Ozi is a stay-at-home dad who feels isolated from friends and family, turning to the biscuit tin for comfort. Leigh is an army wife and admits to putting her kids first, skipping meals, and then binge eating. Louise, whose partner tragically died in an accident just a week before she gave birth to her first child, ate to console herself and piled on the pounds. Now in her 30s and married with two more children she thinks it's time to finally break the comfort eating habit. Two weeks into the diet Tom reveals how much weight the group have lost. He expects them to have made a strong start but there are some surprises in store.
In this episode Tom turns the spotlight on the group members who say they are too busy, or too inexperienced, to cook healthy meals at home. Tom is convinced that his easy recipes and encouragement will change their habits, introducing them to dishes such as a family breakfast of Cajun scrambled eggs; a dieter's ‘cheat pizza'; a pea and ham pasta that's on the table in under 15 minutes and a simple lower-calorie French apple tart.
In this episode Tom tackles special treats - but with some serious foodies and restaurant-goers among his group of dieters, these dishes need to hit the spot and stop them from falling back into their old ways. Tom is impressed with their commitment, but knows there's still a long way to go before their eating habits are changed for good.
After finding out some of the dieters have been sneaking off for takeaways, Tom decides to create his own low-calorie alternatives to fast foods and ready meals. He sets about tackling some of the most popular takeaways within the group, and creates his own nutritional version of a chicken curry, burgers, and even a doner kebab, which would typically exceed over 1,000 calories.
Tom Kerridge is helping a group of 13 locals from his neighbourhood to lose weight. And in two months he has worked wonders. They have now lost over 200 pounds between them. Tom's delicious lower-calorie recipes and the genuine affection he feels for everyone in the group are a winning formula. So far Tom has sent the gang 60 new recipes to road test. He has inspired people who didn't cook to get into the kitchen and he has gently steered comfort eaters, fast food addicts and over-indulgers towards healthier options. The group have really taken control of what they cook and eat at home. But there is a new problem for Tom to target. Some of the dieters are finding it hard to resist high-calorie options when they are at work. So Tom creates a new batch of appetising recipes - his 'movable feasts' - to help them resist temptation away from home. The recipes this time include three packed lunches and a snack they won't want to leave home without. For mid-morning munchies or an afternoon boost, Tom offers a crunchy popcorn and chocolate snack bar with marshmallow. It is like a Rocky Road but with way less calories. On a date, the only couple taking part in Tom's experiment smuggle a batch of these bars into the cinema with them. Later Tom catches up with them in a pizza restaurant to talk about making healthy choices. Tom shows us how to make his sweet potato and black bean burritos - spicy vegetarian wraps which are ideal for those with physical jobs and big appetites. The burritos get their debut when 23-year-old surveyor Tom brings them to work to share with his building site workmates. Police detective Andy also offers his colleagues a healthy lunch - a three-course reduced calorie menu of tomato soup, tortilla and cheesecake which he's made himself from Tom's recipes.
In the final episode of the series, the chef takes the group of dieters on a river cruise to celebrate their weight loss over the past 12 weeks. Tom prepares a selection of sharing dishes for the special occasion, including couscous, griddled halloumi and Mediterranean vegetables, pulled pork tacos with salad, and falafels with a tzatziki dip. Last in the series.
