Slimming World alternatives meant I could still have fun with food and lose weight – Elise Brewerton

Anyone who has ever tried to lose weight will tell you that social occasions are a nightmare. 

Whether it's a family party, seeing friends, fun with the children – they all revolve around food. And if you’re on a diet, it's a minefield.  

That's why Slimming World has made it easy by offering tasty alternatives to ensure you don’t miss out on the fun. 

I took my stepdaughters and goddaughters to see Mary Poppins – four slender little things whose ability to put away bags of chocolates and sweets is quite astonishing. 

Fearful I might stick my hand in and nab some giant Buttons, I chopped up three Slimming World chocolate orange HiFi bars and munched on them as Emily Blunt danced across the screen. Just nine of my daily 15 syns. 

At a dinner party I impressed everyone with a very exotic sounding Morroccan vegetarian stew with herbed cous cous. I don’t kid myself that I can cook – I don’t even enjoy it that much – but it was delicious. And completely syn free. There was fat-free yoghurt to dollop on top – still syn-free. 

I can’t take any credit for the fabulous Spanish orange cake that followed. It was all the work of my stepdaughter who knocked out a light, zesty dessert for us that was less than four syns per slice because we didn’t make a syrup for the top, instead opting for low-fat creme frais. It went down a storm, and our guests could hardly believe it wasn’t syn-ful. 

While everyone else was glugging wine I happily sipped on gin and slimline tonics. A brilliant night without the stress of breaking my diet. And another pound down this week.