Slimming world advice please :)

[foxtrott]

Hello, I've never tried slimming world before i want to try and give it ago, well as best i can (i don't have any local groups) and its 70 odd pounds to join online which i just don't have spare at the moment (and can't see having with the holidays coming up)

What is the slimming world diet? What are the basic principles i can use in my weight loss journey?

Would really appreciate some advise as i really need to make some changes for my family and myself.

 

[AngelUK]

Hello, sorry I only saw this now, I should come to this part of the forum more often!

I am doing Slimming World and while it is not a fast diet, it super super easy to do. You are never hungry and you can eat as much as you want without weighing and counting.
The basic principles are that there are three types of foods. Super Free, Free and Syns.
The rule is that of each meal you should eat 1/3 of super free foods and the 2/3 of free.

Super free foods are most fruit (but not smoothies, or cooked fruit!) and most vegetables (including passata and tomato puree for example).
Free foods are things like all lean meats (including ham and lean bacon!), poultry and fish (even smoked salmon, but not smoked mackerel, too oily). Also rice, pasta and potato and pulses and beans.

You also have Healthy Options A and B allowances per day. Healthy Options A are dairy products. Milk and cheeses are among those. I really like my coffees so I use my daily allowance of Healthy Option A for 350ml skimmed milk. But if you don't need milk, then you could exchange that for 35gr of cheese for example. Not a lot! And this is per day not per meal! (But most Non fat things such as most Muller Light Yoghurts, Low fat Cottage Cheese and Quark are free food!)
Healthy choice B are things like cereals, wholemeal bread, dried, canned or cooked fruit. I choose 2 slices of wholemeal bread (from a 400gr loaf!) a day for my allowance. All other breads (non wholemeal) are syns and need to be counted as that.

And that brings you to your syns, short for synergy but pretty much like a sin or treat . You can have 15 syns a day and you should not skimp on those or you will start to feel deprived. Syns are things like butter, oil, cheese but also chocolates and sweets etc. This is where the online resources for Slimming World come in useful as it is really hard to know what is a syn at times and what isn't.

I usually have my Dolce Gusto coffee in the morning which has 2.5 and then a Freddo chocolate in the evening, which has 5. I may also sometimes have a Grande Skinny cappucino at Starbucks, which is another 4.
As for cooking oils, you can use the 1cal frying sprays and I swear roast potato (free!!) tastes just as nice! Oh also free are Baked Beans would you believe!

It is difficult to include everything here that you can and cannot eat on this plan but I hope I have given you a bit of an insight. I go to meetings every week and I must say I enjoy the me time.
I would strongly recommend that you do join. Some ladies in my group have been sent by their GP. But I am thinking your BMI has to be a certain number for you to be referred. but I know that the NHS does sometimes pay for it.
If you cannot afford it then I would recommend you look for online meal recipes and other info, for example on youtube as I know there is a lot of that floating about.
Good luck

btw I think you have the costs wrong: as far as I remember it is £10 to join and then £4.50 weekly. But they do sometimes have offers on, so watch out for that. https://www.slimmingworld.com/joining-a-group/special-offers.aspx

 

[foxtrott]

Thanks so much for taking the time to explain the plan so well, it sounds great, i think i'll look more into joining (it sounds like something i could stick too) i really appreciate it

 

[nicki01]

I'm glad I spotted this post, I've been considering joining for a few weeks, I have a local meeting across the road!
What happens at the group? I'm really interesting in knowing what happens before I join.
Thanks and sorry for jumping on your thread!

 

[Stacey_Ann]

Go along to your group and find out

My consultant was always more than happy for people to come along, she'd explain the plan to them (and any new members/other people curious about joining), do the meeting then at the end you can sign up if you wish or walk away. No obligation, no fuss etc. xx

 

[AngelUK]

I wanted to add that eggs also are free. So if you wanted to, you could have a full English breakfast

As for what happens at the meetings: The first one you go to, the group leader will tell you about how everything works and show you the booklet you will be given. She can explain everything better in detail than I could here. But you can then stay for group and get a general feeling for what happens. Only after that meeting do you have to pay if you decide to join. If not, you can just walk away. But seriously what have you got to lose but weight? I know it costs something but I really think it is not that much for the benefit you get! Anyway, if you want to join, you get your booklet and your card and then you will get weighed and your weight goal will be marked in your book and on your card (like a credit card type thing). You set your own goal btw, no one is going to tell you what you need to lose (unless of course you are 6 foot tall and decide that you want to weigh 100lbs. )
From then on, when you go in, you will get weighed, but only the lady weighing you will see your weight and it is a designated member of the group (and she is likely no top model either ) and it will be written down in your booklet. Then when every one has been weighed, the group leader will stand in the middle and ask everyone in turn how much they have lost and how the week was. She will give advice when needed with input from the group. The group will cheer every little loss and commiserate if no loss. They can help you with recipes or frustrations etc. I think it is a great help going to group. Some people only come in to get weighed and then leave again but I like the motivation of group and there is usually lots of laughing too. It is really relaxed in my group and I am lucky also with the lady who runs the group as she is lovely and not at all pushy or stern when there has been no weight loss. It can happen if you have functions or holidays or what ever and it is no reason to hide. BUT sort of confessing to it will refocus you and give you renewed motivation to stick to it that week.

I have been on many diets in my life and I swear this is the first one where I feel I will be successful. Not just cause I have that support but because I eat like a horse, more than before (just less of certain foods) and I never have to "go without" as I can always use my syns when I want a treat. Good luck and let me know how you like it, once you have started

Edit: another great thing that you get when you signed up, is access to the free Slimming World app for your phone. This is brilliant when out shopping, as you can type in the name of a food you are interested in and it will tell you how many (if any) syns it has!

 

[nicki01]

Thanks for all the info.
Ok I may give the lady a call next week, she is at the community centre on a Thursday by me so may well pop along and see what its all about!
I can never stick to a diet because I hate feeling hungry and get so confused with what to eat and what not! So it sounds like it could be quite up my street! Especially if eggs and beans are free foods

 

[AngelUK]

I just went in without calling first but if you prefer to call then of course go ahead
And you won't feel hungry on this diet as you can eat or snack when ever you do feel hungry.

 

[Katerz]

I've lost almost 2.5 stone on slimming world and I'm 3lbs away from target I LOVE it. I wasn't much of a cook before I started, more of a grab something from a box from the freezer and bung it in oven with chips! Now I make pretty much everything from scratch.

Not a lot else to add to what has been said already but for me going to group rather than going it alone really helps and keeps me on track

 

[AngelUK]

Oh wow well done! I have just lost my first stone (I think!) and am hoping for a sticker on Monday

 

[nicki01]

Oh wow well done both of you. Both proof that it really does work your making me a little more eager about going now!

 

[Katerz]

OH! Another thing I didn't mention we have food tasting evenings (next week actually) people make syn free/low syn stuff and we have a good old guilt free munch!

 

[nicki01]

Ok so my local group is on tonight, I've looked online and its says 5:30 and 7:30. I'm hoping the other half will be home from work for me to go over at 7:30z I haven't called the women, can I just turn up?
I'm just imagining a room full that I walk into and get stared at and noone talk to me and I will feel like an idiot!! Lol.

 

[AngelUK]

Yes you can just turn up. You might not be the only one to start today either. But what happens at my group is that the lady running the group will sit down with new people and explain how it all works and show you the book etc while other ppl start trickling in and getting weighed and chatting etc. Only when everyone is done and the lady has explained everything does group as such start. You will not be ignored. You will then sit in the group and the lady will ask you to briefly introduce yourself and to tell what brought you here but you do that sitting down and only needs a sentence or two.
Good luck and let us know how it went and how you liked it please

 

[nicki01]

Thanks for explaining, I really want to go but I'm also quite nervous! Need to just suck it up and go! Really hoping my partner gets home in time whilst I have it in my head I'm going!!!
Will I be weighed and measured today?

 

[AngelUK]

No measuring in my group! And you will only get weighed at the end of the group when you decide whether to join or not.

 

[Katerz]

Hope it went well? Don't forget everyone is there for the same reason if you need help with anything just ask!

 

[nicki01]

It went ok thanks, the earlier session has 53 members but the later one I went to has about 12 but only 6 stay so its quite nice.
The lady explained a bit about the books. I'm a little confused about the green, original and success express?
Which one should I follow and what are the differences?

 

[AngelUK]

I do extra easy and I think you should too as it is super super easy. As for success express that is just when instead of haivng your plate of 2/3 free food and 1/2 superfree, you have 2/3 superfree and 1/3 free. So say you had a meal of chicken with potatoes and a salad, you would have to make sure that the salad, which is superfree, is the bigger part of the meal 2/3 to 1/3. Lemme tell you right now that that is HARD! As free food is usually what you fill up on and to satisfy your hunger. But you could do it maybe for lunch with a big mixed leaf salad with tomatoes, cucumber and chicken strips.
If you have more question, I don't mind, Ill do my best to explain

 

[nicki01]

Also if I cook at jacket potato with beans is that free?
Or is the potato a healthy choice?
I'm a little confused! I really hope I can get my head around this! Everyone said its super easy so maybe its just me lol!