Calories V Slimming World

[TeresaTT]

At the bottom line, Slimming World is all about reducing calorie intake. However, it does this in a clever way so that we don't have to ever actually count any calories. It guides us to foods that are filling but have a low density of calories. So we can eat until we are full but we will have had far fewer calories than if we had eaten the same volume of non SW food. The Slimming World web site explains all of this in their science part. It says:

Even though Food Optimising naturally lowers your calorie intake, you will never need to count, calculate or compute a single calorie value. Uniquely, Food Optimising takes into consideration not just the calorific value of the food but how well it satisfies our appetite too.

So calories are important, but SW has been designed so that we don't have to worry about calories as long as we follow the rules.

Having said that, it's still sometimes difficult to believe that you can lose weight and still eat so much. It just shows how clever SW is.

 

[Purple_Star]

But the key thing is, you shouldn't eat unless hungry, and really it shouldn't be necessary to snack on numerous yogs, mugshots etc. If you are having a 'hungry day' and genuinely need something, thats fine, but eating just for the sake of it isn't.

No matter what plan we are on, we need to learn to stop eating when satisfied and not eat until stuffed. Thats very difficult for those of us that are used to stuffing ourselves. But I for one now hate that feeling of being full and bloated, whereas previously I was so used to being that way all the time, I didn't mind.

So by all means snack on any free food if genuinely hungry, but otherwise, in my opinion, its not good.

 

[*Cupcake*]

I agree for the most part here but I've always thought of SW as Low Fat / High Fibre with an element of food combining rather than anything to do with counting calories.

Its a very clever, well thought out plan imo, teaching about real eating in a healthy way. And, if you stick to it, it works xx

 

[Victoria_30]

I agree with pretty much all of the above, like in my prevous post SW have paid a lot very clever people to take the stress of calorie counting OUT of of lives - Just eat and enjoy and let the boffins sort the rest out!

Speaking of food, I'm hungry! x

 

[Greeneyes11]

I have only been doing SW for 2 weeks, so am now a little bit confused by this thread. I understand that we can snack on free foods, but wasn't told that our snacks should be superfree foods, and I know when I have eaten more syns I seem to lose more weight, but I tended to use syns as snacks... eg mini croissant and jam 7 syns... so say I have porridge and summer fruits for breakfast which is my HE A and superfree fruits, and I make up the porridge using a mullerlight yoghurt as it is a free food... then no syns involved then. I will then have a superfree snack as recommended earlier, still no syns. I then would possibly have a jacket potato with baked beans and salad for lunch, more free food and superfree food, followed by a piece of fruit, superfree food. Then mid afternoon a banana and mullerlight yoghurt, again free and superfree... dinner would be possibly curry and rice, plus salad or cauliflower, again free and superfree, so what would I be using syns for? Sorry not trying to start an argument, just trying to understand this diet a bit better....

 

[jaylou]

You are not doing anything wrong at all greeneyes (except porridge is a B but I suspect that's a typo!)

Snacks should be superfree if at all possible but that is not to say you can't use syns as snacks. What it means is try not to snack on free foods such as pasta in sauce, meat, etc - try to have fruit and veg snacks.

Your meals are great and well balanced and you're doing just fine!

 

[CamilleBates]

I have only been doing SW for 2 weeks, so am now a little bit confused by this thread. I understand that we can snack on free foods, but wasn't told that our snacks should be superfree foods, and I know when I have eaten more syns I seem to lose more weight, but I tended to use syns as snacks... eg mini croissant and jam 7 syns... so say I have porridge and summer fruits for breakfast which is my HE A and superfree fruits, and I make up the porridge using a mullerlight yoghurt as it is a free food... then no syns involved then. I will then have a superfree snack as recommended earlier, still no syns. I then would possibly have a jacket potato with baked beans and salad for lunch, more free food and superfree food, followed by a piece of fruit, superfree food. Then mid afternoon a banana and mullerlight yoghurt, again free and superfree... dinner would be possibly curry and rice, plus salad or cauliflower, again free and superfree, so what would I be using syns for? Sorry not trying to start an argument, just trying to understand this diet a bit better....

I do get where you're coming from there. I think though, their trying not to tell you when to use your syns so you can use then on whatever you like. I think they say to try to snack on superfree, rather than snacking on free foods so there is always an option for a free snack if you have used/ plan to use your syns elsewhere, and also to promote healthier eating. If you want to use your syns on a mini croissant then do it, they won't tell you how to use your syns, because they don't know what you would want to use them on. Not everyone would want to use them on snacks, some people might want to use them on alcohol, or extra HEX's, or extra sauces within main meals, eating out, a glass of juice with breakfast, stuffing balls on a roast, chips cooked in oil... the list is endless!! Syns are not there solely for snacks, they are there for you to use how you wish and make you feel less restricted and more like you are eating normally than following a diet.

HTH xxx

 

[CamilleBates]

Cross posted with Jaylou!!! And you said it way better than I did! xxx

 

[Greeneyes11]

Thank you both of you, that was really helpful, I didn't really think about the extras on a roast dinner, or sauces etc.... and very helpful about superfree foods or syns as snacks and not just free foods... I will definately bear that in mind... thank you.

 

[lemon_fizz]

Excellent, thought provoking thread. I don't count calories at all but do apply common sense.

 

[stivesliz]

I couldn't agree more! Calories are a thing of the past with Slimming World!

 

[Becca Wecca]

On previous diets I was constantly looking at calories and fat content. It actually gets a bit obsessive where You are looking at the nutritional information of everything you pick up in the shop! This is what I love about slimming world. Someone has already worked all that stuff out for us. All we have to do is use our common senses! The only time I check calories is if I'm using the Syns calculator. And that's not very often.

 

[pesty]

Really good thread!!

I think with SW the calorie counting takes care of itself as long as you are logical with your choices. Your main high calorie foods are syns and so technically these are counted anyway - just differently.

Also if doing EE your 1/3 sf will keep cals low so you shouldnt consume to much anyway.

I lost 6lbs this week, from following SW as i usually do but starting to look at my portion control. By eating less i have consumed less calories and so lost weight, i dont have to count them to know that.

I think if i ever followed a LCD i would become so obsessive, its so easy to look at the back of every packet and convince yourself that your not hungry when you are.

SW is brilliant xx

 

[MissHelenLouise]

I never count calories on SW and I see results time after time and I have been doing SW on and off for years. I think If I did break down the calories and count them they would be shockingly over the average rda of 2000 or 1500 (for women) if cutting down to lose weight.

However SW should be done without counting calories as that is the reason why it works, and correct me if I'm wrong - but it is possible to actually eat too little on SW and not get as good results, so I've always been encouraged to eat more hence the more you eat the more you lose.

Good Thread guys Helen xx

 

[Care Bear xxx]

well however it works, i love love love slimming world!! I have never counted a single calorie - even the things i think ooo thats quite calorific - i dont shy away from it because I know the plan works and I trust it 100%!
The beauty of slimming world (like no other diet i know!) is that you dont have to count calories or weigh things or counts points for an apple or whatever, they give you a list of food that you can eat and enjoy without any stress or worry over how many cals it has etc.
Just enjoy slimming world for how it is, it says its not calorie based, so dont make it that way... thats just MHO.
xxxxx