These recipes are all about pleasure not punishment

Social media stars James and Paul Anderson, aka Twochubbycubs, have proved that weight loss doesn’t have to be about deprivation. Here’s how they did it…   

We’ve seen Twochubbycubs grow from a tiny blog to a behemoth with almost half a million followers (twochubbycubs.com and @twochubbycubs). And we’ve been on a unique journey. When we moved in together [they married in 2011], we steadily became more spherical. It was only when we started thinking about what we were doing wrong that we decided to try something different. We’d spent years substituting tasty ingredients for awful replacements in the vain belief that we were making lifestyle choices. We were kidding ourselves – we were constantly snacking on unhealthy food to try to fill the void.

So, with a bit of research, we decided to eat ‘properly’ and the weight fell off. It was a revelation. We discovered that by eating decent meals we didn’t need the rubbish on the side. Our meals were something to look forward to and a pleasure. We didn’t feel deprived. And the results spoke for themselves – we lost nearly 19 stone between us.

If you follow our example – don’t scrimp on ingredients, and learn to love food rather than endure it – you’ll be on a happier weight-loss journey. Twochubbycubs has always been about having a laugh and not taking this dieting nonsense too seriously. Life’s too short to be po-faced about what you eat, and we’ve reflected that ethos in our new book. We hope you enjoy these meals – all 500 calories or under per serving – and the chat that goes with them (James always comes first; Paul pops up for the notes). Give eating well a go, see how you get on, and tell us at the blog! 

Buy the book with a 20% discount 

TwoChubbyCubs The Cookbook: 100 Tried and Tested Slimming Recipes by James and Paul Anderson is published by Yellow Kite, price £20. To order a copy for £16 with free p&p until 30 April, go to mailshop.co.uk or call 01603 648155.