:bighug: I can see why you may be feeling that it is not working. But, stay focussed: you have lost 7lb in 4 weeks
Well done!!!
May I offer you another way of looking at it?
If you average out your weight loss over those 4 weeks, that is roughly 1.75lb per week ... and, as we are advised that the average weekly weight loss is between 1 and 2lb ... seems to me you are doing great and it is indeed working
The beginning of May is 11 and a half weeks away. If you loss 1lb per week, on average, between now and then your total weigh loss (4 gone and 11 to go = 15 weeks worth) would be 18lb (or, 1 stone, 4lbs) which is a great loss!
Very interesting question!
I would suggest that it would depend on the "Free" foods you are having
and the quantity. Even free foods have calories of varying degrees (although the rationale is that they will fill you up faster and keep you feeling fuller for longer) and if you are eating a large amount, logic says it will lead to weight gain.
"Free" foods can be a little bit misleading insofar as ... suppose you make a SW "free meal"
Spaghetti bolognese - Recipes - Slimming World On Extra Easy, this is a free meal
Look closer, the recipe states it is a four serving recipe; this means one serving is "free". But, what if you have two servings? Or, three? Is it still "free"? And, if it is, why then does the recipe state it is 4 servings if we can eat as much "free" food at we like?
The answer lies on p52 of the handbook, under FAQ's, and refers to adding super free foods to the plate. Within the answer it actually refers to the Spag Bol above - pointing out it is a
free food meal and goes on to say ....
" .. i
f you want to serve a smaller portion and make room on your plate for a nice crisp salad, or fresh veg, that is great, but it's not a requirement, it's a choice ... ".
This is a very telling statement: note that you are advised to serve a
smaller portion of the meal if you are adding super frees
Not the same size portion + super frees; not second helpings + super frees
So, the serving size actually needs reducing!
Like any "healthy eating plan"/diet, the basic principles of SW is that it is offering you a low fat, low sugar, low processed food way of eating and showing you a way of eating well, filling up and staying full for longer on the Super and Free foods.
Another way of saying all of the above:
Chicken is a 'free' food (without skin :giggle: )
If I ate a chicken breast, jacket potato and salad for my dinner, but, my twin sister ate the w
hole chicken (I bought two
just in case ), 2 jacket potatoes and a salad for dinner, have we consumed the same amount of calories? Of course not! Could we expect to show the same level of weight loss if we continued to eat at that ratio for a week? Of course not!
Yet, we would both be eating "free" foods
So, yes, I think it is possible to put weight on eating free foods
in too high a quantity .
I
do believe Food Optimising works when it is followed correctly
Good luck with a continued, steady, weight loss. You have 11 weeks until May and I think you will look fantastic if you can continue with your current weekly average of 1.75lbs :clap:
