Losing faith :(

[cookie_monsta]

Hi all

The title says it all really. I am losing faith in Slimming World. I'm a BIG foodie and I love to cook. so since I joined SW I have realised a lot of my old favourite recipes are now too many syns to even contemplate cooking any more. Even a simple home made pizza or loaf of bread simply is not worth the syns.
And yes I have tried the numerous SW style alternatives, including the "Smash Pizza" and the special SW cheesecake made with quark. I have even tried my hand at making the pastry-less SW quiche. All have proved disappointing to make and to eat .
Call me a snob if you wish, but I do feel a bit like a fraud making quiche out of Pasta n sauce and cottage cheese. or pizza out of Smash. I do understand that this is a diet, and diet food is never going to be as good as the real thing. But I really am thinking of giving up when i cant even eat a family meal made with sausage as the combined syns of the sausage,spice mix and other ingredients just tip the syns over my daily allowance. And almost every SW dinner i have tried with the family has been met with sighs and "please just do a normal lasagne next time".

So there you have it. Maybe SW just isn't for me and im doomed to be fat forever...:wave_cry:

 

[Leeanne910]

Ohhhhh hugs **many hugs**

You wont be fat forever. Sw fits in with my lifestyle and my family. There are just some.meals i cant do.

No.matter what you follow u have to sacrifice. Whether its save calories points or syns for your favourite.meals. Or u can just experiment.to.find what u and ur family do like.

Have you tried other plans. Like calorie counting or weight watchers xx

Start:: 217lb current:: 219lb...Goal:: 154lb 65lb to go!! club10 goal 195lb 24lb to go!!

 

[lardylady]

I agree with you that many of the SW alternatives just aren't worth eating. I'd much rather save my syns for a slice of real quiche than have to make do with a pasta & sauce one. Substitute foods just don't cut it! Couldn't you have smaller portion of the sausage meal/lasagne etc so that you are within your syn allowance? You would still have lots of free food to choose from to go with it. If you took your HEB as olive oil, that would take out 6 syns from the evening meal. That way you could still cook your family's favourites.

 

[kingleds]

Pizza and cheesecake are yummy, but they are not good for you, and if you eat them in large quantites you will gain weight. It really is that simple.

Your family are entitled to eat what they want. You can 't make them eat diet food if they don't need to diet (or even if they do need to - they are capable of making their own decisions)

If you are unwilling to make sacrfices, then yes, you will be fat forever. Because you can't eat those kind of foods all the time and be thin. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but it is true.

SW is a very life friendly plan. There are loads of tasty recipes that you can try - why don't you take it as an oppportunity to try new foods rather than trying to adapt existing receipes? I hate a lot of the substitutes, so I just eat different food. However there are some decent subs out there, for example;
Cheesecake: make your own cheese from 0% greek yogurt, and mix in some vanilla essense for the topping. Stil use digestives as the base, but at least you are cutting down the syns by using a free topping, which isn't quark (which is vile imo)
Sausages: Try Joes Sausages- they are free on Red & Extra Easy.

 

[cookie_monsta]

Thanks for the support everyone Kingleds youre very right when you say that sacrifices must be made for weight loss, i just worry that this is how its gonna be forever, having different meals to the rest of the family and putting up with below par food all the time. and Lardylady i think youre onto something when you say to cook my usual favourite dish, but simply have smaller portion and serve with free food, (and of course the 1/3 superfree). i think i just need to realise that although cheesecake and pizza are divine, that was what got me into this mess in the first place. maybe i should try cooking chinese food like Gok Wan. Ive watched his programme and all the stuff he cooks looks really healthy and quite tasty too

ps. Leanne910 i have tried weightwatchers and was always hungry, and with calorie counting i got confused simply because my maths is terrible and i was calculating my calories wrong all the time

 

[Miss_Corset]

Hey cookie_monsta,

It's a real shame you're feeling so down about plan.

I absolutely love cooking and have actually found SW really good to fit in around it. WW wasn't for me because there was too much of a reliance on ready meals, which I can't stand, but with a few small tweaks (like Frylight), on SW my boyfriend and I make lots of gorgeous pasta dishes, curries, casseroles, stir fries etc. I haven't had chance to get bored yet! My OH isn't on plan and doesn't need to lose any weight (he's a keen racing cyclist so is pretty lean - lucky sod!!) but he's never once complained about a SW meal I've made and he's got really good at making them too.

Yes, there are some things you just have to avoid (pizza is a great example), but I've decided that I want the weight off, so it's worth the sacrifice. It's my birthday on Saturday and I'm going to be making cupcakes to take into work and am I going to have one? Yes! And it'll totally be worth 10syns. But I don't do it all the time so it won't mess up my losses.

Maybe you just need to find some new inspiration? Maybe instead of looking just for SW recipes, instead buy an Olive or Good Food type magazine and just tweak the recipes as needs be (e.g. low fat creme fraiche instead of full fat or quark instead of full fat Philly). I made a yummy cajun pork with a sweetcorn salsa last night and the only chance was subbing oil for FryLight. Remember you can use Olive Oil as your HEXB if you like too. I watched the Gok Wan programme too and am definitely going to buy the book, because it looked amazing! And really healthy too!

Really hope this helps! It doesn't sound like you're ready to give up, you just need a different perspective Good luck! xx

 

[clairebrookes]

I actually think joining SW is the best thing that's happened to my cooking in a long time.
I confess to being a bit of a food snob a times and thought my cooking prior to slimming world was lovely..... However being on SW has created a challenge and my whole families diet is so varied now, I never realised how much of a rut we were in before.

Rather than trying to eat all the same foods as before why not try some different ones.....

 

[cookie_monsta]

yea you guys are right, i guess i just concentrate on what im missing out on and dont focus enough on the actual reason im on SW. I just need to get used to a healthier lifestyle and stop grumbling i have a magazine delivered to my door called "Healthy Food magazine" and its got some really good recipes in it, just needs a few ingredients tweaked now and again. and hey if i save up my syns a few each day, then i can make a nice pudding to enjoy at the weekend guilt-free
Thanks for being so supportive

 

[kingleds]

The lack of fat or oils can make foods bland if you don't add flavour with herbs & spices. I think 75% of what I eat has chilli or spice of some description in it & I'm far more adventurous with my meals now.

Plus, of your family are really that adverse to eating what you cook, I humbly suggest they get themselves off to the kitchen to cook their own meals (age notwithstanding of course - I'm not suffering you let a 5 year old loose in your kitchen ).

Whe you get to target you will occasionally be able to have those things why are out of reach at the moment!

 

[cookie_monsta]

In matter of fact I recently got a new spice rack (its a Ferris wheel style ) so now I'll put it to good use. I live with my grandparents, so they're the ones whom I cook for every day. so because they are quite set in their ways they often don't like me cooking stuff in a different way, although they are getting a bit more lenient in trying new food, so I just gotta try new recipes slowly, say one or two a week.

They did like the SW cottage pie though, so i have bought the Extra Easy cookbook, so hopefully it will have some nice recipes we will all like. Or like miss_corset said, maybe buy an Olive or GoodFood magazine and adapt the recipes. Im determined now

 

[PatchworkPuss]

Have you had a look at Slimming World Recipes - Slimming Eats - it is the website belonging to a member here BritMumInCanada and there are loads of absolutely gorgeous recipes. Many of my own reicpes just come from BBC Good Food - Recipes and cooking tips and are just tweaked to be SW friendly, like swapping the oil for frylight, or cream for natural yoghurt or creme fraiche (synnanble).

Good luck!

 

[Thursday]

i love pizza, too much. that smash monstrosity sounds like food sacrilege to me. i just use HEX pita and cheese and make syn free pizzas. they hit the spot just perfectly. i'm not fussed about quiche but i would just use syns and have some now and again. a lot of the SW ideas people come up with are just rank and scream desperation. which is fine, i can understand desperate for pizza lol, but i think they're just too far. and unnecessary. i've found very little to be truly off limits. we dont eat second rate food ever. it's all great. i agree with a pp who said the mindset of i'm deprived i'm suffering substandard meals is a dangerous one.

 

[MisterQ]

I think if you consider SW recipes as "below-par" and not as good as "the real thing" - you are giving yourself the wrong message. I have been doing SW for over 3 years now, and at target for 1/2 and I have yet to eat a pasta and sauce, because I don't need to when I can make an amazing bolognaise or chilli or curry completely syn free anyway.

The main difference between the majority of SW recipes and "other recipes" tends to be the amount of fat used in the cooking, or the amount of fat in the ingredients. There is very few things where this matters particularly. Bacon without fat is still bacon, it's just healthier bacon. Low syn sausage can be found and are JUST as good if not better than the ones that are stuffed with fat and scraps in terms of taste. You can still have sausage casserole - Sainsburys bgty Cumberland are 1/2 a syn each and are highly recommended.

You need to work on your mindset - because you are telling yourself you are being deprived of "good" things - and that's a fast track to giving up. There is plenty of just as good things to be had and much choice to be had - but unless you drop the attitude that the stuff you are eating is inferior, you're never going to stick to it.

Spot on Minx - I tried the 'pastryless quiche' once and thought it was horrible...haven't tried it since! SO many great tasting foods, variety is vital - keep at it Cookie Monsta!!!

 

[parisienne]

I totally agree with you about the 'fake pizza' etc - I haven't eaten Smash since primary school and I just refuse to accept that that could ever be healthy, the stuff is rank. I'd rather save my syns and have a slice of pizza and really savour it than make a substitute that wouldn't hit the craving. You can cook on SW I promise!! I love cooking and rarely if ever buy in ready meals or frozen food. Try chilli con carne - the only tweak is making sure you use lean/extra lean mince. Bolognaise with the same tweak. The Sainsbury's cumberlands that Minx (I think) mentioned are very nice! You can have bacon - a HEXB bacon sandwich with a syn or two of ketchup is so satisfying and SW friendly! Stir fries are great, and you can use salmon or prawns to make a change from boring chicken. You may have to avoid cheesy lasagnes or pizza's more than you would have, but I wholeheartedly believe that you can have a small taste of the things you love now and then and still lose weight, its all about portion control and knowing when a treat is worth it and when it isn't.

 

[peacelily]

I totally agree with you about the 'fake pizza' etc - I haven't eaten Smash since primary school and I just refuse to accept that that could ever be healthy, the stuff is rank. I'd rather save my syns and have a slice of pizza and really savour it than make a substitute that wouldn't hit the craving. You can cook on SW I promise!! I love cooking and rarely if ever buy in ready meals or frozen food. Try chilli con carne - the only tweak is making sure you use lean/extra lean mince. Bolognaise with the same tweak. The Sainsbury's cumberlands that Minx (I think) mentioned are very nice! You can have bacon - a HEXB bacon sandwich with a syn or two of ketchup is so satisfying and SW friendly! Stir fries are great, and you can use salmon or prawns to make a change from boring chicken. You may have to avoid cheesy lasagnes or pizza's more than you would have, but I wholeheartedly believe that you can have a small taste of the things you love now and then and still lose weight, its all about portion control and knowing when a treat is worth it and when it isn't.

Well said. It depends on your tastes. Some people really miss the things that are high cals and high syns so find the "fakeaway" versions helpful in their weight loss journey. I have never had smash but the idea of turning it into a pizza doesn't do it for me (am Italian). I find that the simpler the basic ingredients the better things turn out and if I want something that's higher in syns I factor it in. It can be done just not every day. Perhaps to satisfy yourself that you aren't missing out plan a flexi syn day every month. Your losses might slow down a bit afterwards but you will still lose. I love rice and pasta but I know if I have them on EE I eat too much so end up bloated and uncomfortable and don't lose. I want to lose weight more than I want to eat those things so I factor them in every now and again, just not every day. It can be done but as others have said its about getting your head in the right place and if it's important to you to lose weight your head will catch up eventually and you DO feel better in the long run. Good luck.

 

[KatD90]

Have you had a look at Slimming World Recipes - Slimming Eats - it is the website belonging to a member here BritMumInCanada and there are loads of absolutely gorgeous recipes.

I would second that! Her website is fab - so many inspiring recipes. I actually think my cooking has improved since starting SW and the variety of stuff we eat has grown. I always try 1 new recipe every week (sometimes more) and sometimes they're not amazing, but I've learnt and experimented and now I use more herbs and spices and experiment more!

I'm having loads of fun cooking SW food and when we have people round and I cook SW they're always so impressed by it and I don't have to tell them it's SW

Xxx

 

[chloecat]

I understand how you feel. I remember cooking SW style stuffed chicken for my family and their reaction being "well yeah, it was nice, but we'd have preferred mozzarella instead of laughing cow triangles, Parma ham instead of wafer thin sliced etc..." and it does get frustrating. Some subs are not worth it - I made smash pizza and thought it was horrible, would rather eat normal pizza and syn it. But many meals like bolognaise, curry, fish bake etc are great