newbie Q: how does SW work?

dreamaholic

Silver Member
I've joined a group and read the food optimising book but am still trying to get my head around why SW works. With low-carb I understand why it works, so I can understand why red days would work (red day is like a low carb day, isnt it). My consultant suggested me to go for EE, but I don't understand how EE works - you eat rice / meat / potatoes etc all as free food, but you'll need to fill 1/3 of your plate with superfree food. Yes 1/3 of what you eat is veg / fruit, but still, if I eat carbs AND protein... how does food optimising work on EE? What's the mechanics behind this EE plan for weight loss?

I've been on EE since I started. To ensure I eat at least 1/3 of superfree food, say if I'm having some chargrilled chicken slices for lunch, apart from having a salad (I had a whole bag of M&S rocket and italian leaves salad yesterday), I also always munch on apples / fruit salad. But I only lost 0.5 pounds during my first week. :sigh: I wonder if I'm doing it right. Yes I did dine out occassionally, but given the huge amount of superfree fruit I had I expect to do slightly better than losing 0.5 pound in the first week. And I don't think I've had that many syns. It's supposed to be the golden week, right :cry:

If you know how SW work please can you tell me? I go to a "pop in group" near my office over lunch, I wonder if I should go to a proper group instead, as the consultant talked me through the green food optimising book briefly and that's about it. I'm still confused...

many many thanks
xxx
 
Hi there and welcome!
Firstly I would suggest that you have a look at this link:
http://www.minimins.com/slimming-wo...d-advice-new-comers-including-extra-easy.html

Also, have a read through the food diary section so that you get some tips on what other members are eating daily for each plan ie Green, Red and EE.
If you are still have trouble, give me a shout.

Good luck and once the penny drops, you will find it a doddle Hun.
xxx
 
thanks, that's a very useful thread indeed!

however I still don't understand the logic behind the EE plan... I can see the benefit of having lots of fruit / veg to fill you up.... but is that the main reason why EE help us lose weight?
 
Ok, so any of the plans from Slimming World work for one golden reason...........ITS SUPER HEALTHY AND YOU'RE GIVING YOUR BODY WHAT IT NEEDS!!! Simple huh? You're eating LOTS of gorgeous, natural foods which provide your body with all the vitamins and minerals its 'supposed' to have - eating more of the right foods instead of starving yourself boosts your metabolism and gets your body working in a better way - therefore your resting BMR is higher. Whether on EE, Green or Red, you're cutting out a LOT of processed & refined foods which generally contain a lot of extra fat, sugar, salt and additives. Your body is allowed to work in the way its supposed to without going into starvation mode.
I think your 0.5 loss in the first week could be down to any number of things. Yes, red days are lower in carbs and a LOT of people find their losses slow on EE or with too many carbs - maybe try getting your head around the red days? Are you drinking enough water? Your body will be holding onto it and causing water retention if not. What were your eating habits like 'before' your first week? If you were eating LOADS of junk and your habits were bad, your body has probably gone into shock and is adjusting to the fact that you're eating a lot less fat and is therefore holding onto it. If you were on a low cal diet and weren't eating all that much then the same applies, your body needs time to adjust to the amount of food you're now consuming. It WILL catch up - i promise. You just have to stick with it.

Hope you manage to get your head round it. You mustn't look at all the food you're eating and think 'i can't lose weight eating this much, i have to cut back'. Thats a classic mistake with this eating pattern and will result in you losing less.
Anyway, good luck chick - hope at least some of that makes sense. xx
 
Thanks Rayven - it does make sense. The more healthy food you eat the less room there is for junk...

Yeah I'd say since SW I eat less chocolate and crisps... (and I do miss those... hmmm) hope I'll see some bigger losses next week! otherwise it's hard to stay on SW when you don't see any result...:sigh:
 
If you're feeling a bit disheartened about it then i'd try a few red days to boost your loss. I really hope you get a good result this week hun. Check out peoples red day diary entries - they may inspire you. xxx
 
hurray, lost 3 pounds over the last week! :) :) :) :) :) this suggests I'm on the right track... which is a relief!
 
Well done hun!! Fab loss!! :clap:
 
Well done on your loss!!!

I went for a meeting recently to discuss becoming a Consultant and was told that SW is actually a calorie controlled diet, but all the science is left to their nutritionalists and not for us to worry over.
 
thank you all!! :) yeah... low fat / low calorie sounds about right by looking at what we eat, and I think I've eaten more fruits as a result which cant be a bad thing! :)
 
How do i post and enter weekly weight loss. sorry to butt in but cant figure it out . x
 
Just to highlight a couple of things you said:
Yes I did dine out occassionally, but given the huge amount of superfree fruit I had I expect to do slightly better than losing 0.5 pound in the first week. (extra calories eaten won't be taken away by eating fruit )And I don't think I've had that many syns. It's supposed to be the golden week, right. (you need to write down your syns and you should know by the end of each day how many you have had. This is crucial in the first few weeks) :cry:
xxx
Slimming world works by naturally restricting your calorie intake but it only woks if you stick to it, don't guess any weights of foods, don't guess syn values and don't underestimate the bits and bobs you pop in your mouth.
I would keep a food diary initially to include everything that passes your lips, even that crumb of cheese that fell off the grater!! (it will be synned)
Good luck and persevere x
 
Hi Rosie

Thanks for highlighting where I might be going wrong. Weight loss has been more promising in week 2 and week 3 so I believe I'm doing something along the right track.

I do want to know how many syn passed through my lips each day, but sometimes it's hard when you don't cook your own meal. For example, one of my favourite lunch is this sushi set from itsu

Itsu - Health and Happiness - Our Food - omega 3 salmon supreme

It's 509 calories, with fish (free), rice (free), salad (free), I know there're some syns with the salad dressing and the seeds, as well as some sugar and vinegar in the rice, but I have no idea how many syns there are! (However it does say on Lifeline Online feature: eating out - Japanese that sushi is a good choice so I believe I'm not doing something very naugty?)

Also... does anyone know why are seeds so "syn"ful? I thought they're supposed to be good for you!

Thanks for bearing with these newbie questions!
 
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Nuts and seeds are good for you - if you are maintaining but not if you are trying to lose weight as they are high in fat.
 
Hi Rosie

Thanks for highlighting where I might be going wrong. Weight loss has been more promising in week 2 and week 3 so I believe I'm doing something along the right track.

I do want to know how many syn passed through my lips each day, but sometimes it's hard when you don't cook your own meal. For example, one of my favourite lunch is this sushi set from itsu

Itsu - Health and Happiness - Our Food - omega 3 salmon supreme

It's 509 calories, with fish (free), rice (free), salad (free), I know there're some syns with the salad dressing and the seeds, as well as some sugar and vinegar in the rice, but I have no idea how many syns there are! (However it does say on Lifeline Online - log on. that sushi is a good choice so I believe I'm not doing something very naugty?)

Also... does anyone know why are seeds so "syn"ful? I thought they're supposed to be good for you!

Thanks for bearing with these newbie questions!


I think I am right in saying that there is a tool on lifeline online where you can tap in the nutritional info from packaging and get the Syns value. :) Not sure how it works, I sort of stumbled accross it whilst first looking at the site but not used it myself yet.

edit to add - http://www.slimmingworld.com/lifelineonline/onlinetools/synscalc/
 
Hi

The Itsu think is 9.5 syns on red and EE, 22.5 syns on green for a 384g serving. I 'think' they may have changed the serving size as that is (or was) 453 calories for a serving.

Unfortunately so much ready prepared stuff has 'hidden' syns.

I can't remember who it was but months ago there was a guy on here who also attended a popin session in London - can't think who it was for the life of me! If they are still around they may have tips on places to go or what to do about lunch in London x

just another thought - it is very easy to see other peoples losses and wonder why that isn't happening for you BUT if you look at their current weight and the amount they have to lose, it is often a lot more than the amount you have - and the less you have to lose the slower it usually is. So please don't get disheartened by reading about other peoples losses -you're doing great.
 
Hi Ygerna - thanks for the link. :) I've tried to calculate, however the only info I have are:
509 calories, 24.5g fat, of which 4.3 saturated. I need more info such as gram of protein and carb which is not available. I guess if I really want to find out I could email itsu and ask...

Circes - thanks for your tips re nuts and seeds! I'm trying to lose, but I believe the few sprinkled on top of my salad can be counted as syn and won't cause me too much damage.

Sue - thanks for your info and encouragement :) looks like you just started this Monday, good luck!!
 
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