Am i eating too much???

[noodlepix]

Hi, i've just been reading through some of the menu diaries on here and am concerned as i seem to be eating a lot more, which may account for my slow weight loss!!!

Can u over do it on free foods? On some days i will have 2 or 3 muller lights. I eat quite a lot of bananas and grapes too.

I've tried some red days this week as previously i only had green.

Do you think i should cut down on my free foods?

Nikki

 

[lisx]

it'll be the banana's and grapes causing slow weight loss, lots of people cant eat lots of those and loose weight. They have a high sugar content. Try cutting down on those and see how you go. I won't tell you how many muller's I've eaten in a day when I've been on a binge

 

[mod-karen79]

no way! you can eat as much free foods as you like. they are there to satisfy your appetite and you only have to stop when you are satisfied.

if you don't fill up on free foods you'll probably end up craving junk.

i eat pasta until it's coming out of my ears...i can polish off 350g dried pasta in one sitting and then i have to lie on my bed groaning, but it's free and it stops me craving and binging on chocolate and crisps later on.

enjoy!

 

[Jennyonaplate]

You simply cannot eat too many free foods - that's why they're free!

 

[abigail09]

theres no way you can be eating too much free food, my boyfriend is always telling me i eat too much but im stil loosing, he just cant handle the amount of food i eat, i have a huge appetite. i polish off his left overs too

 

[Louise24]

Good on you girl.

I don't seem to have a "full" switch, I just keep eating, but at least it's healthy now x

 

[hunca]

I eat LOADS each day. I'll have all 6 Quorn sausages with syn free chips & think nothing of it. I'll eat alot of Mullerlights if thats what it takes to keep me on track. Other days I wont eat as much ( that doesn't happen very often lol). If I make Pasta n sauce it's not 1 pack but 2 !!
Previously on SW I lost 2 1/2 stone in a matter of months eating in the same way. I'm sure everyone is different though.

 

[abigail09]

I make Pasta n sauce it's not 1 pack but 2 !!

me too, LOVE pasta n sauce, make it in the mic at work if its really busy

 

[Taz]

We were recently told the difference between free food and zero Syn food. The free food is like the pasta and potatoes (Green) and meat and fish (Red) and fruit and veg (Both). The zero Syn stuff is pasta n sauce, Super noodles, Mullerlights etc.

We were told that if we have more of the free food than the zero Syn food we would notice a better loss as the free food is more satisfying for less than the pre-packaged stuff. It is all free unlimited but try making your own meals from scratch rather than having packet food

 

[noodlepix]

Thanks

Thanks for your comments - will see what happens at WI tomorrow

 

[Nanny Jax]

At the beginning of my SW journey, as early as the third week in, i had to cut back on grapes, mullers, and bananas, I still eat them but not as much as I did in the first two weeks, and like Taz says it is better to have a savoury rice you have made yourself from scratch, with totally free food, rather than a packet that is 0 syn.

 

[Louise24]

Good points - also, if you make it yourself you can control the salt levels better. I find that pasta n sauce / savoury rice are really salty.

Saying that, I've just had one for lunch, but I didn't have time last night... x

 

[Carolanski]

Hi - my Mum was a SW consultant for many years and I also followed the diet. Both of us couldn't lose weight following the green plan, I don't know whether we were particularly sensitive to carbs. I put weight on when a followed a whole week on green. It is physically possible to eat too many free foods - losing weight is an equation calories in versus calories used if you eat 2500 calories every day of "free food" but only burn 2000 calories up you will not lose weight.

Most of the free foods are low calorie which means its unlikely you will eat enough to bring your calories to a high enough level to not lose weight but it is possible. Adding in your healthy extras and syns you could easily pack away a lot of calories
e.g. Pasta and Sauce is 300-400 calories per serving,
plus 3 mullerlights at 100 each,
couple of bananas at 100 cals each,
plus 1/2 pint skimmed milk - 100 cals,
bran flakes 100 cals,
1 oz cheese 120 cals,
4 ryvita 120 cals,
jacket potato average 250 cals
can of baked beans 300 cals
100g cottage cheese 90 cals
35g choc - 10 syns 180 cals
Total = 2060-2160 calories if you add in another 3 mullers and another pack of pasta and your totals up at 2660-2760 - nearly 700 calories more than the recommended daily intake just to maintain current weight.

Portion control is still really key - looking back I think I used to overeat my free foods because they were free rather than stopping when I was full and as a result lost weight really slowly, took me 9 months to drop 12 lbs.

Everybody is different and if you can pack away the carbs and still lose it - fab! But not everyone can!

Good luck with your journey

Carol x

 

[hunca]

R u currently following SW or a different plan?

 

[vicky82]

I thought SW was based around the concept that we dont count cals or fat?

 

[Louise24]

You're right Vicky. I think aslong as it is working for you (which it is) then stick with it. Don't get hung up on kcals, as you'll not eat enough free food ---- then get hungry ---- then reach for something we shouldn't.
Slimming World works, I don't know how but it does, so I personally am not going to give kcals a second thought xxx

 

[Carolanski]

Hi there

I'm currently doing a vlcd - but have followed SW in the past and lived with a SW consultant for 8 years so I know the plan very well and know it works very well for most people. I was trying to help explain how it is possible to take in too many calories to show a good weight loss. SW is great because of the way it is designed it does the calorie counting for you - if you stick to the plan you are very unlikely to go over the recommended calorie level for losing weight. But whether we like it or not all diets work on the same scientific principle - calories in vs calories burned. What I was trying to show is that it is still possible to "overeat" on any diet - which was exactly what I would do - and it seems to be easier to clock up too much on a green day, possibly due to the blood sugar effects of high GI carbs . Other members have also pointed out that they needed to cut down on items such as bananas, grapes and mullers in order to speed their weight-loss up. Also Taz pointed out that making food from scratch using free foods rather than using zero syn points helps losses, this is because they tend to be less calorie dense. Making a fresh tomato sauce and having it with dried pasta will more than likely be lower in calories than buying it ready made. My Mum ran SW classes for 8 years and her most successful members generally followed the red plan, ie low fat/low carb and she recommended to those members following green that they tried to fill up on those food which were free on both plans(i.e. lower carb veggies)

Sorry if anyone took exception to me trying to explain a bit more scientically why some people may lose a bit slower and need to keep a check on their portion sizes too - was only trying to help - and thought this forum was about supporting everyone on their weight loss journeys.

Carol

 

[Taz]

Hi carol I don't think anyone took acception to your explanation, just confused some. That is the basic principal of weight loss whatever plan you are on but there is also the factors of how your body processes and uses different foods. The idea of having unlimited carbs one day and unlimited protein on another is that your body will struggle to procces the two together but singley will use them in the way they are best needed. Pasta, for instance, is high in calories but will turn into energy rather than fat. That is why we don't have to worry about the calorie content. I know people who eat huge amounts of calories but still lose because they are eating the right calories.

I don't lose a lot on red days so I tend to avoid them, it depends on the individual

 

[Louise24]

Carol - I just re read my response to you. Sorry I was a bit snappy, I'm all over the place with my hormones at the moment. It was nothing personal I just wanted to stand up for my beloved slimming world.
Sorry x

 

[Carolanski]

Carol - I just re read my response to you. Sorry I was a bit snappy, I'm all over the place with my hormones at the moment. It was nothing personal I just wanted to stand up for my beloved slimming world.
Sorry x

No probs - I honestly wasn't slagging it off - I know its a great diet - my Mum lost 4 stones, and helped hundreds of people lose loads and loads of weight.

Carol x