How to lose weight successfully is an aim for a lot of people, especially after a period of indulgence, and there are certainly plenty of diets and diet plans to choose from to stimulate weight loss. During tonight’s instalment of Lose Weight and Get Fit with Tom Kerridge, Tom and his 11 volunteers encounter the temptations of unhealthy treats and alcohol – how did they overcome their cravings?
After a positive first couple of weeks, the temptation of unhealthy treats and alcohol is threatening to undo the group’s progress, but Tom is back in Gloucester, the city where he grew up, to get everyone back on track with his healthy recipes.
“Changing our diet can be tough at first, and some of the gang are finding old habits hard to break,” Tom explained.
“Glasses of wine, beer and cake are fine if you’re calorie counting them, but the big problem is actually the mindset that you’re allowing yourself to [consume] them.
“You need to find the strength to push these [temptations] to the side, and instead pick treats that you can enjoy without blowing your calorie count in one go.”
One way to overcome temptations is by cooking healthy but delicious alternatives to those items with the big calorie count, such as Tom’s “take on an asian classic,” he suggested .
During the programme, Tom revealed that his favourite indulgence, just like many others, is a Chinese takeaway, in particular crispy duck pancakes.
Tom’s Crispy Chicken Pancake Recipe
Ingredients
Six skinless chicken thighs
White pepper – to season
Chinese five spice – to season
Salt – to season
Olive oil
For added sweetness [add a table spoonful] granulated sugar, then [table spoon] Chinese five spice, and two star and east.
The next spice to go in is schezwan pepper. And finally grated garlic and ginger [let sauce simmer].
Finally, to get a smooth consistency, Tom recommends pureeing the concoction in an electric mixer.
“For the finishing touch stir through soy sauce,” he added.
To heat the pancakes, Tom recommends using a bamboo steamer, but alternatively, holding them slightly above steaming water will also do the trick.
Once the chicken is cooked, flake the meat up and delicately shred from the bone, then serve.
During the programme, Tom also demonstrated how to make fudge chocolate brownies which are lower in calories, and gives one of his volunteers a lesson in making prawn and avocado rice paper rolls which contain lots of fresh, healthy ingredients.
Lose Weight and Get Fit with Tom Kerridge airs on Wednesday evenings on BBC Two at 8pm.