SLIMMING WORLD
Seeing Russian orphans and children in poor families struggling to eat haunted charity worker Sarah Tuffnell.
During a trip to Moscow she met a family where the parents were taking it in turns to eat so they could feed their child.
It was the jolt the overweight 25-year-old needed to spur her into losing weight.
Celebrating Christmas back in England a month later, Sarah looked round at the masses of food and it struck her that the huge amount she'd eaten could have fed that family for weeks.
Size 22 Sarah, who weighed just over 16st 11lbs, wowed to change her attitude to food. Exactly a year ago she began a sponsored slim to raise money for the charity she works for, Love Russia, to help the country's hungry children.
To strengthen her determination she joined a Slimming World group near her home in Sherwood and 12 months on she has lost just over 5st, while raising £467.
Sarah, who now weighs 11st 9lbs, says: "When I look in the mirror, I genuinely don't believe it's me."
The best thing to have happened to the new slimline Sarah is getting married last September to partner Damien.
She had tried losing weight previously as a student while in Russia for a year in 2009.
"I just ate dry cereal for breakfast and lunch and soup for dinner. I lost 2st but when I returned to the UK for Christmas I ended up in hospital on Christmas Day because my stomach couldn't digest real food."
Her hobby before Slimming World was cooking. That hasn't changed but it's much healthier now. She adapts recipes by using Fry Light instead of oil, cutting fat off meat and replacing cheese sauce with cottage cheese in lasagne.
Sarah's favourite Slimming World Spinach and Butternut Squash Cannelloni
Ingredients (serves 4)
Low-calorie cooking spray
500g frozen chopped spinach, thawed
200g butternut squash flesh, roughly chopped
100g quark
200g fat-free natural cottage cheese
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 onion, finely chopped
160g reduced fat Cheddar, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
250 g pack dried cannelloni
2 x 500g cartons passata with onions and garlic
Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. Lightly spray a medium shallow baking dish with low-calorie cooking spray.
2. Put the spinach in a sieve and squeeze out any water. Put the butternut squash in a food processor and whiz until finely chopped. Add the spinach, quark, cottage cheese, eggs, garlic, nutmeg, herbs, onion and a quarter of the Cheddar. Season well and whiz until blended.
3. Fill the dried cannelloni tubes with the spinach mixture. Using a piping bag makes it easier. Spread a quarter of the passata over the base of the baking dish and put the filled tubes on top in a single or double layer, depending on the size of your dish.
4. Pour the remaining passata over the tubes, ensuring you cover all the pasta well. Sprinkle over the remaining Cheddar. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for a further 20 minutes or until the top is crisp and the pasta is tender.
Serve with a mixed salad, dressed with lemon juice.
WEIGHT WATCHERS
THE suggestion of a gastric band prompted 24st 5lbs Janine Furr to take matters into her own hands.
Instead of resorting to surgery, the 29-year-old from Netherfield joined Weight Watchers in Carlton in June 2012.
Since then she has gone on to lose 10st 2lbs to now weigh 14st 3lbs.
She says: "With a BMI of 58, my nurse offered the opportunity to have a gastric band but I was shocked at the idea of such a drastic measure and was determined to do it on my own."
Through the Weight Watchers' meetings Janine learnt to plan meals and portion control.
"The most important thing for me is that it doesn't feel like a diet as I still have all the foods I love – just in moderation.
"I lost weight gradually but each week I could see the scales going in the right direction and as the plan is so flexible I could fit it around my life. I didn't want it to happen overnight as I knew I had to lose the weight in a healthy and sustainable way."
Even when she fell pregnant with her third child, Jasmine, now 18 months, she continued with her healthy habits and ate plenty of fruit and vegetables for energy.
"Since losing weight, my life has transformed and I feel completely different. I can now run around after my three children, Haylea, Tyler and Jasmine, and I've introduced healthy food into our family meals.
"I'm now a bit of a clothes addict. It's great not having to feel limited to the plus size brands. I've gone from a size 28/30 to a 16."
Janine's favourite Weight Watchers' recipe Thai Green Chicken Curry
Ingredients (serves 4)
5 sprays calorie controlled cooking spray
6 medium shallots, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
500g chicken breast, skinless, raw, cut into chunks
5 lemongrass stems, very finely chopped, or 2 tsp prepared lemongrass
2 tsp root ginger, or 2 tsp prepared fresh ginger
400ml Amoy reduced fat coconut milk
1 vegetable stock cube, dissolved in 150ml hot water
4 tsp Thai green curry paste, mild
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
2 tablespoons fresh coriander
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 sprig coriander, fresh, to garnish
Method:
1. Heat a wok or large frying pan and mist with low-fat cooking spray. Add the shallots, garlic and chicken and cook over a medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, or until the chicken is sealed and browned.
2. Add the lemongrass, ginger, coconut milk, chicken stock and curry paste. Stir in the fish sauce or soy sauce and coriander. Simmer for 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the sauce has reduced a little.
3. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve with cooked rice or noodles (remembering to add the extra ProPoints values) and garnish with coriander sprigs.
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