Calorie counting & slimming world...

[Baileygirl]

Please don't jump on me....

I'm wondering if anyone else cc while following SW? I recently had a break from group (had attended for 5 years) My weight loss had stalled and the only support/direction I got was that I was lying about what I was eating! As an ex consultant, I know I wasn't cheating, what would the point be? However I needed a break emotionally and began to follow from home but using mfp on recommendation of a friend. I soon realised my calorie intake was in excess of 3000kcal/day!! I eventually stopped following the plan and cc full time, i enjoyed the freedom, lost a fair bit, went on holiday, put it all back on then got stuck in a rut.
I missed my SW days, the group, the plan and my 12 year old daughter wanted to join so after Xmas we went back together.
Now in in a state if turmoil as I'm following the plan properly (apart from a week long hiccup last week). I am logging my cals but am weighing carbs and as soon as I hit the 1500-1600 mark I'm fretting, I'm hungry and scared to overeat! I have just over 2 stone to get back to target and desperately want to get back there.

Can anyone help? X

 

[POLLYWOLLY]

I'd say the plan worked before for you so stick to it! If you're scared of the calories eat free/ superfree food that is less and it'll soon come off. Don't get disheartened you've managed it before! You can do it!

 

[Slim]

I think calorie counting takes away from the whole plan. Eat when your hungry, no weighing etc.

Plus it's not always calories its the type of food you eat.

I must admit I am worried for no loss this week. I e been doing weight watchers which is more calorie controlled in my opinion. I don't fully trust slimming world. But I'm giving it a try for 2 weeks.

 

[LadyZoe]

Newbie here, but this thread pretty much sums up what I am doing. I am following the SW plan 100%, but found I wasn't losing weight after a long period of messing around (not weighing out my HE's and syns). My husband has lost a lot of weight simply by counting calories and suggested I try it. It worked and I started losing, but couldn't get my head out of the SW plan. Now, I follow the plan and just count the calories to make sure I don't eat too much. I am very careful to make sure I eat superfree foods before anything else, then free foods. I keep my syns for the evening so I can have a treat while I relax after the kids have gone to bed. It's working for me, and my consultant is fine with it, so I think I'll keep going this way for a while.

Zoe x

 

[gazter]

I took a scientific approach to dieting. SW is a catch all, the plan is the same for 4ft 11 women with ten pounds to lose as it is for 6 ft men with 150 lbs to lose. It teaches us an awful lot, but it isnt magic.

If i had just started a calorie controlled diet it wouldnt have worked. I would have just ate all the things i normally eat up until my limit, and then felt hungry and broke my diet.

If you follow slimming world rules you end up with lots of filling foods that very rarely push you over 1500 calories. For me, as I have got closer to a normal healthy weigh i have been using the BMR with my daily calorific requirement as a guide, and minus 500 from that.

This leaves me about 1800 calories a day. I make sure I have my healthy extras, i make sure i have my third super free and eat plenty of fruit. I found my weightloss stalled following SW as i was eating less and less with my appetite slowly dropping. I worked it out that some days i was barely eating a thousand calories, though mostly 1200.

1200 calories is not enough for a 5ft11 man, its unnecessarily restrictive. I slowly over a period of a few weeks started to record my calories and intentionally push them up to the magic 1800 which should be enough to deliver a pound weight loss a week. I log it all on myfitnesspal

For me 1800 calories can give me a series of nice filling meals and treats. Despite being at target, despite being 25/26 in bmi I have lost nine pounds this month (and got slimmer of the month, non of it was rebound from christmas gain either).

I suppose there is something to worry about there, if i have for four weeks ate the precise calories necessary to lose one pound a week, but in fact have lost two per weel, is my metabolic rate actually quite high?

I feel no hardship on 1800 calories. 2300 calories which is the amount i need to neither gain or lose should be something i am exceptionally happy with.

 

[MrsQuadkon]

Whenever I've dieted before its been calorie counting, and always to 1200 which, because I wasn't 'food optimising' I was starving all the time and actually my weight loss stopped after a whole. Since starting sw last wed I still can't help but add up my calories at the end of the day. I've been having around 1350 calories and day and feel very satisfied. On a calculator it says I can eat 1480 calories to lose weight but I'm a bit worried about doing so as it seems too much, but some days I'm bound to eat more than others but I doibt ill ever go under 1350 so I'm just going to see how it works out

 

[MrsQuadkon]

Just done another which says 1450 for a 1lb a week weight loss and not to consume less than 1200 so I'm sure 1350 most days and 1450 some days will be gone, although I need to change this as I increase my exercise levels

 

[kingleds]

I don't think there is anything wrong with being aware of the calories in what you eat, but actually counting them religiously whilst on SW is kinda counter intuitive. I keep a rough track of mine on Myfitnesspal but only rough as I don't want oget in the situation whrere I'm looking at my calories for the day and thinking 'I can't have that options hot choc' even though I've got the syns for it.

As long as you stick to the superfree recommendations and tryo t snack on superfree first you shouldn't need to worry too much about the calories.

 

[hollys nan]

Totally agree with you kingleds. But I suppose I am a very strong S W supporter. Everyone has their own way of doing things, just for me personally having got to target and been here now for 15 months proves it does work for me anyway.

 

[gazter]

Totally agree with you kingleds. But I suppose I am a very strong S W supporter. Everyone has their own way of doing things, just for me personally having got to target and been here now for 15 months proves it does work for me anyway.

im with you on this hollys nan. The big danger point of a diet (assuming you get past the first month) is when you reach the point you are no longer losing weight. It is quite possible by this time your metbolism has dropped quite a bit, as a natural reaction to sustained calorie deficit, and muscle loss. This makes you incredibly vulnerable to rapid weight gain and is something i have been trying to manage via calorie counting.

 

[gazter]

Just done another which says 1450 for a 1lb a week weight loss and not to consume less than 1200 so I'm sure 1350 most days and 1450 some days will be gone, although I need to change this as I increase my exercise levels

That's why it is tough for women! I get between 1700 to 1800 for the same 1 lb weight loss

 

[MrsQuadkon]

Kingleds, I'm not keeping track as such, but I've been calorie counting for the past 11 years wether im on a diet or not so its going to be a hard habit to kick.

 

[kingleds]

Kingleds, I'm not keeping track as such, but I've been calorie counting for the past 11 years wether im on a diet or not so its going to be a hard habit to kick.

I get ya. I don't eat anything that isn't free or superfree without checking the calories first. Its just automatic now.

The problem is when you start counting calories in free & superfree foods as on SW you should eat these freely.

One thought for you - I hope you don't mind me saying this?

You say you've been calorie counting for 11 years, whether you are on a diet or not. It would seem that (based on your stats on here) its not been that successful, otherwise you wouldn't want to loose any more weight? I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you've done something to try and loose or maintain your weight for 11 year,s and its not worked, its probably not the right approach in the 1st place anmd trying something else might be a better idea?

 

[MrsQuadkon]

I've lost a lot of weight in the past whilst calorie restricting, I don't mean I've been dieting for 11 years, some days I would count 4000!! Calories in a day, so it's not a diet thing for me but I just can't help but work out the calories in everything I eat be it good or bad. Thing is I just can't seem to stick to the 1200 calorie diet that I've used in the past to lose weight anymore, even though on sw I'm not consuming massive amounts more, I just want to concentrate more on what I eat rather than how many calories. I think as I become more confident with sw I won't worry too much about the calories

 

[SallyVater]

1,200 calories for someone of your height and weight would be waaaaaaay under what you'd need to lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way anyway. You will stop counting the calories I'm sure, after a few months of SW it'll become almost second nature to just count your Healthy Extras and your syns and not worry about your free foods.

 

[bc201]

By counting Syns and weighing accurately( not guessing) there's no need to count calories.
Are you going to count them for the rest of your life??
I've just followed SW and have reached target! And exceeded my expectations!my BMI is now 20 and have kept that since beg Sep
I must admit the only time I gain if I do not eat enough (when ill)
So it's all about a learning curve like everything else

 

[gazter]

I get ya. I don't eat anything that isn't free or superfree without checking the calories first. Its just automatic now.

The problem is when you start counting calories in free & superfree foods as on SW you should eat these freely.

One thought for you - I hope you don't mind me saying this?

You say you've been calorie counting for 11 years, whether you are on a diet or not. It would seem that (based on your stats on here) its not been that successful, otherwise you wouldn't want to loose any more weight? I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you've done something to try and loose or maintain your weight for 11 year,s and its not worked, its probably not the right approach in the 1st place anmd trying something else might be a better idea?

I tend not to calorie count the suprefree foods, just because (with the exception of some fruit) they tend to be so small as to be meaningless.

Its just an overall amount. It keeps me in check, it allows me to eat something that might have blown SW syns out of the water.

I am not not doing SW, if you can follow what i mean. I mentally think of syns, and healthy extras and free foods etc.

I suppose its like being able to speak in two different languages, sometimes you slip between the two.

 

[gazter]

By counting Syns and weighing accurately( not guessing) there's no need to count calories.
Are you going to count them for the rest of your life??
I've just followed SW and have reached target! And exceeded my expectations!my BMI is now 20 and have kept that since beg Sep
I must admit the only time I gain if I do not eat enough (when ill)
So it's all about a learning curve like everything else

congrats on your loss and getting to such a difficult bmi. Whatever you are doing, you are doing it right.

 

[gazter]

1,200 calories for someone of your height and weight would be waaaaaaay under what you'd need to lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way anyway. You will stop counting the calories I'm sure, after a few months of SW it'll become almost second nature to just count your Healthy Extras and your syns and not worry about your free foods.

I agree, 1200 will work for you, but you must make sure you get all the nutrition you need, that level can stall your weight loss. It becomes a vicious circle, your body gets more and more used to eating less and less and you start reducing more and more.

I could see that cycle, even on SW.

 

[SallyVater]

I agree, 1200 will work for you, but you must make sure you get all the nutrition you need, that level can stall your weight loss. It becomes a vicious circle, your body gets more and more used to eating less and less and you start reducing more and more.

I could see that cycle, even on SW.

I read a really interesting article about an experiment that was carried out during the war on volunteers, it's called the Minnesota Experiment and it's fascinating. They were given 1500 calories per day! It's really not sustainable, and the best way to calorie control diets is by using your BMR and TDEE, which I think you said you were doing? Good for you!

I think SW does try to reign in the calories consumed but not to the extent of starvation, other slimming clubs aren't quite so careful IMHO.