winners will be chosen at random by the promoter from all qualifying entries
within 28 days of the closing date of the competition. They will each receive a voucher
to be redeemed on a camping, touring, glamping, caravan, lodge or hot tub holiday up
to the value of £500 at any of the 65 Parkdean Resorts parks, subject to availability and

120 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

holiday park opening dates (winners must be aged 18 or over). Cots, bed guards and high
chairs are included free of charge, and for dog-friendly accommodation one pet can be
taken free of charge. The winners must pay any additional cost of the holiday if the price
exceeds £500. No change will be given for any booking made for less than £500. The
prize must be claimed within one holiday booking in the name of the winner. Additional
pets, dining options, travel to and from your chosen Parkdean Resorts park and any other
expenses are not included in the prize. The winners are responsible for ensuring they have
valid and appropriate travel insurance. The prize must be taken by 10 December 2024,
subject to Parkdean Resorts UK Limited’s standard holiday booking conditions – visit
parkdeanresorts.co.uk/terms-and-conditions for more information. Winners accept and
agree to be bound by these terms and conditions upon entry. Parkdean Resorts UK Limited
reserves the right to refuse entry or refuse to award the prize where the standard holiday
terms and conditions have been breached. 6. No correspondence will be entered into
and the promoter’s decision is final. The winners will be notified in writing by 11 January
2024 using the details provided on the entry form. Visit slimmingworld.co.uk/privacypolicy to find out how your data is handled. If Slimming World cannot contact a winner
or a winner fails to claim the prize by 8 February 2024, that winner will forfeit the prize
and the promoter may draw another winner. The prize is non-transferable and there is
no cash alternative. The prize cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or any
existing bookings. Parkdean Resorts UK Limited reserves the right to replace the prize
with an alternative prize of equal or higher value if circumstances beyond their control
make it necessary to do so. 7. By entering, the winners agree to take part in publicity
relating to the competition. The winners’ names and counties will be published in the
May/June 2024 issue of Slimming World Magazine unless a written objection is submitted
to editorial@slimmingworld.co.uk. 8. Slimming World is not responsible for: (i) any loss,
damage or liability to entrants in relation to their entering the competition or accepting
the prize; (ii) any failure by the winners to comply with Parkdean Resorts UK Limited’s
terms or instructions; (iii) any delay or failure due to an event outside Slimming World’s
reasonable control; (iv) any costs associated with the prize; (v) any terms or decisions of
Parkdean Resorts UK Limited in relation to the fulfilment of the prize; (vi) Parkdean Resorts
UK Limited will not be responsible or liable to compensate the winners or accept liability
for any loss, damage, personal injury or death occurring as a result of taking up the prize
except where it is caused by the negligence of the promoter, its agents or distributors or
that of their employees. Your statutory rights are not affected. 9. The promoter is MilesBramwell Executive Services Ltd trading as Slimming World. Promoter’s address: Clover
Nook Road, Alfreton, Derbyshire DE55 4SW. The prize provider is Parkdean Resorts UK
Limited, 2nd Floor, One Gosforth Park Way, Gosforth Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
NE12 8ET. 10. Miles-Bramwell Executive Services Ltd is part of a group of companies that
operates the Slimming World business through a network of self-employed Consultants.
Full details can be obtained from the promoter upon request. 11. The laws of England and
Wales apply to this competition.
Parkdean Resorts Reader Offer (p25)
1. Offer valid until 31 December 2024, based on a two- to 14-night holiday at any of the
65 Parkdean Resorts parks, subject to availability and holiday park opening dates. To
book and receive your discount, visit parkdeanresorts.co.uk and quote SL10WD in the
promo code box on their payment page. 2. You will receive a 10 per cent discount on a
break taken outside of peak times (school and bank holidays), or a five per cent discount
on a break taken during peak times (school and bank holidays). Offer applies to two- to
four-night breaks costing no less than £89 and seven- to 14-night breaks costing no less
£179 after the offer discount has been applied. Offer can be applied to camping, touring,
glamping, caravan, lodge and hot tub holidays only. For information on Parkdean Resorts
UK Limited’s peak times for specific holiday parks, call 0344 3819 128 Monday-Saturday
9am-7pm, Sunday 10am-6pm. 3. The offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other
promotional offer or discount. Offer applies to new bookings only. Details are subject to
promotional rate availability and can be withdrawn or reduced at any time without notice
and may close before the offer end date. Offer is subject to Parkdean Resorts UK Limited’s
standard holiday booking conditions – visit parkdeanresorts.co.uk/terms-and-conditions
for more information.

Congratulations to our July 2023 competition winners!
Frylight Barbecue Competition
Angela Beard, Devon; Liane Bingham, East Sussex; Jonathan Bond,
Cheshire; Patricia Coombes, Oxfordshire; Sheri Darby, London;
Carol Evans, Swansea; Anne Marie Garner, West Yorkshire; Catherine
Gibson, Midlothian; Sadie Godiva, Renfrewshire; Emma Howarth,
London; Madeline Kempsell-Smith, Shropshire; Judith Linn, Angus;
Claire Lyons, Tyne and Wear; Margaret Perry, Cheshire; Gillian Rigby,
Staffordshire; Stefanie Robins, Essex; Elizabeth Shaw, Nottinghamshire;
Sarah Siggs, Merseyside; Frances Stanyer, North Yorkshire; Suzanne
Williams, North Yorkshire
The Francis Hotel Competition
Diane Clarke, Lancashire

Join us for a Dream Challenge!

We have hosted so many brilliant events, but there’s even more to come! Join us as we complete life-changing challenges, make
new friends, and support key charities by raising vital funds. Whether you would like to venture deep into the heart of the Amazon
rainforest, hike far above the clouds up the breathtaking mountains of Croatia, or even marvel at the wonders of the ancient world
whilst cycling beside the Nile in Egypt — we have a challenge for you!

For more information and to register online:
www.dream-challenges.com
01590 431141 // bookings@dream-challenges.com

Member

5370

L I T T L E

L I G H T

B U L B S

The things
I know now…
Ann-Marie Pemberton, 45, is a nanny
and Slimming World Consultant, and
lives in Wallington, South London.
s,
She’s 5ft 5ins tall and weighs 10st 4½lbs,
having lost 2st 3½lbs at Sarah Blight’s
Slimming World group in Wallington.
Ann-Marie runs her own group in
Carshalton, South London
O The right time is now

My partner, Lee, knew I wasn’t happy with
g
my weight and had been gently encouraging
en
me to do something positive for a while. Even
so, it wasn’t until I saw a Slimming World
leaflet at the doctor’s and realised how closee
to home the group was, that I thought there’s
e’s
no excuse now!
O Small things make a difference

I’d tried so many diets in the past, often
cutting out entire food groups, and none of
g
them had been sustainable. Food Optimising
turned out to be completely different. With
oy
a few clever tricks I could still make and enjoy
my favourite meals, such as katsu curry.
I’d always cycled to work and used to enjoy
going out on long rides at weekends, but
getting on my bike felt a lot tougher as my
weight went up. I was having to use my
asthma inhaler more and more, and take lots
of extra rest stops. Once the pounds began
to come off, I realised I wasn’t using my
inhaler as much and was able to cycle further.
O You’ll find yourself again

Before lockdown I’d done a huge sort out
of clothes that were too small, but hadn’t got
around to donating them to charity. This
turned out to be just as well. Gradually, they
started to fit me again – every time I pulled
out a ‘new’ outfit, it felt like I was going on
a shopping spree from my own wardrobe!
O It’s all about group support

Sarah, my Consultant, had insightful
questions that made me think about my
relationship with food. And the other
members made sure I went home feeling
great, whatever the number on the scales.
It was Sarah who encouraged me to become
a Consultant, which meant in time I was able
to pay forward that knowledge and support
to members myself!

122 SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE

If you’re inspired by Ann-Marie’s
journey, are on your way to
target and would like to know
more about becoming a
self-employed Slimming World
Consultant, call 0344 892 0434
(01 656 9600 from Republic of
Ireland) or email maggie@
slimmingworld.co.uk

PHOTOGRAPH: PAUL BULLER. STYLING: RACHEL
CHEL FANCONI. HAIR & MAKE-UP: ALICE THEOBALD. ANN-MARIE WEARS: DRESS, Y LONDON
BRADBY NECKLACE,
NECKLACE DOWER & HALL.
HALL RINGS,
RINGS BOTH ANIA HAIE.
HAIE SEE P119 FOR STOCKISTS
SHOES, DEICHMANN. EARRINGS, CLAUDIA BRADBY.

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*Price shown is recommended retail price. Terms and conditions apply. Visit slimmingworld.co.uk/offers for more information.

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