So, how does it actually work?

[RaineFalls]

This question has probably been asked 100s of times, but all the answers I read say that Slimming World is a calorie deficit diet.

But...

If you can eat 'unlimited' potatoes, pasta, rice and beans etc. (Green) as a free food, then surely it's not?

For example, for lunch I'm having a bowl of homemade oven chips which is all together worth about 500-600 calories.

Then there are the 'free' Mullerlights, 99 calories.

God knows what I'm having for dinner, probably pasta! Then on top there's 300 calories worth of syns.

Is this plan REALLY a calorie deficit diet? Or is there more to it?

x

 

[Hootiemcbob]

My understanding is that it points you towards foods that are lower in calories but satisfies hunger so essentially you consume less calories than you used to and therefore lose weight.

I.e. you are advised to fill your plate with 1/3 superfree food - so if you're having pasta put tomoatoes, mushrooms, peppers, onions etc in with it... therefore you'll have less pasta as there's more veg if that makes sense. That might not be 100% right but it's how I understand it and i've lost 1 stone 6.5lb in 4 weeks

 

[AmyElizabeth]

Lifelong healthy eating

This link sums it up better than I could ever put it. It's a fancy way of saying that the free foods are ones that fill you up sufficiently for their calorie intake - the idea being that you would never go over your 1500 calories per day on free & superfree food because you'd just be too full. The picture below sort of illustrates what I'm on about because I know I fail to make sense after a bit!

 

[strawberry]

Read this too http://www.minimins.com/slimming-world/345339-fill-up-lose-weight-why-slimming-world-amazing.html

 

[RaineFalls]

Hootiemcbob - Ahh. Duurhh! I totally forgot about filling the plate with 1/3 superfree foods thing! It's a good thing I've naturally been doing it anyway (for the most part). Well done with your weight loss!

AmyElizabeth - Thanks for sharing the link! I see what you mean. I almost picked up bad habits from someone I know who also does Slimming World (she can eat, and eat and eat and rarely gets full and she doesn't eat many, if not any, superfree foods) and needless to say, her weight loss is quite slow.

Kally - Thank you for the link! I'll have to stock up on the foods in the top 10. I made ramen noodle soup just the other day actually. Soup/stock combined with noodles is amazingly filling (and yum).

 

[strawberry]

You're welcome, it's so very hard to believe that we can eat so much and still lose weight but it really does work, I promise x

 

[ununpentium]

It's also about knowing when you are full, and stopping eating then. It's very well to say "unlimited free food! Eat whenever you want!" but some people miss the point and gorge on these foods, eating way past the point of being full, and then wonder why they don't lose any weight!

Yes free foods are unlimited in the sense you don't need to weigh them and you can have them whenever you are hungry (along with your 1/3 superfree at meals) but it doesn't mean binge on them and go mad, or eat when you aren't actually hungry.

My partner doesn't understand SW, for instance my lunch is a 'fry up' (quorn sausages, baked beans, potato chunks, tomato etc) and he's like "So you can have as many fry ups as you want and lose weight? I could eat bacon every day and lose weight?"

 

[lentil2]

The EE plan is clearly about filling up on high density, low calorie SUPERFREE foods thus making it possible to mix carbs and protein.

However, I think the original (red) and green plan has got to be more about not mixing certain foods.
I mean, when I first joined SW many moons ago, there were only those 2 plans and you really could fill up (binge, rightly or wrongly!)on free foods, there really was no information to say only eat until you are full. All the foods that are considered tweaks now, were part of the plan such as lasagne crisps etc were actively encourage!
I lost weight eating huge portions! On plan was tinned macaroni cheese and corned beef, all free!
Ah the good old days!
Lol