Episode 2 Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight

We're the Hairy Bikers.

Our mission in life - to cook great-tasting food that all of us can relish.

We're fit and bronzed with a full tank.

Well, a bit too full actually.

We have been made to confront an unpalatable truth.

You look fat, both of you.

Who do?

You two.

The love of the family!

But it's not just our nearest and dearest.

Doctors have spoken, it's medical fact.

42% of your body mass is fat.

You are really on the way to being quite considerably obese.

It's like wearing one of those, what do you call them,

a gilet full of lard.

Sumo suits!

So in this series we have given ourselves just over

three months to slim down.

And we are not going it alone. Joining us

are a group of like-minded foodies who also want to lose weight.

I'm down to the last usable notch on my belt.

I am that heavy now, that my boobs overbalance us.

We're sharing recipes, and most importantly, supporting each other.

Smells like lasagne - does it look like it?

Yes!

Get on! Let's eat this for the next six days and we'll be buzzing!

Don't worry, mate, the best is yet to come.

'This is our latest culinary adventure, the reinvention of food

'we love, making it small on calories but keeping it big on flavour.'

But it's not diet food, it's just great food.

'Dishes so good, we can look forward to every meal time...'

The breakfast sensation.

'..and to a leaner, lighter us.'

I feel more virile, more potent, don't you?

Along the way we are examining where our battles with the bulge began.

That teacher came in and said, "Simon King mustn't eat anything

"because he's on a diet."

And I just wanted to die, I just wanted to die.

I'll never forget it.

I think it went wrong when I went to college.

I discovered curry and beer, because I was never a fat kid.

So in this series we're embarking on a life-changing drive

to cook more cleverly and our families are right behind us.

If I can't get into these jeans comfortably in the next three months,

I'll give you £500.

Oh, my God, OK!

If I'm dead honest it's just to take my top off without thinking

I'm a lardy.

For us, our favourite meals are the ones we cook at home,

so this, then, is our challenge -

to reinvent family meals from big weekend breakfasts,

Sunday lunches to hearty suppers

so we can stay in love with food yet still lose weight.

That is a multi-layered, multi-flavoured plate of food - fabulous.

We live to eat,

but we've discovered we've been putting away more than

the 2,500 calories a day recommended for the regular bloke.

On average, you had about 3,500 calories a day.

Shine a light!

'And we've paid a heavy price on the scales.'

What are you, mate?

Nineteen stone five.

Whoa!

What's the fat lad? What is he?

-He is seventeen, eleven five.

-Never!

So our target is to lose around two and a half stone each.

To do it, we are more than halving what we eat

and aiming for 1,300 calories or less a day.

HE PRETENDS TO SOB

So we're going to have to be cunning in the way that we cook,

to create slimming family meals we can relish.

-Look at that, man.

-That's fab.

-Love it.

It's not just ways to get our taste buds going.

We're also starting to think of ways to get our hearts pumping

and our bodies fit.

And the answer is really quite simple -

do a bit more, put less in your mouth.

-It's not rocket science, is it?

-It's common sense.

-Yeah, of course it is.

-Yeah.

We've been doing this for just over a week now

and we're already starting to see results.

I was a 113 kilos at the hospital.

I'm 110 now.

So that means I've lost half a stone.

Well, if I lose that without trying, bring on the month, yes!

Now, the thing is, I have a phobia about scales.

Just step on them, Kingy, you'll be fine.

Which I have a feeling, most blokes will.

Step on the scales.

After two or three times, it's like riding a motorcycle,

it becomes easy.

I've lost three pounds!

Not brilliant. I was hoping to lose a bit more

because apparently, the weight comes off quick when you first start off.

That's the thing about Si -

he always thinks that he's not doing well enough.

You have to give positive encouragement at all times.

Because he doesn't see it in himself at all.

My dad does turn to us for support but when he needs it

he knows that I am here because I won't say anything negative.

It will always be positive, cheering him on, you know what I mean?

Back at my place it's out with the bad and in with the good.

I'm doing all right, but the temptation is all around me and you're not helping.

'I'm removing anything from my fridge that will lead me astray,

'but my wife Lili and my stepdaughter Iza don't seem impressed.'

Come on, babe. Brie, Mozzarella... Do we live on cheese?

And I can't have cheese and I love cheese!

Look at that! 500 calories in a packet.

The reality is that when Dave's hungry he gets stroppy.

You always keep your chocolates in the fridge,

It's got to go, it's got to stop.

And milk! You made me cook flan de Saint Jean de Minervois.

There was 13 eggs in that and a jar of honey.

Look at him, look what he does to the fridge.

Mussels in garlic butter, convenience food.

Garlic butter, temptation everywhere.

Look, it's like a library of ice cream!

'I just don't know why we've got so much junk in our fridge.'

-Well, you do the shopping!

-Exactly.

He loses interest very quickly so I thought he's going to lose interest

in the diet but he hasn't really.

It's got to go.

It's annoying.

Mr Myers and I aren't the only ones who have been

packing on the pounds.

Us lardies are now in the majority,

with over 60% of Brits overweight or obese.

And we've discovered the most effective way to lose weight is with the support of a group.

So we have created our own, The Big Eaters.

They all love their food and want recipe ideas to help them

lose weight. In return, they'll share their tips with us too.

Big Eaters writer-in-residence, 60-year-old Ken Reay from South Shields,

is the first to contribute a cookery idea for a breakfast.

So we've come to his place to try it out.

Right, chaps, come this way. Straight down here.

-How are you getting on?

-I'm doing fine, thanks. You?

Smashing, lad, thank you.

Nice flat, dude.

Wait and see this.

Oh, right, so we've got blackberries, strawberries,

and blueberries.

Dry fried, gently.

-Oh, intensifies the flavour.

-Brings out the natural sugars

so you don't need any sugar or sweetener on them.

Do you want to try one and see if it's...

I'd give it a bit longer to caramelise, yeah.

A little sprinkling of mixed spice, smell that.

-Shake the pan instead of...

-That's it!

You don't have to do it any harder than that.

I'm learning stuff all the time with you two.

Look at that, man!

Shaking and flipping, whoa.

Shaking that pan, boss. I think that's nearly ready.

-Crumpets?!

-Crumpets.

-They're ready now.

-Can we have two?

You can have two, yeah. It's very low calorie stuff.

Crumpets to me are always comforting, real food.

Yeah. And all those lovely...

You can smell the natural sugars being heated.

There's a caramel to it as well, nice.

There's no butter on the crumpets unfortunately,

but you get this 0% fat Greek yoghurt.

-Right.

-And then Greek honey, just a little squidge.

-I must say that looks lovely.

-Yeah, I'm looking forward to that.

-Yeah, so shall we try it?

-Yeah, I've got the weapons, lead on, Macduff.

Hey, look at this, it's like a Mothers Union meeting, isn't it?

Bon appetit. I like the idea with the spice.

Hey, it's brilliant, that.

That's a belter.

It is. It will be a really good Sunday morning breakfast, this.

Yeah, it would.

About ten o'clock, all the papers, big thing of coffee and this.

Excellent.

'Good work, Mr Reay.

'We've calculated there's just 257 calories in that dish.'

We like to breakfast like a king and we find that if we skip it,

we are ravenous mid-morning and that is when we hit the demon snacks.

But there's one fat-packed breakfast that we'd love to fathom.

A right royal fry-up.

My dad's probably craving a full English

because that what he loves for his breakfast, absolutely loves it.

Sausage sandwiches and bacon sandwiches -

that's his favourite thing to eat.

To find out if there's any way we can have a fry-up,

we're heading back to Newcastle University and Hospital

to pick the brains of our new dietician friend,

Professor Ashley Adamson.

She's a cruel woman, Ashley, and has arranged to meet us

in the sausage-scented student canteen.

It's like a hall of temptation.

We're finding it difficult. We can't just go into a caff

and indulge in a great British breakfast anymore.

What's so wrong with it?

Your average cooked breakfast, if you've got fried bread

and sausages and stuff, it's probably around 900 calories.

That's quite a big start to the day, isn't it?

So if you went out for a walk,

and you wanted to burn off your 800 calories,

you would have to walk at two and a half miles an hour

for just short of two and a half hours

to burn off your breakfast of 800 calories.

Crumbs.

I think to have a breakfast is really important.

I love my breakfast.

Yeah, I know you do, you love it.

So let's think about your cooked breakfast. Where's the fat in here?

Let's get rid of the sausages, the black pudding the fried bread.

You can have baked beans, baked beans on toast.

-Aren't baked beans full of sugar though?

-No, no.

Your baked beans are going to make you feel full, they are very low fat,

you will not have anything like the number of calories in there.

What about a poached egg?

You can have a poached egg, poached egg on some bread.

That would be fine too.

-So attractive (!)

-What are you doing?

That left-over sausage,

that's casually cast aside like an old sock,

looks so tasty and satisfying!

Sit still, don't do it. Overcome.

-I wouldn't steal food off a student's plate.

-Yes, you would!

That desperate?!

Yeah, they're lush!

Come on, lets put Ashley's theories into practice

before you eat something you regret.

I feel spiritually enlightened by Ashley, Si,

and inspired to reinvent the cooked breakfast.

We can make a cooked breakfast without the aid of fat.

CHIMES BELL We can achieve satisfaction.

CHIMES BELL

We do not need salt on eggs anymore.

These Tibetan bells, you know, I got them for tranquillity.

They're not tranquil, they bloody irritating!

A cooked breakfast will calm my nerves

and there's one ingredient that's a must.

-Bacon, can't give up bacon, can we?

-We cannot do it.

It's the fruit of the pig.

'But bacon, it's dead fatty, so how about we try a lean cut

'like back bacon and give it an extra trim?'

-Cut the fat off.

-You can feed it to the birds.

You can't give it up, can you? You know, on a Saturday morning

you get up, you fancy a bit of something, don't you?

Sex!

It's true, and you burn calories, it's great.

I feel more virile, more potent, don't you? I do.

'Moving swiftly on, we're picking up tips all the time

'and we know there's around 40 calories per teaspoon of oil.

'So how about this as a way to use it sparingly?'

So I'm just going to paint the pan.

We're using sunflower oil because it's got a high burning temperature

so it's good for frying.

You see, it's that sizzle in the morning,

-you don't have to give it up.

-No, no.

Poached eggs aren't off the menu either,

and we're experts at getting them spot on.

Is that your stomach rumbling then?!

Place the eggs in boiling water for precisely 20 seconds.

No more, no less, and this will cause the white just to solidify

a little bit so you won't have a pan full of Doctor Who monsters.

20 seconds.

And the eggs come out.

'White wine vinegar,

'I always splash in a good glug to help the eggs bind together.'

-Enough, Mr King?

-Perfect, mate.

And just float that egg into the water.

Look at that, see.

There is a lovely comforting feeling, frying bacon.

Yes.

You get a full plate of food with a fry-up,

so what can you add to bring fat-free flavour yet freshness?

Tomatoes, mucker, please.

'Let's dry-fry cherry tomatoes with the bacon.

'That will bring out their natural sweetness.'

I still get the ritual of cooking with what we are doing,

and actually, what we're doing is still a very tasty dish.

Yes, it is.

So instead of toast we've got watercress,

and watercress is great because it is savoury and peppery.

'Not only that, there is only 20 or so calories in a whole bag.

'That's good. There can be over 90 in a slice of white toast.'

What's getting me going is it's looking like a good plate of food.

-Lovely.

-That's a poached egg.

-It is.

It's at just that right level where

when you cut it, it's going to ooze on your bacon.

-The breakfast sensation.

-Perfect.

How about we drizzle on some balsamic vinegar?

Combined with the cherry tomatoes, it'll add a ketchup hit.

-Good, isn't it?

-Brilliant.

That's a satisfying plate of food and we've checked

and it's around 264 calories,

leaving us about a thousand for the rest of the day.

-Fancy a little coffee?

-Black, please.

We've cracked a post-industrial breakfast

for modern men like us, Dave.

It's not the way my dad ate.

He needed to eat on an industrial scale for work

and I doubt his waist was ever more than 37 inches.

Yours is nearer 50, mate.

We live in a different world, Si.

Take my home, Barrow in Furness. It's a beautiful Victorian town,

but when I grew up it was all hammers and spanners

and thriving industry.

My God, times have changed, haven't they?

Oh, yes, this was the paper mill where my dad worked

for nearly 50 years, and he was never a fat man.

But I suppose his daily work was quite physical.

His whole day was on his feet, he was wandering around lifting things

and that's how things have changed.

There still is heavy industry in Barrow today

but until the '70s, this whole area was a bustle of factories and docks.

It was the most amazing scene,

when the shipyard buzzer went for lunch and there would be

three or four thousand men on bicycles coming out of the shipyard.

They would cycle two or three miles to go home for their lunch

which was their main meal of the day,

and then you cycle after that back to work.

It was physical graft.

Places like this are just derelict now,

and the ones that are thriving, you push a button.

What happens, you eat more, you get fatter

cos you're not working as hard.

Yeah, I suppose the thing is, it comes to a point

where your lifestyle's not sustainable,

and if you don't do something about you'll end up like this place, derelict.

I think we've just pulled it back in time. The gable end was away!

-We're not ready to be condemned just yet!

-No!

I want to be as energetic and fit as my dad always was,

but you don't get fit just sat on a motorbike.

No, mate, you're not wrong.

I hate to admit it, Dave, the writing is on the wall.

We need to get fit.

Kingy, we're in this together.

Exercising with a mate is supposed to be really motivating.

I know it costs a lot but how about we get a personal trainer?

No, mate, I'm not one for getting sweaty in a gym.

Too late, I've already booked us a session,

but we're doing it alfresco, a bit like a picnic but without the food.

So how long since you have done any real exercise?

-Like slapping the fat?

-Yeah.

-About 18 months.

-OK.

-1966. I made an effort to get out

and then after that I just let it all go to rot.

OK, then, lovely.

So I think we need to get warmed up, OK?

That sound all right?

Lets just start walking, nice and relaxed,

Start moving the arms, get them moving.

If you ever say "bums and tums", I will kill you!

It's been suggested that Zumba would be fantastic.

I am not doing Zumba!

-Or spinning.

-No! That's the product of Satan!

What are you doing?!

You're like a clockwork mouse, what are you doing?!

-I'm just doing what Karen said.

-Excellent.

OK, then, we're going to do some stretches.

Just very light basic stretches.

-Lift it up, nice stretches.

-Oh, that's lovely that! It does great things.

Oh, I've got a stitch.

You can't have a stitch already?

Try and get those knees together.

Look at that - steady as a rock.

There you go, excellent.

'Karen wants to put us through our paces,

'and she started with flexibility tests.'

-Go on, mate, you first.

-Oh.

# Can you feel it, doo-doo?

# Can you feel it, doo-doo? #

-Go on, go for 15!

-You're putting us off!

I'm not! I'm trying to be enthusiastic, like Jane Fonda does.

Come on, Kingy.

There you go! 14, look at that!

'Never has so much fuss been made of pushing a piece of cardboard

'with my fingertips.'

Smooth.

'I'll be no good at this. My belly will get in the way.'

That's fine, everybody's an individual. How do you feel?

-Slightly lightheaded?

-No, fine.

Oh, you're fine, OK. Next up, three, two, one, go!

'Ah, push ups. You can kiss my cannons, Kingy.'

'They don't look like cannons from where I'm standing, mate!'

Oh, your headband's coming off.

Go, on mate, go on.

I can feel it in my guns.

'I, on the other hand, want a magic bullet.

'A PE class in the park is not for me.'

So how do you feel after that, guys?

I realise that it's necessary and I know for me, it works.

-Everything in moderation.

-Moderation.

-It's no quick fix.

-No quick fix?

-No quick fix, no faddy diets, it's a lifestyle.

-No faddy diets?

Shut up, you! You're a politician's dream, you!

A complete indoctrination from the off!

'Oh, that was great, Kingy. I feel energised.

'I needed that kick-start to spur me on.'

'It's not for me. I need to find a form of exercise

'I'm comfortable with to keep me motivated.

'Anyway, we've been told that exercise alone isn't enough.

'The answer is in the kitchen.

'So how about we throw our energy into reengineering

'the most important family meal?'

At the end of the week we always have a Sunday roast.

We get round a table together and that's the way we communicate

and that's the way we celebrate everything.

It's really nice. It's my favourite part of the week, definitely.

I love roast chicken but there could be well over 1,000 calories

with all the trimmings... Well, especially the way I do it!

Big roast potatoes floating in goose fat.

Yorkshire puddings and cauliflower and cheese,

everything that you can think of!

See, Kingy, what do you do when you're on a diet

and you want that family meal?

'Why don't we just grab a chicken

'and make it even leaner by removing the skin and fat?'

'But Si, that's what gives the lovely flavour and bite.

'But, dude, that's the challenge. It wont be a roast

'if it's not packed with flavour.

'Let's try and create a second skin.

'I know, Kingy, how about a masala spice mix?'

No tricks, no chemicals.

Start off with half a dozen or so cardamom pods.

The flavour is in the bit in the middle that looks like mice droppings.

'And with coriander seeds, cumin, peppercorns and cloves.'

Just use four cloves and be careful,

if you use too many it'll taste like a visit to the dentist.

Oh, I hate that.

These spices have to be roasted. This releases all the aromatic oils

and the flavours that are buried deep within them.

'And you can just tell from the aroma this'll be tasty.'

-They smell nice and nutty.

-They do actually.

'Now to add in powdered spices, turmeric, chilli powder,

'fenugreek and paprika.'

Look at this, it's all those spices that we love.

You can do the alchemy, you don't have to forget your witchcraft

just because you're hungry.

No, you don't.

'And this is when the workout really starts.'

And the kitchen starts to fill with aroma

that sets your juices going...

-It is lovely.

-..like a satsuma on a griddle.

-Smell that.

-Oh, fabulous.

-It's bouncing, isn't it?

-Absolutely fantastic.

'If you wanted to create a tikka masala sauce you'd add cream,

'but we've a plan to make it lighter.'

Some low-fat yoghurt. Now, whether you are dieting or not,

that, my friends, is a proper masala paste.

-How's your chicken?

-That is done, naked.

-That is, isn't it?

-Look at this, Dave. This is, in essence, fat.

That is, isn't it?

That's all that is, skin, fat and sinew.

-Nice job.

-Thank you.

Put it on. Take your hands and massage.

This is going to form, like, a second skin.

A complete bark on that chicken.

It's a skin that's tasty

and fabulous and it won't make you keel over with heart disease.

-Can you put a bit of cling film on that, mate?

-Yeah.

Whilst we leave our coat of many spices to do its magic,

the Big Eaters resident martial arts instructor, Jon Saunders,

is going to have a go at our sneaky leek lasagne recipe from last time,

where we used leeks instead of pasta.

He's got a double challenge on his dangerous hands.

Not only is this his first attempt at a low-calorie recipe...

First cooked meal, first time I've ever prepared any food,

so how it will turn out, I do not know.

Ah, it seems black belt Jon's a bit green

when it come to cooking. I hope nobody gets hurt.

I have managed to do my pasta leaves so I'm quite chuffed about that.

Look at them babies, that's my pasta.

I cannot believe that I have done that, that is so good!

This is what it looks like beforehand.

I am quite proud of it. Look at that baby!

Oh, it smells good!

-Ouch,

-BLEEP!

-It's hot. Ouch,

-BLEEP!

-Oh, my goodness, Jonny! The boy did good!

-Get on!

Well done, Jon. That looks a stunner.

I hope he doesn't think it's a meal for one, though.

For Big Eater Liz, it's the morning after the night before.

Me and the girls went out last night and we've just got up.

We were really inspired by Liz when we first met her.

She's lost over 12 stone in the last three years

and has another two and a half stone to go.

I've changed so much as a person, not just in the way I look.

I'm a different character. I've still got all the nice parts

and all of the fun parts of my the person I was before.

I don't feel the need to impress everybody now.

The new confident Liz is more popular than ever

but this morning she's paying for her socialising.

Let hope our healthy fry-up gets her back on the weight loss wagon.

So this is our hangover breakfast

and lovely healthy bite to eat to sort our hangover out today.

Yeah, looks good.

BOTH: Thanks, Si and Dave.

You're very welcome, ladies, and later on, we'll find out

if Liz and Jon's efforts have paid off on the scales.

Time for Si and I to finish off our alternative roast dinner.

Lets see if the spicy second skin has done its magic.

Well, he is looking happy, isn't he?

Looks like he's been on a night out.

'By removing all the skin and fat, we reckon

'we have saved about 300 calories per serving.'

'Can I have roasties, then?'

'Yes you can, mate, but just a couple of spuds each.'

'We've learnt that, gram for gram, oil and fat

'contain the same calories, so let's be measured in our use.'

'I've got an idea, Si.'

We're going to infuse this oil with spices, so look,

we're getting maximum effect.

Put your salt away, Kingy. I think we're going to become better cooks after doing this

because we are getting more out of the flavours, aren't we?

Yeah, absolutely. Right, mate.

Cut these into little wedges.

Look at that colour! Love it.

Yes.

'Once the veg are well coated, it's ready for roasting.'

'Hey, Dave, let's give the chicken an extra fruity twist

'with some lime juice.'

To the fiery furnace!

'Now, because potatoes are full of starch, which equals calories,

'we're roasting lower calorie veg, to bulk them out.'

Now this is good Mediterranean veg, full of Vitamin C and goodness.

Look at that, man. Lovely!

Look at the colours in that, that's fab!

'The smells coming from the oven are incredible.'

'It's going to have to be mouth-watering to come close

'to the golden crispiness of a roast chicken and all the trimmings.'

Oh, yes, man! Look at this bad boy.

'Si, you can have first taste.'

Is it as good as it looks?

Oh, God, much better. It really is lovely.

-We've pulled it off.

-It's delivering.

Oh, yeah, definitely, on all levels. Taste, flavour, texture. It's moist.

But it's not diet food, it's just great food.

We've worked out there are just 519 calories per serving

for our masala chicken and spicy roasties.

That includes that drizzle of yoghurt too.

Si, I love it but is it good enough

to pass my family's rigorous taste test?

Is the skin off the chicken?

Yes, we made a skin, a masala crust made with spices.

It doesn't look like you've taken the skin off.

-It's so juicy.

-It tastes just fantastic.

-What do you think?

-It's really good.

And also it's good for you, you know, it's good food.

And you know when you take the skin off a chicken

and cut all the fat bits off,

do you know how calories are left in a whole chicken?

Myers, stop it!

'I've been putting some thought into what I can do to be more active,

'and whilst I'm not up for gyms or work outs,

'rugby used to be quite a big thing for me.'

When he played rugby, he was big but he wasn't overweight

and he was really, really fit.

I think that's when he was happiest with himself, perhaps.

'Today it's something I share from the side-lines

'with my youngest son, Dylan.'

Come on, Dyl! Go on! And again, Reds. Yes, good lads!

Rugby is a game that gives you a lot of confidence in yourself

and I think when my dad played there it really did, like, push him on

and give him the confidence to do more stuff,

and was always very good at running over people.

Big scrum, Reds, big scrum!

He came off the field thinking, "God, I've done well", you know.

Go on, pump your legs, Dylan. Keep pumping, good lad, go on.

'My days of getting battered on the pitch are over,

'but the more I think about how being fit boosted my self-esteem,

'I want to find a way to get that feeling back.'

If my dad get a lot thinner, I would definitely just like to

go on the field and play rugby with him for ages.

I would definitely just really like it. I think it would be really fun.

'If getting into shape to enjoy father and son activities

'isn't a good motivator, then I don't know what is.

'But I do need to fid an enjoyable way to do it.

'First though, Dave and I are going to find out

'if the calorie cutting is paying off on our waist lines

'so we're returning to Newcastle University and Hospital.'

'We're being monitored on this weight loss journey

'by leading metabolic scientist, Professor Roy Taylor.

'He knows everything there is to know about the science of fat.'

Hey.

Nice to see you.

Your looking great, the two of you.

Well, we are trying, sir.

How have you found it? Have you been a bit tired?

Absolutely not.

The opposite, just the opposite.

I've got much more energy.

The thing is, as well, there's a bit more passion.

A bit more passion?

-Why do you have to bring that up?!

-It's true!

-It's weird!

No it's not, it's a medical thing.

This is really very understandable, because being overweight,

carrying extra weight, actually diminishes potency

and so you're doing exactly the right things for what most guys would like.

What most couples would like because this is a family thing.

It's dead encouraging, it's encouraging for both of us, mate.

Now, how about measuring your girth?

'The last time we met Professor Roy, he was concerned

'we were storing dangerous amounts of blubber in our bellies.

'Fat here is linked to medical nasties like type two diabetes

'and high blood pressure so losing inches could gain us years in the long run.'

So, let's find out what's going on.

'The first time Roy measured my waist, it was over 50 inches.'

-Whoa!

-'This time I'm down to just over 46.'

That's four inches.

So, Dave...

'Last time, my waist was almost 50 inches.

'Now it's about 46.5, so like Si,

I have lost around four inches off my waist.

Yes, shine a light!

That is a huge loss and that's fantastic

because it's all this central fat which is so much of a bad thing.

Long way to go.

I have to say that the loss in the waist is going to be greater

at this time than at subsequent weigh-ins because

the first step of fat that you start burning

is the dangerous stuff in the belly.

So you find you have to cut back your food even more

to keep up the same rate of weight loss.

'What can we do to increase our rate loss rate?

'Could exercise help?'

Only if it fits in quite well.

Playing squash in the morning,

and then sitting down burns off about half as many calories

as going into the garden and pottering around for four hours and cycling,

built into everyday life - that's really how to get the time in.

'After three weeks of doing this thing,

'we've lost around eight inches between us. That's good going.'

I feel great. And I can't wait. We're both on track.

-That's it.

-That's it.

-Fantastic.

-And if we can do it, then anybody can.

-You are too right.

'Here, Dave, Professor Roy suggested cycling.

'Do you think we have to give up our leathers and bikes?'

'Let's think on it, Kingy,

'as I've had a special delivery at my place,

'and it could be just the thing for bikers like us

'who like a bit of horse power between our legs.'

"This device brings home several unique exercise options.

"Firming and strengthening your hips, abs, lumbar and obliques.

"You will never have more fun exercising

"than with this balance trainer."

There are up to four speeds and you're on warm up now.

Stage two is "taking it easy".

"Sit up on the comfortable ergo seat..."

It's not comfortable!

Stage three is "getting serious".

-Number four is "the full gallop speed."

-Is it really?

Whoa!

Now, that's the one you keep for a further 12 minutes.

What?!

I'm not sure... It might work for some,

but I'd rather be on a saddle of a real horse.

One I can have a rapport with, not a mechanical donkey.

You know I could be out there in the field in the sunshine,

being at one with nature.

There is no substitute for sensible daily exercise

and good diet.

I think if we think there is we're just deluding ourselves.

You're not wrong. Can you turn it off?!

Don't worry about that. It will turn itself off

once it's finished the cycle.

Right. I'm not sure about this!

'Some of our Big Eaters are having a bit more success than me

'in upping their activity.

'And they're sharing their ideas. Take Ann Adlington.

'Ann wants to shed the six stone she piled on since giving up smoking.'

'She is putting more welly into her daily activities, from pounding

'the banks of the fishing lakes she runs

'to putting extra elbow grease into household chores.'

I'm going to do more housework, more cleaning and try and do a jig

while I'm doing it.

SHE SINGS

I'm thinking, I'll go back to that, one of my happy days,

when I was skinny. I was eight and a half stone then.

Look at the size of my boobs, eh, to them now!

No wonder I overbalance now! My God!

'Working mum Claire Mitchell's in a bid to shed her mummy tummy.'

I've struggled with my weight since I got pregnant, really,

so that's getting on for five years ago.

A lot of things contribute to it.

You know, baking is what I do when I need a break

and then I eat it!

You know, so the more stressed I am the more I bake and the more I eat.

'And working from home, temptation is always in her way.

'But now she wants to get as nimble as those manicured fingers of hers.'

I use this for hanging clothes on. I got it for Christmas

and it looked great and I just said it was a nice room decoration,

but now I am actually using it and I run five and a half kilometres

and getting really fit and just enjoying it.

It's changed the way I live, really,

and I'm just a lot healthier these days.

'As a community rugby coach and player herself,

'Laura Coleman spends most of her time on a pitch.

'So her problem is not exercise but what she eats afterwards.'

Right, I need a bit of help with post-match teas.

As in, I need a healthy option that I can then cook for my team

that's still going to be hugely tasty

so that the girls won't necessarily know that we're eating

a healthier option so it means that I don't get all the banter

for eating healthy.

'To make sure Laura is not the butt of any rugby jokes,

'we've invited her to my place to create a rugby supper

'that delivers health by stealth.'

'And we are going to have to cook up a big dish packed with flavour

'as Laura wants to make it for her team and a local rival side.'

-We have come up with a plan.

-Oh, a belter.

One of the most fattening things that we have ever cooked has been...

-(FRENCH ACCENT) ..the French cassoulet.

-Oui.

Cassoulet is really a posh casserole.

In France, the authentic recipe is such an art form there is

an academy dedicated to it.

This was my certificate from the Order Of The Cassoulet.

And this is my badge.

We are, in fact, masters at concocting, basically,

a melange of beans

and duck and pork and fattening good things.

'I'm sure we can substitute fatty cuts of meat with lean ones,

'but a sausage cassoulet is nothing without a sausage.'

Just go for a sausage that says 85% meat and beyond.

So I'm just going to fry these off.

'A brush of oil to help our bangers colour up nicely.'

'Let's get our Laura to work on our healthy veg to bulk out the dish.'

If it can get French peasants through the winter,

it can feed you guys after a game of rugby.

That wonderful smell of fried onions.

We don't want them quite burger van but I think we should have a little bit of colour in there.

Absolutely.

The natural sugars that are coming of the onion are starting

to caramelise and that's another layer of flavour.

'And Dave has a great way of getting maximum flavour from garlic.'

Why are you grating it?

It just gives you the most wonderful garlic paste.

Lush because that goes right the way through the dish.

Already it's smelling absolutely super appetizing, isn't it?

Absolutely immense.

'The authentic cassoulet contains goose-fat-rendered duck confit.

'Instead we're using skinless chicken thighs.'

That's it yeah, grand.

'Once the chicken is seared, it is into the casserole dish

'along with our veg.'

Put the carrots and the celery in there.

'Instead of the wobbly pork belly in the traditional cassoulet,

'how about using lean hunks of gammon?'

Fling the gammon in.

'We don't want to waste one molecule of the flavours we've built up,

'so I'm de-glazing the pan with a smidge of wine.'

One of my favourite old pans, this.

I call it my cowboy pan.

-All goes in there.

-Oh, yes.

'We can remain loyal to the original recipe

'with our final ingredient, cannellini beans.'

Nice.

'The longer and slower it cooks, the more intense the flavours

'will become.'

Come on, Slim, unleash the beast.

-Smell that, man! It's marvellous.

-It is, isn't it?!

-Does it feel like a heavy thing of food?

-It does.

Oh, yes.

'And as a final fat-free flavour fix, a garnish of parsley

'and orange zest.'

You can smell as the orange zest heats up. Ladies first.

It's brilliant,

That orange at the end gives it a really good little hint.

That is a multi-layered, multi-flavoured plate of food.

-Fabulous.

-Oh yes.

Having a sausage-gasm.

'Well, Laura seems pretty pleased,

'and we've worked out that our cassoulet is around 460 calories

'per serving, which means that together with our cooked breakfast and spicy roast lunch,

'we're well under our 1,300 calorie target

'for three great family meals.'

'But after three weeks of this new food order,

'is it paying off on the scales?'

Crumbs.

Weight converter.

6.9 kilos.

Convert.

One stone, one and a half pounds.

Nice one!

-I never thought I'd lost that much.

-That's really good.

Oh, that's good, guys.

Thank you very much for all your help because I couldn't do it without you.

There has not been one bacon sandwich been consumed

in front of me, and for that I love you.

-Thank you, darling.

-Well done.

Well, that's good, isn't it? That's good.

Yeah, fantastic.

Right, I'll put my clothes on now, do you think?

-Yes.

-Probably best, we've got stuff to do, haven't we?

'That's a result and means I'm right on target

'to shift two and a half stone in just over three months.'

'For me, a big motivation is that shifting inches

'will save me pounds sterling in the long run.

'You see, I have a £500 bet with my stepdaughter Iza

'I'll get into 20-year old jeans.'

-Are you feeling confident?

-Yes.

'Little does she know, that Professor Roy's already confirmed

'that I am on course to achieve it!'

That's four inches off my waist!

-I'll still win the bet.

-No chance, you're not getting that money.

-Yeah, I am.

-You're not, loser!

'I've got two more months to lose the remaining five inches

'and I've got news for you, Iza. I'm determined to do it.'

'We just need to keep creating dishes that are miniature

'on calories yet massive on taste.

'At Novo's Rugby Club near Newcastle, Big Eater

'and rugby player Laura Coleman is preparing one such dish,

our cunning cassoulet from earlier, to feed her team-mates

'and a rival side.'

'We want to make sure our cunning cassoulet is a real crowd pleaser

'so we've enlisted the help of the Big Eaters' resident chef, Andrew Brown.'

Pour the red wine in, stir it round to get all these bits off.

'You see, the cassoulet won't the only dish served at this rugby supper.

'At rival rugby club, Westoe in South Shields, veteran members

'and Big Eaters Ken Reay and Dave Arundel are cooking up

'the stereotypical rugby player's favourite.'

Right, I'm creating curry. This one is a Keralan chicken kurma.

'Even though Ken and Dave are trying to lose weight, their curry

'is going to be a full-fat offering to appeal to the local sides.'

How many curry houses have we got in one street?

19 curry houses in one street.

-And that's what the kids are brought up on.

-Yeah.

That and saveloys.

Weaned onto curry at an early age.

Right, well we've got enormous breasts, which are very popular

in South Shields.

Look at those, wonderful. Wonderful to behold.

You won't find many rugby players

who don't really enjoy...curry.

That's for certain.

Right, so, now is the scientific part.

'No ready-made sauces here. Ken and Dave are purists

'and are making it from scratch.'

'But it's the clarified butter, or ghee,

'and full-fat yoghurt that really adds the calories to curry.'

'Just look at the gloss on that! You only get that from fat.'

Nice big, chunky pieces for big, chunky rugby players.

'Ken and Dave's curry will be served with rice poppadoms

'and all the trimmings and contains a hefty 857 calories.

'Our cassoulet is half of that.'

Most rugby players, historically, would go for a curry.

It's just, if you say cassoulet to a rugby player they won't have a clue what it is.

So it will be getting over that barrier.

'As Laura's found, it's tempting to reward yourself

'with piles of fatty food after exercise but she's hoping

'that the cassoulet is hearty enough to hit the spot with her team-mates.'

TEAM: # We are the champions... #

'And they've hit the showers,

'but is that a celebration or commiseration song?'

# To the end! #

'I don't know mate,

'I've not been this near the girls' changing rooms since school,

'and I don't think we should hang around to find out.

'Let's just check in with our star player, Laura.'

Oh, it's a hive of activity in here.

Look at that! It's like some mad witch.

-It's smelling good, though. It's real food.

-It smells amazing.

Oh, look, those sausages have browned nicely.

You see, you've done a stovetop as opposed to an oven,

-and actually, I think that might be better.

-So do I.

-Because it will be thicker and more tasty.

-How are you doing?

-Hey, chef.

-I'm good.

Look at us, we both thought we would get in the mood.

Scrum down!

'The countdown to kick off has begun as the rival side in the form

'of Dave and Ken are on their way with their precious cargo.'

I'm just worried about severe braking

and I could end up with curry on my lap.

And it's very, very hot. It's like having a very hot

sleepy grandchild on your knee where you can't move.

Interesting experience, this.

'It'll also be interesting to see

'whether it's the full-fat curry or our calorie-conscious cassoulet

'that proves most popular with the players based purely on taste.'

Three big lads have arrived!

-Hello, mate, how are you?

-Look at this!

Talking of curry.

I hope you've done a dreadful job.

-You are not competitive, are you?

-Yes!

-So are we!

We're all on the same team now.

It's taken years off my life getting it here.

Oh, yeah! Chicken.

Oh, it smells lovely.

A proper South Shields curry so it's the full bifter.

With the rice, poppadoms.

The lads from Westoe rugby club have been brought up on curry

and they've never heard of cassoulet

and I think they'll go straight for the curry.

Oh, you do, do you?! Oh, well!

'Well, we'll soon find out,

'because the Westoe lads are on their way.'

THEY CHANT

'With both sides about to arrive, has Laura got a case

'of the pre-match jitters?'

It's all right, I'm not worried.

I'm not worried, I'm not going to admit defeat yet!

'Well, we're slightly concerned. That curry looks a belter.'

Does anybody want a pint?

'Our two teams of rugby players turned blind taste test judges have arrived.'

'Amateur rugby players burn about 600 calories per hour.

'They'd have to play solidly for an hour and a half

'to burn off Ken and Dave's full-fat curry but they'd only

'need to play for 45 minutes to burn off our cunning cassoulet.'

I'm happy that we're going to win, very happy that we're going to win.

No, no, we're the away team. You've got home advantage,

I don't like all that green stuff on the top.

None of the players know we're here and they also have no idea

there's a significant calorie difference between the two dishes.

We just hope they'll give our cassoulet a try.

There is two dishes up here - cassoulet,

and you've got a chicken curry.

To explain what a cassoulet is - it's a posh casserole.

LAUGHTER

At the start of this blind taste test,

it's Ken and Dave's colourful curry that seems to be the most popular.

I can see the curry is going down well

because you can see the rice on the plate, the yellow rice.

'Hold on, they're having a bit of curry AND cassoulet.'

They are bloody having both! It's like a bloody soup kitchen.

'You know, Dave, they could have a portion of our cassoulet

'and a pint and a half of beer for the same calories

'as that fatty curry.'

'But the players are going up for seconds of both dishes.'

These people have no sense of portion control.

'Let's get out there and share the score, calorie wise, with the players.'

Look at this lad! This is not portion control, is there?

-Look at that one!

-Oh, no, fair enough - look at those shoulders.

Don't stand too close, he's full of testosterone!

So, we've got the curry and we have got Laura's cassoulet.

Do you think she has done all right?

Great! >

Yeah. Tasty?

-Yeah, very tasty.

-All the things you want for something to eat, didn't you?

Right, good, good.

The cassoulet is around 450 calories for a big plate.

'Dave, if we're going to be precise, it's 464 calories a portion.'

The curry's great but it's twice as fattening.

It's about making the calories that you consume count, basically,

because there are loads of hidden calories

that didn't count and you don't feel fed and you need...

He's still tucking in!

Am I meant to stop?!

LAUGHTER

No! He's a bloody machine, isn't he?!

Well done, kid.

Well done.

I bet this is a sausage desert in here. It is as well!

I preferred the cas... cassoulet, was it called?

The cassoulet to the curry.

It was a little bit more difficult to pronounce but I preferred it!

Cassoulet, sir?

I enjoyed the cassoulet quite a bit, It had a mix -

a bit of sausage, a bit of chicken but it was really good.

After a rugby game I think it would be great, as opposed to the traditional pie and peas.

'Some of the players are even having third helpings to take away!'

I'll have it for lunch tomorrow, a healthy lunch.

There was about the same amount of curry to cassoulet

and the cassoulet's nearly gone

and there's a lot of curry still left, which is interesting.

-It is tasty.

-It is, it's lovely. It's a good recipe.

'So our cassoulet proved more than an even match for the curry'

'but the most important player to please is Big Eater Laura.'

I think we managed to prove our point in the fact

that you can still eat a proper decent meal that is actually

a lot healthier for you, so I really enjoyed it.

'So that success marks the end of the first month

'of this new way of cooking and eating for Dave and I.

'Our big-eating buddies started the diet a couple of weeks later

'than us and it's time to get a measure of ourselves.'

'Rugby lass Laura Coleman's first to weigh in at the market.'

I was 13, 7. Hopefully, I've lost a little bit of weight.

Oh, yes! 13, 5. Two pounds.

'So that's two pounds off in around two weeks for Laura

'and she's had to dash off for rugby training.

'But what about the rest of the Big Eaters?'

Right, now, let's have an orderly line.

So, first on the oche, it's our Ken.

Ken, what did you weigh at the start of this diet?

-I was 18 stone, 3.

-18, 3.

Yes! 17, 10! Half a stone!

'All that clever cooking appears to have paid off for Ken.

'Next up, it's Ann.'

-What did you weigh?

-19, 10.

19, 8, you've lost 2 pounds.

That's good! Well done, darling.

APPLAUSE

Now, Claire, what did you weigh at the start of this, Claire?

12 stone, 4.

-Oh, I've put weight on!

-12 stone, 7.

-It's not that much though!

-It's bad enough!

'Next up, our black belt Jonathan.'

Sixteen, five and three quarters.

Sixteen, seven. Jonathan...

Sorry!

Small setbacks.

But you're still a fat black belt!

Chef, what did you weigh at the start of this?

-19 stone.

-19 stone.

19 stone, 6!

You've put six pounds on!

I tell you what, mate, we're not Rosemary Conley, are we?!

It's not going well.

If you don't sort it out, you're going to boot camp!

'Let's hope our hard partying student Liz does a bit better.'

-Do you think you've lost weight?

-No.

-Why?

-Because I've drunk too much.

-Ah.

13, 4 - you haven't.

-Stayed the same.

-Yes!

'Finally on the scales it's Dave. Let's hope he has lost something.

-What were you to start off with?

-14 stone dead.

Right, OK, crack on.

Yes! 13, 12!

APPLAUSE

That's mint.

'Oh, thank goodness for Dave because that was a very mixed bag

'of results for the rest of the Big Eaters.'

'Don't forget we've been calorie cutting for a bit longer, Si.

'Let's find out if this past month has paid off on the scales.

'When we first came into the weigh house a month ago,

'I weight 17 stone, 11 and a half.

-Sixteen eight!

-Get in!

That's one stone, four pounds.

'When I was last here I was 19 stone and 5 pounds.'

-Wow!

-Get in!

-18, 5 !

What's that make?

19, 5, so...

Brilliant! Get in!

Back of the net!

Well, that's a good result for both of us.

Hopefully, the Big Eaters' first group weigh in will give them

the boost they need to do better next time.

And it also gives us plenty of motivation to come up with

more recipes to help all of us lose weight.

-Well done, mate.

-And you, bud, and you.

-We've done nearly two and a half stone between us.

-That's a lot.

That's without a faddy diet, that's without fasting.

We've had big sacrifices, we've knocked the drink off largely.

Psychologically, it's hard at the minute.

I have a mindset flushed with the first success

of the initial weight loss.

It took me quite a long time to get over my scale phobia.

-It's been worth it.

-Oh, it definitely has been worth it.

I feel so positive about that result

I'm ready to take Professor Roy's advice.

Maybe it's time the Hairy Bikers have a go at being the hairy cyclists.

The Hairy Cyclists...

Well...

It would be interesting to see him in his lycra spandex!

Oh, Kingy, spandex?

Oh, God.

'Si, it's a good idea to start off road before we inflict ourselves

'on the motoring public.'

'I thought I'd forgot how to ride a bike, you know,

'but it turns out that riding a bike is...like riding a bike.

'It's not bad, this, you know.'

'Kingy, you have to agree we created three hearty meals.'

'I do, mate, and less than 1,300 calories between them.

'If we carry on like this for three months

'we'll be body beautiful bikers, you know.

'But there's plenty more meal times to crack.'

You can love food and lose weight too.

All our recipes are on the website.

Go on, give them a go.

-I'm sure this bit's uphill.

-I think it is, you know.

Next time, can we roll out pastry treats without piling on the lard?

-Kingy, it's a pie.

-That's a pie, dude.

A new take on the tempting takeaway meals that led us astray.

That's it, mate. We don't have to give up with the Indian night on Tuesdays.

But will our dieting delivery service receive rave reviews?

I would order that. It just tastes so fresh and real.

And the hairy cyclists take to the hills. There's no stopping us now.

I can't work out which is the front and back brake!

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