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Fruit-filled puddings, refreshing sorbets and moreish cakes — summer’s the time when you can really enjoy your desserts.
Now, thanks to Weight Watchers’ new SmartPoints plan — its most effective approach yet to weight loss and wellbeing — you can enjoy all these treats and more and still lose weight.
If you’ve been following the SmartPoints meal plan, you’re probably already noticing the difference.
With mindfulness tips to beat stress, exercises even beginners can master and clever summer style tips, this is a weight-loss plan that looks after the whole you. Pictured, peach and almond puff tarts
As well as looking better, you’ll be feeling healthier, too, as SmartPoints slashes your sugar and saturated fat intake in the cleverest of ways. It all continues today with eight more pages of delicious recipes, covering Week Five of your six-week plan.
The menus in this series are based on the minimum daily allowance of 30 SmartPoints. You also have a minimum extra weekly allowance of 14 SmartPoints for treats and meals out. See below to remind yourself how it all works.
But it’s not just about your waistline. With mindfulness tips to beat stress, exercises even beginners can master and clever summer style tips, this is a weight-loss plan that looks after the whole you.
After today, there’s another FREE Weight Watchers guide to come. So make sure you check out MailOnline tomorrow to complete your plan!
Delicious recipes for Week Five begin below. But, as you’ll know by now, the great thing about SmartPoints is how spontaneous you’re allowed to be.
Weight Watchers can also give you a personalised SmartPoints budget to precisely match your needs. Pictured, marbled chocolate banana loaf This ham and pea pasta gives you everything you need for dinner, and keeps you healthy What better way to start the day than with a crumpet, drizzled over with honey and fresh berries on the side This chicken, mushroom and rice pilaf takes no time at all to cook and it makes a delicious dinner for two With a few simple ingredients, you could be enjoying this zesty salmon with fenel and watercress for lunch Lettuce leaves make a perfect and healthy alternative to taco shells, try them with these rainbow tacos Trout and chilli fish cakes are a great dinner to try when the sun’s shining on a warm summer evening If your sweet tooth is crying out for attention, try rustling up these mini meringues with passion fruit cream
Alternatively, use a teaspoon to place spoonfuls of the mixture on the trays.
Bake for 1 hour, then switch off the oven and leave for at least another hour, or overnight, to dry out.
To make the filling, whip 150ml Elmlea Double Light into soft peaks. Scoop the flesh from 4 passion fruit and push it through a sieve to remove the pips (skip this step if you would prefer to leave them in for a little crunch).
Stir the flesh into the cream and use it to sandwich together the meringues before serving. Serve 2 per person.
The meringues can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in an airtight container.
KEEP COOL – EVEN WHEN IT’S SCORCHING
From strappy tops that dig in to your shoulders to sandals that give you blisters — not to mention the constant battle to stay cool in the heat — summer can be an uncomfortable season to dress for.
We all know what a shock it can be to have to bare your flesh after a winter wrapped in layers.
When you’re not at ease in your clothes, it can be hard to feel body-confident. After all, what we wear affects how we feel.
But it’s also true that how we feel affects what we wear. It’s only when we feel good about ourselves that we truly feel good in our clothes.
And when we feel low, it can seem that nothing looks right on us.
It’s all too easy, then, to see how you can fall into a negative spiral when thinking about your self-image. So, bearing this in mind, how can you master the art of summer body confidence?
Some of it is common sense: on the days when we feel a little low, we should choose the clothes we love to help us feel good about ourselves.
We generally feel our best in clothes that are comfortable and flattering.
And flowing maxi dresses or versatile knee-length shorts are probably going to be more comfortable than skintight frocks or skimpy hotpants, for example.
But as well as an elegant summer wardrobe, body confidence requires deeper introspection. We often feel less confident in what we wear because we’re thinking negatively about ourselves. So why not start by writing down three things that you like about yourself? It can be about what you do, who you are, physical aspects of yourself, anything at all — for example, I’m a kind person; a good friend, parent, son or daughter; I like my hair, my eyes or my lips.
If you find this difficult, work on finding what you like or even love about yourself. Then keep adding to that list as you become more aware of all the great things about yourself. Each time you catch yourself having a negative thought, replace it with a positive one.
No matter how difficult this is at first, keep doing it until it’s effortless and the positive thoughts come naturally, without even trying.
If you do wake up feeling a little down, and feel that none of your clothes suit you, try this simple exercise for a confidence boost. Look in the mirror, compose yourself a bit like Wonder Woman — hands on hips, legs slightly apart, standing tall — and smile!
Scientific studies indicate that this pose magically lowers your stress levels and instantly increases your self-assurance.
And on your down days, be reassured: eventually, when you feel happy in yourself, you will feel fantastic in whatever you wear.
But when you need a little extra boost, choose the clothes you’re comfy in — the effortlessly flattering ones that make you feel sleek, chic and summer-ready.
PERFECT SUMMER NAILS, THE EASY WAY
Strappy summer sandals need picture-perfect toes to accompany them — and a slick of bright nail varnish is the perfect complement to a summer tan.
But you needn’t resort to expensive beauty salons, thanks to our easy guide to creating the perfect summer nails at home . . .
Beauty treatments needn’t break the bank
- First, remove any previously applied nail polish. Before soaking your fingernails in water, cut or file them into your preferred shape. Wet fingernails are more prone to damage, whereas thicker toenails will benefit from a soak before trimming, as it makes them softer and therefore easier to cut.
- After clipping your fingernails, soak your hands in warm water for up to three minutes. Then, move on to your toenails. Soak them in warm water for up to ten minutes, then trim with clippers. Cut straight across to avoid ingrown nails.
- Moisturise your cuticles with a thick moisturiser — any will do, as long as it’s for dry skin.
- Use a scrub to remove dead skin from your feet, lower legs, hands and lower arms. Rinse your hands and arms. Then use a foot file or pumice stone to remove hard skin from the soles of your feet, before rinsing off the last of the scrub.
- Very gently push the cuticle back from the nail using a wooden orange stick — available from all good chemists. Never push the cuticles too far or use too much force.
- Before applying nail varnish, you should remove any moisturiser from the nail itself. Oils or moisturisers will prevent the polish from sticking to the nail, so give the nail a quick wipe with nail varnish remover.
- Paint your nails with polish in layers, allowing to dry between coats. Use a clear base coat first, then apply two coats of colour, and finish with a clear topcoat. If you have a summer tan, you can get away with a brighter varnish colour — try a coral or bright pink.
- Allow plenty of time for the polish to dry between coats. Don’t touch anything or walk around while you wait! Have a magazine or newspaper to hand to keep you entertained while you wait for the polish to completely dry, which takes at least 30 minutes.Don’t waste your hard work. Touch up your polish every other day with a layer of topcoat to make your manicure last longer.
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