Thread: Slimming World and calorie intake

OK... so I'll apologise in advance for being quite geeky but I've been trying to read as much as I can about weight loss and weight management over the last few months from a variety of sources.

And there's one thing that is indisputed whomever you ask. The fact is - to loose weight you have to consume less calories than you burn. To maintain weight, you have to consume the same calories as you burn. And to gain weight, you have to consume more calories than you burn.

There are various other theories that help you along the way - supplements including fish oil, eating before a certain time in the evening, always having breakfast, drinking plenty of water etc.

Although Slimming World does not require you count calories, it acknowledges that it works because it "naturally lowers your calorie intake". In addition, Slimming World argues that the 'free' foods are foods that are high in 'density' - they fill you up and make you less likely to eat.

Being geeky as I am, I put the last couple of days of food intake following the Slimming World plan into a website that calculates how many calories I am eating.

According to this website, most of the time I am eating a low enough amount of calories in order to loose weight. I could safely eat much lower though (I'm currently eating around 1800 calories, I could reduce safely to 1500 and loose more).

SW is working for me - by following the plan, I am naturally reducing my calorific intake. And I'm doing it in a way that doesn't feel like I'm particularly deprived given I could theoretically eat as much pasta, potatoes etc as I want. As a result, I'm loosing weight - an average of 2/3 lbs per week.

I got round to thinking about this because of Muller Lights. I eat two, three or sometimes even four of these per day - at 100 calories a pop. According to Slimming World - this is completely acceptable, a 'free' food and something that will not affect my weight loss.

But, it is impossible for it not to affect my weight loss, because I'm consuming an extra 400 (really quite unnecessary) calories per day. I binge on these not because I 'need' the food, but because I like them and they are satisfying and they fill me up a bit when I am hungry.

Really, I should be eating fruit - but following the SW plan, a Muller Light or four is completely acceptable.

Have you ever thought about this? Do you just trust in and follow the Slimming World plan to the letter and not consider your calorific intake? Or do you try to combine the two for effective weight loss?

What about the other theories affecting weight loss? Do you try and not eat after a certain time in the evening as so many advise? Do you always eat breakfast to stimulate your metabolism? Do you avoid 'free' foods that are allowed on the plan because you know they will be bad for your weight loss?

I'd be really interested to hear your thoughts on this! I know many will be not interested at all in this weight loss geeky-ness - so apologies for this and please move on!

But, if you are interested, it'd be good to hear what you think.

Cheers,
Ste
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Hi Ste

I avoid eating too many Muller yogurts because they are high in sugar and are very artificial. The lasting satisfaction ones from shape are much better. I eat 2 of these a day.

One theory that I have heard though, is that those slimmers who eat a lot of dairy are more likely to loose more weight, quicker, than those who don't consume dairy. There have been quite a few studies done and the outcome has always been the same, that the dairy eaters lose more weight. So it could be that your 4 yogurts a day are helping you to lose the weight.

I also think that SW plays on the psychology of dieting. Most diets fail because if you tell yourself that you cannot have something, you will want it all the more. SW don't actually ban any food. The idea is that you eat 80% free food, 15% HEX's and 5% syns. I know that I have always failed on diets before because I hate the feeling of hunger. And if you have used all your points (WW) and your are still a bit hungry in the evening, knowing that I can't have anything else without "breaking" my diet, made me really depressed. So I know that on SW, in the evening if I am still hungry, I know that I can go and nibble on some chicken etc. But the funny things is that because I know that I can, I very rarely do. Does that makes sense?

I think that a lot of SW plays on the psychological side of things. So by saying you can eat as much as you like of x,y &z, you're not tempted to eat as much of it as you would if you were told there was a limit on it. For example -

I have a bowl of pasta in front of me. If i was told that it was 500 calories and i could only eat that bowl or i'd be going over my daily calories, i would eat the lot - and have the biggest portion i could get away with within my calories.

If i was told i could eat as much as i want, i would eat until i'm full then leave the rest, safe in the knowledge that i could have some more later if i was hungry again.

Chances are i wouldn't be hungry later, thus reducing the calories by psychological tactics

I think when you're told there's limit on things, you automatically want to eat more incase you're hungry later on. When things are limitless, you're not bothered as you know you can always have some more later

That's my take on it anyway

I know that logically i have to reduce my calories in order to lose weight. But i trust in SW completely - enough to stop me obsessively counting calories like i used to!

So many people wouldn't lose weight if it didn't work, surely?

Oops space angel - looks like we cross-posted there, but we both have the same idea about it!!

lol im not gonna pretend i know how it works cause i dont. when i started and even up till now i think how does it work?? i never thought it would but it does so im not gonna worry how, im just gonna stick to it

Originally Posted by Beki

Oops space angel - looks like we cross-posted there, but we both have the same idea about it!!

Great minds and all that - lol

you think like Mr G he sat there this weekend reading the book )his first introduction to SW) saying OMFG they say you can you eat all this and still lose weight, i hope you are not literally following this plan and that your thinking about your calorific intake also (which luckily i am) i honestly dont get how they reckon as certain foods are free you can eat as much as you like you could end up eating over 2000Kcals a day, to which i agreed i carry my HUGE calorie,carb fat bible 2008 with me everywhere at the mo and i do check before eating stuff that wasnt in my planned days worth of meals

I reckon It definatley plays on the psychological side of the diet but the only way it works is to only eat when your hungry if you eat because you can and its free food you wont lose as much weight as you could. but then again you dont feel deprived and if you do want to pick at least its healthier stuff than what you would usually pick at

But then again if its 4 muller lights or 4 choccie bars you are better off with the muller lights

I think also aswell. SW promotes eating Good healthy food and its tasty! I know that I dont fancy chocolate like i used to and I dont graze through the day! I even commented that I am eating alot less than I used to and I am not hungry ever!
This diet is the bomb!
I wont try and understand it cos like thje others if i did? It would be boring to me as I would know how it works. I like the fact that I am eating all this lovely food and it doesnt feel like a diet!

x

Originally Posted by Fatty_no_more

I think also aswell. SW promotes eating Good healthy food and its tasty! I know that I dont fancy chocolate like i used to and I dont graze through the day! I even commented that I am eating alot less than I used to and I am not hungry ever!
This diet is the bomb!
I wont try and understand it cos like thje others if i did? It would be boring to me as I would know how it works. I like the fact that I am eating all this lovely food and it doesnt feel like a diet!

x

I think you have hit the nail on the head here. SW doesn't feel like a diet at all, and maybe that is a big part of it's success. It's just a different way of eating, and you can easily to this for life, and just until your at target.

Originally Posted by northernboi

I binge on these not because I 'need' the food, but because I like them and they are satisfying and they fill me up a bit when I am hungry.

Really, I should be eating fruit - but following the SW plan, a Muller Light or four is completely acceptable.

Mullerlights may well be 100 calories each but, like you've said, they fill you up and satisfy your appetite. pre SW i imagine at those little points in the day where you now grab a yogurt you may have grabbed a bag of crisps, a sausage roll, a chocolate bar or 3, which are all high in fat and calories. yogurts instead of the above would cut your calorie and fat intake alot.

yogurts also contain alot of calcium, which has been proven to aid weightloss.

i think it's the little changes, like leaving margerine out of sandwiches and dry frying/using frylight, that make the big differences to our daily intake.

don't question it too much, just EAT! lol

as for limiting free foods - i am well aware that i can eat rediculous amounts of pasta in one sitting, so i try to limit pasta to 2 or 3 times a week and make a concious effort to eat more 'free' salads and vegetable based dishes. i have found doing so has given me better losses.

I was not sure about the diet and have not got weighed yet, so not going to know for 2 weeks really if it works, but I have a big appetite, I think men tend to eat more anyways but I can easily have 4 or 5 mullers a day as I love them, but yeah I dont care because if I wasnt following SW I would have eaten something far worse.

Mishap yesterday however as ended up in McDonalds with kids and misses got me a Big Mac and Fries (no idea why she knows Im dieting) and can you believe that it was almost 60Syns!!! Ill never go in that place again and the food wasnt that good anyways, no syns for me all week now

Originally Posted by northernboi

I binge on these not because I 'need' the food, but because I like them and they are satisfying and they fill me up a bit when I am hungry.

There you go, they fill you up when your hungry so therefore you need the food. if you are hungry your body clings onto the fat and goes into starvation mode thus meaning your weight loss is less. if anyone at our meetings doesnt loose as much as they wanted then the first thing our SWC says is eat more free foods and it works.

i too have been very intrigued and now and then i think about the calorie content of what im eating, the other night for example i had noodles with mayo and chicken (very studenty i know) and 2 full to the brim bowls of the stuff came to about 400 cals and that was including 1.5 syns for mayonaisse and healthy b chicken. so therefore if i do that 3 times a day on average, thats a total of 1200 cals + maybe 10 syns extra which on average comes to about 200cals and another healthy extra which also total at usually about 120 cals then ive come to the total of about 1410 cals and still stuffed

Originally Posted by abigail09

There you go, they fill you up when your hungry so therefore you need the food. if you are hungry your body clings onto the fat and goes into starvation mode thus meaning your weight loss is less. if anyone at our meetings doesnt loose as much as they wanted then the first thing our SWC says is eat more free foods and it works.

see, i always wondered why when you havent lost weight they say eat more, i thought how does that work....no i know, Thanks

forgot to add healthy a's in there but all im trying to say is realistically on an average day i wont be hitting 2000 calories if i work it out. also as men are supposed to consume more than women (although i eat more than my fella) thats why free food is free so they can get those extra cals from there and thats why they dont get more syns

That's really interesting, thanks everyone for your replies.

It seems that basically both Slimming World and a proportion of members accept that calorific intake is the issue - but that psychological tactics such as not limiting food work well in order to naturally do so. When combined with complex carbs and so on... it seems sensible.

It's interesting about the 80/15/5 per cent ratio thing - I've read that a few times... but my consultant has never mentioned it. Looking at my food diary, I reckon I'm way off that. I probably have 50 per cent free food, 40 per cent healthy extras and 10 per cent syns.

Anyway, it's working (for now) so I'll keep doing what I'm doing and following the plan. I do think it's worth bearing in mind for the future (perhaps particularly as I get closer to target!) that 'free' food does contain calorific value (particularly pasta and potatoes) and that all 'syns' are not created equal.

Ho hum. If it because a problem, at least I'll know what it is! In the meantime, thanks for all your posts.

Ste
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