Slimmingworld, changes?

[Nash]

As i said somewhere else, I've not been to a slimmingworld meeting for about 5 years.

I have all my original books (red day, green day). I've just started again (but have done it before in the last 5 years), but wanted to know if you think it's changed so much in these last 5 years.

I know different products come and go, but I live in oz and can't get the majority of these products anyway.

So, I'm sticking to the basic method (of 5 years ago) which is healthy extra a x1 and health extra b x 2, plus your free food and your syns.

Red days= free meat, veg, fruit etc
Green days= free pasta, potatoes, rice, beans, fruit, veg etc
I know above is the very basic version, but just want to know if i'm still on the right track.

I also know that there is an online version, but as I say the problem is, I live in oz, and can't get the majority of the products anyway, so don't see the point of joining when I've already got the basics to keep me going (well, i'm hoping anyway)

Plus in the past, when i've tried slimming world in oz (which I have done successfully) I didn't have this forum, to hopefully help me out aswell. I've been reading through a few of the threads, past and present, and it seems a great site, with very helpful people on. So i'm looking forward to getting more involved.
I just need to remember the time difference, as at the moment i'm 8 and a half hours in front of you guys, (It's saturday morning here already).

It's just that we've just had summer here (just gone into autumn 1st march) and too many nice barbies and too much flowing wine:copon: I need to get back into losing some weight.

Thanks for listening and any advice would be greatly received.

 

[nikki]

I think the biggest problem you will have is that a lot of products that used to be free are now syns, and they are not particulary low either!
For example, corned beef is now syns, as is tinned macaroni cheese, spaghetti bolognaise, ravioli etc! Those all used to be free! And there are probably lots of other products that are now synned too!

Also now, it is 2 HEXA and 2 HEXB.

There are also a few new plans! I'm sure others can chime in with some other changes and information too!

 

[loobylou]

Hi Hun, if it worked for you before then i would do it the same, check out the recipe threads for some great ideas and maybe switch things for alternative food stuff that you can get in Australia. Theres plenty of help and advice on here so i think you will do great. Nice to meet you and good luck with your weight losses. xxx loobylou

 

[Nash]

I think the biggest problem you will have is that a lot of products that used to be free are now syns, and they are not particulary low either!
For example, corned beef is now syns, as is tinned macaroni cheese, spaghetti bolognaise, ravioli etc! Those all used to be free! And there are probably lots of other products that are now synned too!

Also now, it is 2 HEXA and 2 HEXB.

There are also a few new plans! I'm sure others can chime in with some other changes and information too!

Hi, thanks for that, but that's what i meant about not be able to get alot of the products in oz. I don't think i can even get those type of canned products, anyway. The only ones I eat are Heinz baked beans and spaghetti. I knew the cornbeef wasn't syn free anymore on the newer plan (that happened when i was in the uk) (I've only been in oz for 3 years, sorry if i made it sound like 5, just haven't been to slimmingworld fo 5, as I had my 2nd child, never went back, then emigrated). Anyway, back to the cornbeef but I have still ate it, as i figure, if i'm using the whole of the old plan, and it was free then, it's not gonna make alot of difference, and it hasn't in the past. And we can't get ravioli, well we can, but it's revolvting (not heinz), so as i say, i don't eat alot of the products, as they're not available or if in doubt, i don't eat them.

They do do maggi noodles though, lifesaver on green days, ha ha. Can't find any of the rices though which is a shame, so have to make my own from scratch, with ingredients i know are syn free.

Sorry, i'm rambling now

 

[Nash]

Hi Hun, if it worked for you before then i would do it the same, check out the recipe threads for some great ideas and maybe switch things for alternative food stuff that you can get in Australia. Theres plenty of help and advice on here so i think you will do great. Nice to meet you and good luck with your weight losses. xxx loobylou

Thank you. About the recipes, i've had a look at some, and there are some fantastic recipes on here that i can't wait to try.
I think if i stick to the ingredients that i know are free on the old plan, then i shouldn't go far wrong, and hopefully with the support on here, i'm on a winning streak

 

[Taz]

It's probably worth you joining online for a month so you can take a fresh look at it and see how much it has changed. All the basic stuff you will be able to get in Oz and you might find an online import company where you can get some of the rice stuff etc. Good luck with it x

 

[eternity]

If you joined online briefly there's the syn calculator where you can put in the nutritional values of the products that you CAN get in Oz.
This might give you some alternatives to use.
I did the plan when corned beef was free too.
You might want to look at the new plan Extra Easy, and there's Mix2Max and so on which I find makes the plan more flexible now.

 

[Gene Genie]

I would say if you have an old book and have lost weight using that version of SW then stick to it and do it my friend does an ages old version where tinned macaroni cheese and corned beef were free and she eats em and loses weight the Mac cheese and corned beef probably make her version a little less healthy but it works for her so I dont knock it.

I would say do whatever you think is best at the end of the day if it works for you then its worth doing

Gen x

 

[Taz]

I would say if you have an old book and have lost weight using that version of SW then stick to it and do it my friend does an ages old version where tinned macaroni cheese and corned beef were free and she eats em and loses weight the Mac cheese and corned beef probably make her version a little less healthy but it works for her so I dont knock it.

I would say do whatever you think is best at the end of the day if it works for you then its worth doing

Gen x

They don't change the plan for the sake of it, these items are no longer free as the recipes/ingredients have changed so can no longer be free. Every change made to the plan is made for a reason which is why it's best to follow the most updated version

 

[Nash]

They don't change the plan for the sake of it, these items are no longer free as the recipes/ingredients have changed so can no longer be free. Every change made to the plan is made for a reason which is why it's best to follow the most updated version

Hi Taz

I can totally understand where you are coming from, but as I've said previously, the majority of the time, I will be sticking to fresh food i.e. fresh meat, veg, fruit, dried pasta, homemade sauces (using fresh ingredients) low fat yoghurt etc. I don't eat tinned 'meal' foods, i.e. spag bog, meat filling etc anyway, the only tinned things I can honestly say i eat regularly are baked beans, tinned tomatoes, and i'm sure they haven't changed. (i even buy the english recipe of baked beans, they do an heinz ozzie version, but i find them tangy). But I do take on board your suggestions, and may give it a go in the future.

I suppose my main thing is finding out syn values for crisp (which i've sort of worked out by using the uk ones and finding a similar one here) weight watchers breakfast bars (still waiting to find out that one and yeah, i'm sure they'll be more, but I do think it's the treats I will need to find out about, and worse comes to the worse, i can try and compare it to something else.

I've had a look at bodyoptimise online and it does look good with the syn calculator, but it will work out about $125 for my first pay out (admittedly that's for 3 months) but once i've calculated all the syns i want, that's it, and money's a bit tight at the mo (as i'm sure it is with most of us:cry so thank you once again, but i will see how it goes for a little while, first.
Don't hold it against me I may be eating humble pie (syn free version) in a couple of weeks, and have to join.

 

[Rachelina]

I was a consultant at the time the plan changed when corned beef/mac cheese etc no longer became free foods, it wasn't because the recipes changed that these foods were no longer free. The reason it changed then was because when SW began it was supposed to be a cheap healthy way of losing weight, ie focusing on low cost foods for families on a low budget, over the years, because of the way they calculated syns, more and more tinned products/ready meals/processed foods etc were able to be classed as free foods, but it was becoming the diet known for being able to eat crap and lose weight! (ie not very healthy) and the focus was shifting from healthy nutritious foods, the worry was that people were not going to learn to eat healthily to lose weight and keep it off, but instead live on a diet of processed stuff (that was expensive anyway) and lose weight.

So, SW changed the way they worked out syns in products which effectively made a lot of previously free processed foods synned and instead allowed you to have another A choice, also it meant that some things that used to be higher in syns became lower, for instance, how could it ever be that a tin of macaroni cheese could be free when a bought salad with a low fat dressing on it was synned? from a health perspective that just didn't make sense.

Since then, it has also meant SW could make the plan more flexible with Mix 2 Max and SE and now EE, none of this would have been possible with the old plan the way syns were worked out.

So, if you want to follow the old plan then yes that's fine and you will lose weight, just don't mix any of it with any part of the new plan though and you should be fine

 

[lydia150970]

I have emailable versions of the new plan if you let me have your email address I'd be more than happy to send them to you.

 

[Nash]

I was a consultant at the time the plan changed when corned beef/mac cheese etc no longer became free foods, it wasn't because the recipes changed that these foods were no longer free. The reason it changed then was because when SW began it was supposed to be a cheap healthy way of losing weight, ie focusing on low cost foods for families on a low budget, over the years, because of the way they calculated syns, more and more tinned products/ready meals/processed foods etc were able to be classed as free foods, but it was becoming the diet known for being able to eat crap and lose weight! (ie not very healthy) and the focus was shifting from healthy nutritious foods, the worry was that people were not going to learn to eat healthily to lose weight and keep it off, but instead live on a diet of processed stuff (that was expensive anyway) and lose weight.

So, SW changed the way they worked out syns in products which effectively made a lot of previously free processed foods synned and instead allowed you to have another A choice, also it meant that some things that used to be higher in syns became lower, for instance, how could it ever be that a tin of macaroni cheese could be free when a bought salad with a low fat dressing on it was synned? from a health perspective that just didn't make sense.

Since then, it has also meant SW could make the plan more flexible with Mix 2 Max and SE and now EE, none of this would have been possible with the old plan the way syns were worked out.

So, if you want to follow the old plan then yes that's fine and you will lose weight, just don't mix any of it with any part of the new plan though and you should be fine

Thank you for taking the time to write that, and thank you for the explanation. I think (for now) I will stick to the old plan, but choose to eat healthily, (no cornbeef, macaroni cheese etc) and just fresh meat, veg, fruit etc etc, i should be ok.

I know what you mean about the processed foods, I used to live on ready meals when I was on a diet, as it was convenient, when your cooking other things for the rest of the family. But since moving to oz, in 3 years, I've had 2 (and they were weight watchers currys), but everything else, I cook from scratch, as readymeals are just not available here, which I am now glad of.
Now I cook for the whole family, and just adapt my meal to suit the SW (old) plan.

 

[essexfan]

Hi Nash I lost 4 stone quite a few years ago using the old books with the free meatballs'macaroni cheese etc & when i went back the consultant said the only reason they changed it is for health reasons(nothing to do with ingredients changing just the salt content,etc) & that if it worked for me carry on. I would love to have the old books to do it lol

 

[MrsMoo42]

I have found this a really interesting thread, I have joined and payed week after week over the years, when I first joined it was free for mac cheese, spaghetti bolognese etc as the original poster has said.
I have recently restarted the SW plan, red and green days. But I am doing it at home, finances just don't allow me to join and pay weekly at the moment. It had confused me to see that all the quick grab tinned food that I relied on for rushed days was no longer an option.

 

[yummymummy1980]

I don't understand how tinned macaroni and ravioli and spat Bol used to be free but now it's not and its syns if it worked before and I lost weight why will it not work for now?

 

[gazter]

I don't understand how tinned macaroni and ravioli and spat Bol used to be free but now it's not and its syns if it worked before and I lost weight why will it not work for now?

Things change. Sometimes it's the ingredients, but it might become apparent that people are eating too much of the tinned foods. Remember, SW plan is a calorie controlled diet like very other successful diet out there. They have created a series of rules, which if followed make it unlikely that you'll exceed the total amount of calories/energy you need for the day.

When they label a food as free SW know that followers will be encouraged to eat it, and consultants will promote using it.

Patterns can emerge where people are over consuming tinned foods. Processed foods are the easiest to over consume because they are easy to eat and digest, and can pass through you quite quickly making you hungry again. By adding a syn value, even a fairly small one, it acts as a meter to people to be more cautious.

Mugshots are the same. It's really easy to overconsume them, it would be one of those changes I could see happening, in which they are all listed as at least 1 syn just to stop people eating them many times a day and hoping to lose weight.

(PS... Losing weight when you have a lot to lose is a lot different than losing when you have a bit to lose, the plan is designed for all users.)

 

[lydia150970]

I have to say during the month I will often eat Mugshots for lunch but I always throw in a large handful of frozen veg to them and i find them exceptionally filling.

 

[Lanarkwitch]

Just a quickie, Slimming world online now has a list of HEX's etc for Australia, worth signing up for a month as they support international members much better than they use to

 

[Lanarkwitch]

Might be useful for you http://www.minimins.com/slimming-wo...sie-slimming-world-foods-syns-free-etc-2.html